The Hooved Animal Humane Society will hold a silent auction this weekend to sell 21 horses recently rescued from a McHenry County farm where they were near starvation.
“We want to open things up to the public so they can view the horses and see their registered papers,” said Donna Ewing, president of the humane society. “The horses continue to make a remarkable recovery. They’re a little sore today, because they have been turned outside to run for a couple hours each day.”
The auction will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the humane society’s rehabilitation farm in Woodstock, 10804 McConnell Rd.
At the end of the auction, a team of investigators from the humane society will begin visiting the highest bidders to see if they can provide appropriate homes for the horses. That process will take about two weeks.
“The ones in best shape will go within two weeks. Those who are critical may not go for another month or so,” Ewing said.
The 21 horses include 20 Morgans, a breed known for being small but strong, and one white Welsh pony. Many of the horses are brood mares, which means they are typically used to raise offspring, Ewing said.
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Their ages range between 3 and 20 years old, but about half of the horses are younger than 10, Ewing said. The horses have not been ridden for some time, and a few of the younger horses need to be trained.
“They come from excellent blood lines,” Ewing said.
Whether any of the horses will suffer permanent damage from being unattended remains to be seen. A 3-year-old stallion, which Ewing initially thought would have to be euthanized, has recovered but continues to have trouble walking, she said.
Ewing thought animal lovers may be interested in companions for horses they already own or they may buy the horses “out of the kindness of their hearts.”
The horses were rescued Friday by the humane society, which received a tip about the horses’ condition. The horses were found tied in barn stalls, knee-deep in manure, on a horse farm southwest of Crystal Lake. With no food, water or bedding, they were near starvation.
Their hooves had begun to curl up, and their ribs were showing. Many wobbled as they were walked onto trailers in which they were transported to the society’s rehabilitation farm on Friday.
News of the horses’ plight touched the public, which responded with donations and offers to help nurse the horses back to health. Ewing estimated that it would cost her organization $1,000 per horse to nurse the horses to complete recovery.
No charges have been filed against the former owner of the horses, an elderly woman who agreed to donate the horses to the humane society. She told authorities she could no longer physically and financially care for the horses, especially since the death of her husband seven years ago.
Some of the horses are also registered to the woman’s daughter, who recently worked as an assistant to a horse veterinarian and owned a pet sitting service.
The society can be contacted by calling 815-337-5563.