Volunteers want good homes for horses

MONROE, Ind. (WANE) - Thirty-seven neglected horses rescued from a Decatur farm could soon find permanent homes.

In August, Adams County officers rescued the horses from a barn outside of Decatur. All were thin, sick and depressed. They were transported to the Adams County 4-H fairgrounds, where volunteers took care of them.

Rick Hill was arrested and charged with 14 counts of animal cruelty. His trial started Monday and continues Tuesday.

For the past five months, the Adams County sheriff's department has been taking applications for foster homes. As a decision on ownership is nearly finalized, the caretakers of these horses want to make sure they wind up in good hands.

One such person is Cheryl Kratzert-Walls, owner of Fairway Farm in Monroe. She will be the first to tell you taking care of a full grown horse is no easy job. The manpower and costs can be overwhelming if you're not prepared.

"People get it in their mind that horses are like dogs. And that they can make a profit on them," said Kratzert-Walls. She thinks Hill may have fallen into that.

Kratzert-Walls took in a filly and a mare about three months ago. Both were very weak and sick. The mare named Forget Me Khnot, had an infection with a fungus called rain rot which stretched down her back. Also, one of her teeth was poked out the side of her face, making it nearly impossible to eat.

Under intense care, both have grown stronger and happier. Kratzert-Walls and other caretakers want to keep it that way. As foster homes anxiously await permanent status, she is reminding anyone interested in adopting to learn from the past.

"When you've got 37 horses and not a lot of shelter and no feed, and the condition that they ended up in, that should not have happened," said Kratzert-Walls.