Abused Horse Finds New Home, New Friends At Freedom High School

NEW TAMPA, FL – Students at Freedom High School have a new classmate, and a once-neglected horse has a new lease on life thanks to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

On Nov. 26, deputies from the Sheriff's Agricultural Crimes Unit responded to a call of a horse that had been hit and killed by a car at 17532 County Road 672 in Lithia.

When members of the unit arrived at the scene, they discovered this was the same horse that had escaped through a broken fence the day before.

When deputies returned the wayward horse to its home, they warned owners James Kickliter and Hazel Soape, that the fence needed to be repaired.

When the horse escaped again the next day and was killed, deputies arrested and charged Kickliter with aggravated animal cruelty. The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office later filed aggravated animal cruelty charges against Soape as well. Additionally, the sheriff's office confiscated another horse that the couple had on the property.

The surviving horse, a 13-year-old quarter horse named Tate, was emaciated and in poor health. The agricultural unit promptly moved him to the sheriff’s agricultural impound, a large fenced pasture with a barn containing individual stalls. There, a veterinarian gave Tate a thorough medical exam and placed him on medications and a diet designed to help him regain his strength.

Over the next two months, Tate gained more than 70 pounds.

This week he was deemed healthy enough to be adopted and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Agricultural Unit Deputy Dana Chancey happened to know the perfect home for Tate.

Teacher Alicia Newcomb recently started a program at Freedom High School for students interested in becoming veterinary assistants and she was anxious to give the students hands-on opportunities caring for large animals. The gentle horse was the perfect addition to her menagerie.

On Wednesday, Tate was introduced to his new home where he quickly settled in. He never has to worry again about being neglected because he has more than 2,000 new friends who are eager to watch over him.

Images via Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office