Bad economy is bad for horses; more abandoned

Sandy Gilbert of Spring Valley, Wis., is witnessing another ugly consequence of the economic downturn. Her Refuge Farm takes in abandoned horses, and Gilbert is seeing horse abandonment, already at crisis levels in some places, rise at an alarming rate.

"Some of those horses were dropped off at her doorstep when she wasn't home," reports Scott Seroka of KARE-TV in nearby Minneapolis-St. Paul. "One was found tied to a stop sign in the middle of the night, in the middle of Hammond. Others have been found by financial workers, after they've assessed foreclosed properties."

The cost of keeping a horse has increased significantly in the last year. "The cost of feed is up more than 50 percent," adds Seroka. "The cost of a bale of hay is $10 to $20 more this year." Gilbert admits she is having trouble finding homes for all the abandoned animals. So far this year homes have been found for 150 horses. But, Gilbert tells Seroka that "she has never seen so many abandoned." (Read more) For the video report, click here.