DuPage Forest Preserve looking at policy for retiring horses

The DuPage County Forest Preserve District is developing a policy for retiring horses after a decision to put two of its former animals up for auction sparked controversy.

Several residents earlier this month voiced outrage because two horses - Annie and Buddy - were sold by the district after spending much of their lives working at Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago.

Annie, 21, and Buddy, 27, were purchased for $950 by the same buyer during a March 18 draft horse auction in Topeka, Indiana.

On Tuesday, officials said they don't know for sure what happened to the horses. Some horse enthusiasts fear at least one of the animals could end up at a slaughterhouse.

Forest preserve President Joseph Cantore has said he wants to ensure "nothing like that happens again."

The first step commissioners took was to extend the horse adoption policy for the Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton to all the district's horses. The district has 18 horses at Danada and seven at Kline Creek.

In addition to expanding the horse adoption policy, Cantore has ordered officials to get board approval before selling any more horses.

He said the moratorium will remain in place until the district develops "a holistic policy for the humane retirement from service of our horses."

"This holistic policy is going to take into account all of the equine dispositions in the forest preserves," Cantore said. "It's going to take everything into account where we don't have to worry about it again."

The proposed policy is expected to be drafted within the next three months. It then will be reviewed by commissioners and the public.

Glen Ellyn resident Joan Sekerak said the district needs a policy that is "sensible."

Officials have said the district's existing policies were followed when Annie and Buddy were sold. For decades, Kline Creek horses have been sold at auction once they reached a certain age.

Sekerak says the decision to auction off horses like Annie and Buddy was unconscionable and cruel.

"Whoever approved that shouldn't really be around animals," she said.

Resident Sue Wedryk of Wheaton says she wants the district to ban the sale of any of its retired horses at auctions.

"Once they're retired, if there is somebody that we know who would be a good owner, I think we can consider adopting them to people," Wedryk said. "If not, then I think we have a lot of resources and space where they can retire at the forest preserve."