The News-Courier in Athens, Alabama

Local News

Related Photos

  • This young, bay colt was picked up by sheriff’s deputies Tuesday morning and then brought out to a pasture next to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Rodeo Arena. The department is trying to find the owner. Courtesy photo

    horse found.jpg

Discussion

Add a comment on this story
March 9, 2011

Sheriff looks for owner of horse found in county

By Adam Smith adam@athensnews-courier.com

— There’s a young horse roaming in a pasture next to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Rodeo Arena, but authorities don’t know its owner.

Deputies picked up the horse Tuesday at about 10:30 a.m. on Wooley Springs Road, about a mile from Alabama 251. They had received a call from a resident who said the horse was loose and was wandering near her pasture.

Officers knocked on doors in the area, but were unable to determine who owns the horse.

Lt. Allen Craig said the horse is a bay colt, about a year to a year-and-a-half old. He said the horse had been cared for and is docile, which made it easier for officers to get a rope on the animal, put it on a trailer and transport it to the arena.

If an owner doesn’t come forward to claim the horse, Craig said, it will likely be sold by the department at a later date. He said the horse would sell for about $50.

Anyone with any information about the horse or its owner is urged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 256-232-0111.

According to the group A Million Horses, which documents abandoned, abused and neglected horses, abandoned horse cases are on the rise nationally. It is not known, however, if this is a local case of abandonment or if the horse simply wandered away from home.

“Current economic conditions are compounding the problem for cash-strapped owners who find it nearly impossible to sell their unwanted, unneeded and infirmed horses, regardless of age and condition,” says information on the group’s website. “It is not unusual for lower classes of horse to sell for as little as $5, if they sell at all.”

A 2010 report from the University of California-Davis noted that 144 registered non-profit horse rescues spent an average of $3,648 per horse per year. The study also suggested an annual cost of $50 million for 13,700 animals in registered non-profit facilities.

 

Text Only
Local News
Poll

Will your family take a summer vacation this year?

Yes
No
     View Results
Echoes from the Titanic
AP Video
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium 50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com
Stocks
Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
Business Marquee
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com