One last chance
Volunteers give orphaned horses a home

By Emily Mullins

When visitors enter the barn, the foals huddle in corner, startled by the noise. Timidly, they observe from a distance with their wide-set eyes. And then, the bravest of the little horses trots over and nuzzles a visitor with his velvety nose. It is this simple gesture that fully explains Victoria Goss' dedication to the Last Chance Corral. This one trusting nuzzle would capture anyone's heart.

"These animals have been through so much by the time they get here," Goss says, founder and president of the Last Chance Corral, explaining their hesistance.

And they certainly have. Born in a thoroughbred farm in Kentucky, the one-month-old horses were separated from their mothers at a dangerously early age. The farm had no need for them; the only reason these "nurse mare foals," as they are called, were born was so their mothers could provide milk to horses of better breeding. Left to die, the horses were rescued and brought to the Last Chance Corral in Athens, where they have been receiving loving care for the first time.

''Being born to die is just not good enough for me," Goss says. 

Since 1986, the Last Chance Corral, one of the largest animal rescue shelters in the country, has saved thousands of foals and full-grown horses from death by providing a home until a suitable family adopts them. But the process has never been easy. Raising foals is a full-time job, with the youngest of the fragile creatures requiring 24-hour care. The corral is a nonprofit organization, and Goss and her crew of volunteers dedicate themselves out of pure kindness.

Ohio University alumni play a key role in supporting the corral. Alumnus Lisa Michele Rudy, a volunteer who manages public relations at Last Chance, and fellow alumni Don Chalmers, Jaqueline Deddens, Lani Blackford and Karly Ohly make up the corral's board of directors. Assisting in everything from newsletter design to stable management, the board helps Goss keep the Last Chance operating year after year, and most members have adopted horses of their own.

"It is definitely the most gratifyingly exhausting work I have ever done," Rudy says. When foals arrive at the Last Chance Corral, the atmosphere is chaotic. Anywhere from two to 20 frightened foals are unloaded and checked for illnesses, injuries and signs of abuse. After the initial confusion, they receive proper medical attention, a nutritious diet and plenty of human attention from Goss and her crew. This process repeats until the season's last foal is rescued, with multiple, often unpredictable, trips to Kentucky made each week.

The corral also relies on student volunteers from the university. While the board can't afford to pay them, Goss says, "we always make sure they leave with a full stomach."

Perhaps the most gratifying aspect to all of this backbreaking work is the simple fact that Goss and her volunteers are good at what they do. Told by veterinary experts to expect a 45 percent survival rate for the foals, the crew at Last Chance has drastically surpassed that estimation, and 98 percent of the foals live long and happy lives.

"We give our hearts and souls to each and every horse," Goss says. "It is really rewarding to save that life."

Emily Mullins, BSJ '05, is a student writer for University Communications and Marketing.

Related link

The Last Chance Corral