Quarter horses need to be moved from Hampshire farm

Seventy-five quarter horses formerly owned by a breeder need a good home before winter, according to volunteers who have been taking care of them.

Once a leading breeder in American Quarter Horses who won national halter titles at shows throughout the country, the horses' owner gave up the family's farm in 2012 after her husband and daughter died, said volunteers from Barrington-based Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society (HARPS), and Hands & Hooves Rescue of Chicago, in a news release.

Since then, the horses were relocated to a Hampshire equine facility that doesn't have enough space for 75 horses. Thirty horses have been confined to stalls with little or no turnout, while the other horses were kept outside in four small paddocks with insufficient shelter, excess manure and limited human contact, volunteers say.

“We have less than a month to get 75 of these horses off the leased property and into permanent homes. We are pleading with the horse community to come and adopt these animals and give them a new beginning in life,” said Donna Ewing, founder and president of HARPS.

The two volunteer organizations have taken on the task of caring for the horses — including feeding, cleaning and turnout, veterinary care and farrier work — at a cost they estimate at $30,000.

The horses are registered, halter broke and range in age from 6 to 27 years.

Anyone interested in donating to the Hampshire Quarter Horse Rescue Fund or adopting one of the horses should contact HARPS at (847) 382-0503 or mail donations to P.O. Box 94, Barrington, Illinois, 60011-0094; or visit www.harpsonline.org.