66 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Fall 2018 TheCoastalBend.com Animal Kingdom What it means to be Humane. Tom Armstrong defines the spirit of humanity by living his life in service to God’s creatures. That is the most apt summary of this man and his efforts through Fallen Horse Rescue to fulfill a mission that must be divine in origin, at least for him. He reminds me of the late Tony Amos. Tony was a career scientist who, some would say, got too close to his subject matter. His heart broke through his scientist’s mind, and he ended up committing his life to the rescue and rehabilitation of animals in distress. When one is called to such a mission in life, they will tell you, the act and process is nothing short of ir- rational—the financial and opportunity costs never add up; it will never be easy, in fact, the mission will over- whelm you, it might even break you financially and psy- chologically. And that’s what defines such missions as spiritual, as divine. It makes no sense. It is irrational. Most of all, the reward is only to your soul, and may only be fully realized after you depart this world. Almost ten years ago, Armstrong and a small band of supporters saw a painfully emerging problem in the rural farm and ranch communities north and west of Corpus Christi. More and more property owners were unable, or unwilling, to take care of their horses and donkeys, many of which had no veterinary care and were underfed—some to the point of death. Even worse, there were more than a handful of cases of abuse, over and above the abuse of neglect. Tom and his gang began rescuing these animals, and in 2012 Fallen Horse Res- cue was officially founded on a five-acre farm within sight of Lake Corpus Christi in Mathis. With the help of private cash donations, and es- pecially in-kind donations of feed and services, horses, donkeys and mules that had been abandoned, neglected and/or abused were taken in by Fallen Horse Rescue. Sadly, not all made it, although Tom Armstrong gave them the only chance they had—but over the past six years he and his helpers have rescued hundreds of ani- mals, with most being adopted into permanent homes. Animals in distress come to Fallen Horse Rescue by a variety of means, the most preferred being the volun- tary surrender of an animal before it falls into ill health. If Susie gets a pony for Christmas, and dad loses his job the next year, a rescue operation like Fallen Horse will utilize its network to find a new home for the pony—and it’s much easier for all involved (especially the pony) if the animal is healthy. Tom Armstrong, however, seeks out and finds ani- mals in need of rescue, having a good idea where they might be and in what circumstances. He found two mules who were headed to a slaughterhouse in Mexico, which he bought for $40, giving the peaceful animals a chance at a simple life in a meadow. Fallen Horse Rescue took in a bull that was living in a backyard in Corpus Christi, which makes one wonder whether the neighbors were first tipped off by the smell or the loud mooing and snorting. After Hurricane Harvey, pets were abandoned for days or weeks as property owners were unable to ac- cess their homes, and many more were released from their confines by Mother Nature, as fences, barns, stables and coups were damaged and destroyed. Arm- strong and his partners at Fallen Horse took in a home- less and wandering horse from near Rockport. These kind of rescues tend not to draw much public attention, but they represent the majority of animals who are giv- en a second (or third) chance by Fallen Horse Rescue. The horrific stories, few as they may be, are also the ones that get the most public attention—and right- fully so. Fallen Horse is often the default rescue utilized by the San Patricio County Sheriff’s Department, local police departments throughout South Texas, and even sheriff’s offices of the surrounding counties. These ju- risdictions take the matter of animal welfare seriously, and negligent and abusive owners or other perpetrators are prosecuted routinely. In a way, the CPS for the ani- mal kingdom, Fallen Horse Rescue provides a safe place for these animals where they are nursed and nourished back to health. All of this is accomplished on a shoestring budget of donations and acts of kindness by good Samaritans