Bingham Herd of 75 Abandoned Quarter Horses Find New Homes
Part of the herd standing together before adoption. Photo courtesy of HARPS.
Hampshire, IL – In a race with Mother Nature, the Hooved Animal Rescue & Protection Society (HARPS), Barrington, IL, lead a monumental rescue of 75 abandoned Quarter Horses of National Halter Champion lineage in Hampshire, IL. In September, HARPS found the animals in inadequate living conditions, lacking veterinary care and treatment, many of them immune-compromised and in various stages of malnutrition and starvation, while others appeared healthy.
HARPS was contacted along with Hands & Hooves, Chicago, IL, to rescue and re-home the horses as some were in grave danger of not surviving the winter. The property owner, given ownership by the courts when the horses were abandoned, set an October 31 deadline to get the animals off his property. The horses were in imminent danger of being sent out of the country to be slaughtered due to the inability to provide potable water and adequate shelter over the frigid winter months as outlined in the Illinois Humane Care for Animal Act, which Donna Ewing of HARPS was instrumental in passing in 1971.
Two new owners and their adopted horse. Photo courtesy of HARPS.
“It was nothing short of a miracle that in less than two months we were able to find wonderful loving homes for these horses,” said Donna Ewing, HARPS founder and president. The animals went directly from the leased property where they were left behind, due to the former owner’s lack of financial resources and inability to care for them, and placed into new loving homes just in the nick of time.
“The response from the horse world was remarkable. HARPS received more than 300 applications from horse people coast to coast, and we are grateful to each and every person willing to step up and give these horses a new start,” Ewing said.
An adopted horse leaning on new owner. Photo courtesy of HARPS.
“This was a monumental rescue effort, the largest single case in over forty years of rescuing horses. This never would have been possible without the help and support of great horse people and animal lovers who assisted, adopted, and donated.” Ewing estimates the cost to care for these horses exceeded $30,000 in two short months and hundreds of work hours by volunteers and HARPS staff at the rescue.
This rescue case received national attention due to the large number of horses, the conditions they were left in, and that some had been national champions. This case, however, is just one of many reports daily to HARPS. People interested in becoming supporting members of the Hooved Animal Rescue & Protection Society may contact HARPS at (847) 382-0503, P.O. Box 94, Barrington, Illinois 60011-0094 or visit the website, www.harpsonline.org
Another new owner with her adopted horse. Photo courtesy of HARPS.
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Scroll below to view more photos of the horses, courtesy of HARPS.
