Abandoned Horses

Chris Hawes reports

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FORT WORTH — The Humane Society of North Texas doesn't need to check the business pages to know the market is dropping.

They see the evidence coming through their doors: Animals abandoned because their owners can no longer provide needed care.

Among the hardest hit in North Texas are horses; the Humane Society is trying to find new homes for 19 of them.

Tucked behind the society's shelter, hidden among car lots and office buildings, you'll find an unlikely place for a barn — the home of last resort for the horses that pour into Fort Worth every week.

Many of the animals are nearly dead when they arrive.

"In 2007, we took in 107 horses. In 2008, we've taken in more than 100 and it's only the first part of December, so we still have another month to go," said Humane Society spokeswoman Peggy Brown-Aguilar.

The new arrivals often come in large groups, swamping volunteers. Some 15 from one owner arrived in the last two weeks.

Photos of the animals show why the organization can't say "no."

Rescue director Charles Thompson singled out one horse: "This is supposed to be meat right here, and there's no muscle, nothing — sunk all the way down to the bones," he said.

The horses are skinny, scarred and balding. Some have holes in their hooves.

To turn them away would be a death sentence.

Currently 19 horses need permanent homes, but adoptions take time, as some horses are fearful of new owners.

The Humane Society attributes the increase in abandoned horses to the economy. Healthy horses cost around $3,000 a year to maintain.

"When people can't afford to take care of the horses anymore, it's sometimes easier to walk away and leave them or turn them loose," Brown-Aguilar said.

Seeing the misery of these animals is enough to make anyone angry, but Thompson says it's an emotion he can't afford.

One outburst could cost him a court case and send the horses back to the very home from which they were rescued.

E-mail chawes@wfaa.com