Equine rescues survive on the charity of others. But what happens when an equine rescue betrays the trust of its donors?

More than 50 malnourished and neglected horses were seized from Hidden Meadows Equine Rescue in West Virginia a few months ago and one of the owners, Mary O’Brien, was charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty. She eventually entered a guilty plea to one count of animal cruelty and escaped with a fine of $1,000 and time served in the county jail. The horses were the obvious victims, but there were others, including the generous people who gave money to the organization and other equine rescues that might find future donations reduced as a result of guilt by association