59 ponies rescued from hoarding situation by local horse rescue

WOODSTOCK — In a dramatic event that has touched hearts across the community, 59 neglected ponies were rescued from a hoarder’s property in southern Illinois. The rescue operation, led by the Hooved Animal Humane Society (HAHS) located at 10804 McConnell Road in Woodstock, has brought new hope to the ponies who were found in dire conditions after years of neglect.

The ponies were discovered on a 30-acre property that was littered with horse skeleton remains. Not only was there no access to clean water or proper shelter for the ponies, HAHS Executive Director Cynthia Glensgard told My Huntley News that pregnant mares, foals, yearlings, and stallions were also crowded together with an alarming number of dogs who had reportedly eaten foals as the mares were birthing them. HAHS alongside local volunteers, the sheriff’s office, animal control officers, and representatives from another nearby small animal rescue organization, coordinated the rescue effort after receiving tips from concerned residents.

“I would say about three-quarters of the population were stallions. So, there was a tremendous number of fights because they [were] fighting for their mares. So, the ponies have a lot of scars and bite marks because they weren’t separated out and you could see in some of the ponies that were younger, some of the deformities coming through due to all of the inbreeding for years,” said Glensgard.

Due to the ponies being untrained, the rescue team had to work tirelessly to build makeshift corrals and small catch pens to slowly herd the animals onto trailers. In a positive turn of events, approximately 30 of the rescued ponies were able to be adopted by local community members. The remaining ponies were transported to the HAHS facility for ongoing care and rehabilitation, however, several other nonprofit horse rescues also stepped up to take some of the ponies into their care.

“So, all [the ponies we had] were stallions so they needed to be gelded and we actually partnered with [the] University of Wisconsin Veterinary Medicine School in Madison and we had their Equine Club out and they work with our board chair who’s also a veterinarian, Dr. Ann McCombs, and we were able to give them the training and skills,” Glensgard explained. “It was their first castration. We were able to help create an education for our next round of equine veterinarians. It was pretty wonderful. We were really excited about that opportunity.”

While the remaining ponies are safe and receiving much-needed care for the first time in a while, Glensgard admits that there are still a lot of challenges ahead.

“It’s hard to place unhandled horses. Then the issue of delivering medical care and all that necessary stuff is hard when they’re unhandleable. Fortunately, one of our board members, his name is Brad Andrews, is a really skilled trainer and clinician. He lives in South Dakota but he comes once a month to help us with our horses and he was here and he spent a week doing nothing but trying to get those ponies handled so that we could provide the medical care that they needed,” she said. “We desperately need funding not only to take care of the [horses] that we rescue but also to have the adequate facility and staff, honestly. We definitely need to prepare that quarantine area and set it up better so that we can assist in situations like this.”

Glensgard states that if individuals are not able to donate funds today, they do have the option to donate money to HAHS through their will. Donations are important for facilities like HAHS seeing as there are not many horse rescues and farms like the one at HAHS.

Today, the remaining ponies are better at being handled, though they still require someone who can dedicate a lot of attention to earn their trust. Glensgard described the ponies as quick learners who just need regular love and care.

This successful rescue operation underscores the importance of local organizations like HAHS, which continues to fight for the welfare of animals not just locally, but across the state. Anyone interested in contributing to the care of the rescued ponies or volunteering at HAHS is encouraged to visit the HAHS website for more information on how they can help.