A picture may be worth a thousand words, but when it comes to the picture of these horses, I'm still at a loss—this photo is worth a thousand chills:

When I was a child, I had a recurring nightmare that I was covered head-to-toe with needles that paralyzed me. I had no way of taking them out; I was helpless. But of course, I'd wake up, and it would all be over—it was only a twisted creation of my subconscious.

For the horses in the photo, however, my haunting nightmare was their reality. Covered in thick clusters of hard, prickly burrs, the horses endured constant discomfort, yet their neglectful owner continued to let the burrs accumulate in the horses' manes and tails for months.

After noticing the matted mess these horses had become, a concerned neighbor contacted PETA. We immediately got in touch with animal control, which had initially failed to respond to these concerns when our complainant first called for help. However, the agency was inspired by PETA caseworkers to force the owner to groom the horses immediately, and better yet, the horses were moved from the burr-infested property into a safer environment.

It is crucial that guardians have a comprehensive understanding of the care required to provide horses with a happy, healthy existence. Burrs, pebbles, and debris often cause debilitating bruises or thrush, a painful bacterial infection, which is why horses must be routinely cleaned and checked for markings. If you see or know of any animal who is not receiving proper care, please report it to your local law enforcement—the animal's life may depend on your speaking up.

Written by Logan Scherer

An open letter to the citizens of Iowa:

It's too late to save the poor pigs who were killed after they escaped a flooded southeastern Iowa farm after being left to drown, swam several miles through raging floodwaters, and scrambled atop a sandbag levee, where sheriff's officials shot them for fear that they would weaken it, but as citizens of Iowa, you can all do something in solidarity to save other clever, charismatic pigs: Go vegetarian.

Millions of pigs are hung upside-down, scalded, and bled to death, often while they're still conscious, in slaughterhouses every year. Pigs feel pain every bit as much as we do, are horrified at the sight and smells of the slaughterhouse, and are afraid to die. Like us, they fight for their lives and struggle to avoid suffering.

There is no reason for any pigs to die such tragic, violent deaths—ever. Tasty, healthy, and humane mock meats—including Tofurky sweet Italian sausages, Morningstar Farms veggie dogs, Yves Veggie Cuisine's Canadian veggie bacon and deli slices, and other faux-pork products—are available in many supermarkets and health-food stores.

By choosing vegetarian foods instead of animal flesh, each one of us can save more than 100 animals every year. See GoVeg.com for more information, and click here to get a free "Vegetarian Starter Kit."