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January 28, 1999
Wisconsin Horse Rescue has met it's biggest challenge to date. In the past we have dealt with cases involving one or two horses. Recently, we "broke thru" a major abuse situation, and with the assistance of the "officials" in a Central Wisconsin county. Over 50 severely abused horses were ceased. Of those, several were found dead, or were so sick, that they had to be "put down". What remains now, are 42 horses needing immediate homes. The group, consists of one draft horse, about 8 donkeys, about 7 small ponies, about 3 large ponies, one miniature horse, and the remainder being light horses (riding horses). Of these, are several very young foals, (baby horses).
We went and saw all of the horses, and most of them are young. Most appear relatively healthy, despite their underweight conditions. Many of the mares are pregnant. A few of the horses have leg or hoof problems, and one appaloosa looks extremely mal-nourished. As far as we know, none have any training, yet none appear to be mean, and many are very friendly. There are a variety of breeds, consisting of appaloosa, arabian, quarter horse, pinto, cremola, buckskin, standardbred, shetland and welch ponies, and more. Plus the donkeys and the Belgian draft.
Sparkle, the gray (white) arabian (mentioned earlier on our web site), is not amongst this group, and it was her that led us to all of these horses. From the looks of things, and information gathered, it appears that there is another group of these abused horses, located in another part of the state, and she is among that group. Officials are investigating, and we have hopes of finding that group. If found, Sparkle is guaranteed a home.
This week, we are trying to find homes for as many of these horses as possible. On Saturday, January 30, 1999, all horses will go to auction, and many might end being sold to slaughter houses, to be turned into dog food or glue. If good homes can't be found for them.
Needless to say there is a busy week ahead, and this large of a group is rather overwhelming for us to deal with, considering our size and lack of help. Yet, we plan to do what we can to assist these horses in getting good homes.
If you know anyone wanting a horse, pony, or donkey, please email me ASAP. Also, we plan to take several of them, and find them homes ourselves, but in order to do this, we will need donated space to temporarily house them, donated feed or cash to be used to feed them, plus someone with a truck and horse trailer to haul them would be very helpful, since our trailer can only haul two at a time. After the adoption of these horses is completed, we could really use some additional volunteers. (Please see our volunteer page).
And last but not least, we have decided to adopt the miniature horse ourselves. and it appears that the Belgian will be given a home by the owners of our stable, but that is not yet confirmed.
Email us: (see mainpage for email address)
* NOTICE *
It appears that we may not be clear on the auction details, from some of the emails we have received. To straighten this out, here's the scoop. "Wisconsin Horse Rescue" does not receive any compensation from the sales of these horses, nor do we work for, endorse, or support the auction, the county government, or any others involved in the sales of these horses. "Wisconsin Horse Rescue" is not responsible for the sale of these horses, and was not responsible for the legal actions taken against the former owner who neglected these horses. These horses are being auctioned off, due to a court order, and all proceeds will be given to the county government as compensation for their expenses incured in the rescue, care, feeding and veterinary costs associated with these horses. The only other payments from the sale, will be a percentage that will be payed to the auctioneer, for their services, as far as we know.
Any horses adopted by Wisconsin Horse Rescue, will be BOUGHT at the auction. Anyone we contact to help us rescue these horses must also BID and BUY the horses from the auction. There are NO EXCEPTIONS. In addition to this, specific rules have been set by the court, (such as all stallions must be gelded). Everyone, including "Wisconsin Horse Rescue" personnel volunteers, and guests, MUST abide by the court ordered rules, and the auction process. However, "Wisconsin Horse Rescue" will be there to rescue as many of the "desirable" horses into good homes, and will also do whatever we can to find temporary, housing, and eventually permanent homes, for any horses not sold or unwanted, if this occurs. According to the auction flyer, ALL horses must be sold on the date of the auction. "Wisconsin Horse Rescue" plans to purchase as many horses as possible, but with little funds, we can only do so much. Therefore, we encourage others to join us at the auction, help us outbid the "killers", and find suitable or temporary homes for the "lesser desired" horses. If we acquire a large number of horses, we will need help with their shelter, and transporting them. You can help by joining us at the auction, and bringing your cash, your horse trailers, and an open heart.
Finally, although "Wisconsin Horse Rescue" has special requests for adoptions, and we normally have the owners sign forms agreeing to specific terms of ownership, We can not, and will not be doing this at this time. With this number of horses, it would be impossible. Our main goal is to "save" as many horses as possible from being slaughtered. We just hope and pray that anyone participating will give the horses a suitable home. After the auction is over, we hope to devise a list of persons who have adopted these horses, and hopefully stay in contact with these people. That's the best we can do under these circumstances.
You Asked, Where Did These Horses Come From?
To See a copy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Article. Click Here
March 27, 1999
FINALLY After nearly 6 months, we have Sparkle !!!!
SPARKLE: 7 year old grade Arabian Mare. Gray (white) coat, approx 14 hands.
She was dumped off at an auction, apparently in October of 1998. She was underweight, with severe girth galling, and coliced the following day. She was vet checked, and treated for the colic, which appears to have been caused due to a lack of proper worming. The vet stated that she appeared healty otherwise, with good teeth and legs. She has no name, as far as her records show. (I named her Sparkle). I spent several hours with her, and she is an extremely gentle Arabian mare, but very fearful of people. Her spirit is broken too. She will need lots of Love to bring her back. She is now in the care of Wisconsin Horse Rescue, and doing well.
April 1, 1999
KEESHA: 20 year old Egyptian Arabian Mare, in foal.
Keesha, a fleabitten gray (white) Arabian mare is given a new home, and a new life. She was adopted by a loving person. She is a very gentle, and loving horse. Her body is run down though, and she will need alot of extra care for her foal. She is due to foal in late July or early August, 1999. She is a pleasure to work with, and is very intelligent and gentle. Her new owner loves her very much.
Keesha does have one bad habit though. The first day we had her, she figured out how to open the gates on her paddock, and let the horses escape. A special latch had to be installed to keep her from doing this naughtyness. Actually, we think this was her way of saying "APRIL FOOL", and fool us..... SHE DID !!!!! :)
See our "ADOPTED" pages for more information, and a picture of this beautiful mare.
If you would like to get on our list, to receive emailed notices about available horses, email us, and be sure to include your name, and a valid email address. Everyone on our list will receive an email message when a new horse becomes available. If you do not have an email address, send your phone number, but we do ask that we be able to call you "collect" since our budget is tight.
Anyone obtaining a rescued horse from WISCONSIN HORSE RESCUE either directly, or indirectly, becomes owner of that horse. However, WISCONSIN HORSE RESCUE requires that you sign a form stating that you will properly care for that animal, allow the owners of WISCONSIN HORSE RESCUE to occasionally visit that animal, during it's entire lifetime, and you must notify WISCONSIN HORSE RESCUE if you ever intend to sell the horse, and allow WISCONSIN HORSE RESCUE to purchase that animal for no more than you originally paid for the horse. This is strictly so that we can be sure to provide each and every horse the best possible home. We will also work with both you and the horse, to help you provide that horse with the best possible conditions, but will request a minimal donation, to help pay for our travel expenses to your home.
Updated: April 1, 1999