BITHLO, Fla. -- Animal cruelty officers said it was one of the worst cases of neglect they'd seen. A 30-year-old Arabian horse was found abandoned behind a Bithlo home in east Orange County. The horse had been forced to fend for itself for months.

Thursday, the horse named Moe was rescued.

Paula Fulton has always had a soft spot for horses, but the 30-year-old Arabian named Moe has melted her heart.

"It's so sad. He doesn't know how sad it is. If you look at him, he doesn't realize how sad he is. You've got to remember, he's an animal. He doesn't care about sad," Fulton said. "We just have to let him know that everything's okay and he's gonna be okay, right?"

Moe has been through a lot, abandoned for months in a Bithlo pasture. His previous owner sold the land and left him. The brush was so high and thick, nobody knew he was back there.

GET WFTV NEWS HEADLINES BY EMAIL 9 a.m. Headlines Noon Headlines 4 p.m. Headlines News of the Strange Breaking News Alerts

The horse looks terrible and is 200 or 300 pounds underweight, but Fulton is determined to fatten him up and nurse him back to health.

Some might say, with a horse so old, perhaps he should be put to sleep.

"When you first see Moe, that's the first thing everyone thinks. Oh, this horse is in bad shape. But look at the eyes and the face. The spirit is still there," said Jake White, SPCA.

Moe has a spirit so strong that, after being walked to Fulton's trailer, he refused to get in and, after a misstep, fell down and refused to get up.

"Well, you can't blame him. He's probably never seen a trailer, never been out before. So, we need to get him back," Fulton said.

She believes in second chances and she said Moe deserves one.

"Every morning, I want to come out there and every day I want him to be better and better. It'll make me feel good. It's just something I want to do," she said.

The SPCA said Moe's original owner is now in North Carolina, but she still faces charges for animal neglect.

Meanwhile, Moe is now at his new home in west Orange County.

If you would like to help Moe, contact Jake White at the SPCA: 407-351-7722.