As hundreds of cyclists poured through the Summit City, there was hope that the event would not only bring some exercise and entertainment to the participants but hopefully a changed view of the community in general.They were first spotted together near the Allen County Fairgrounds early Sunday morning between midnight and 1 a.m. but at some point split up.
The younger horse, a gelding, stayed within the county limits, ending up in the area of Carroll Road where sheriff’s officers found it.
The other, a much older mare with shoes that were put on a month or two ago, took off down U.S. 33 into Whitley County, running all the way through Churubusco before police corralled her.
By then the mare had diarrhea, was dehydrated, drenched in sweat and scared for her life.
It’s the latest in what appears to be a growing trend in Allen County: horses found along roads, in parks or elsewhere, apparently abandoned by their owners.
“Unfortunately, it’s getting common in our area,” said Michelle Heitz, owner of the Shadarobah Horse Rescue on Goshen Road, where the two horses are now staying.
Late last month, two neglected horses were found roaming in Johnny Appleseed Park. A few days later, another horse officials believe to be abandoned was struck by a vehicle along Auburn Road and then euthanized.
Heitz believes the horses found Sunday were abandoned because no one has come forward to claim them.
The fact the Allen County Fairgrounds held a horse show Saturday night raises her suspicions, as well. It’s as if someone picked that area to abandon the horses because a horse wandering around might not be noticed quickly.
“What strikes me as odd is that nobody is calling and saying, ‘My horses are missing,’” Heitz said. “If they had just gotten loose, somebody should be looking for them.”
The younger one’s outlook for recovery is good, Heitz said. The older one – which Heitz said had no business trotting as far as it did – might have a much more difficult time.
That horse came into the rescue emaciated and in need of dental work. Its teeth are too sharp for it to eat and put on weight properly, Heitz said.
What seems bizarre to Heitz is the new shoes on that horse. Why put new, somewhat expensive shoes on a horse you’re not taking care of?
Heitz, who helped police get that horse under control in the middle of the night, guesses that the horse is possibly middle-aged, but she isn’t sure.
With the recent abandonment of the horses found at Johnny Appleseed Park, Heitz fears more people will dump unwanted horses.
That case had a happy ending. The horses survived and are recovering. But not all cases turn out that way, Heitz said. Abandoned horses can starve to death or be hit by a vehicle, which also places humans in danger.
“There are alternatives,” Heitz said, though she admitted there are few.
Many horse rescues are already full or struggling from the slow economy and the expenses for caring for horses. Shadarobah houses 42 horses, Heitz said.
Still, people looking to unload horses can place them on a waiting list for rescues, or place ads in the free papers or on websites such as Craigslist.com. And though it’s not an easy thing to do, euthanasia is still a possibility, according the Heitz.
“It’s a much nobler death than starving,” she said.
Although abandoning horses has not been a problem in the area until recently, it’s been prevalent in places like Shipshewana and Topeka where horse auctions are held, according to Heitz.
It’s not unheard of, she said, for people at those auctions to suddenly find a horse stashed inside their otherwise empty trailers.
That happens because many times people do not have the heart to sell their horse at such auctions with the possibility of the animal becoming meat in Canada or Mexico, where using horses for food is legal. So they’ll find an empty trailer and, in their mind, a new home for the animal, Heitz said.
It’s unclear what will happen to the pair of horses found Sunday, but Heitz stressed that people who are finding it impossible to take care of their horses need to begin looking for a place for the animals quickly.
There are people looking to adopt horses, according to Heitz, with many adoptions pending at her own rescue.
Don’t wait until the situation is desperate, she said.
“If you can’t buy hay this month, or are struggling to buy hay, or you’re struggling to buy food for your family, start looking for a place to put that horse,” she said.
