Horses still need care

YONGE'S ISLAND -- The slumbering patient let loose a deep-throated gurgle as the surgical team guided him toward an operating table, the clank of overhead chains mixing with the rhythmic beat of a heart monitor.

Heavily sedated, Shaker the saddle horse dozed on his side as veterinary surgeon John Malark went to work on a damaged left eye that had gone untreated for months. The injury, caused by the metal end of a water hose, was just too severe. The eye had to come out.

It was just one more indignity for the strong stallion.

Shaker was of one 47 horses seized last May from a Colleton County Bible camp after neighbors complained that the animals were being abused and neglected. Animal control workers said they found a host of undernourished horses. The rib cages of several could be clearly seen through their skin.

After months of legal wrangling, county authorities got the go-ahead last month to put the horses up for adoption, Tim Lynes, director of Colleton County Animal Control, said. About 30 of the original pool are still awaiting permanent homes. So far, the county has spent close to $120,000 on the horses' care, though donations have helped offset the cost to taxpayers, he said.

"They're in very good shape," Lynes said. "They're all looking great."

Shaker and 12 other horses were adopted by the Livestock Equine Awareness and Rescue Network, which moved them to a farm in Meggett while searching for permanent owners and "forever" homes for the animals. LEARN depends on donations to feed, shelter and care for its horses, and the effort is straining the group's budget, founder Elizabeth Steed said.

The group took in the horses that had the most severe special needs. None were vaccinated; all were underweight and ridden with parasites, Steed said. The group has spent more than $12,000 caring for the horses, she said.

"At first, everyone who heard about it wanted to donate," she said. "But as time passes, people forget about it. But the horses keep eating and needing veterinary care."

Malark, who runs Edisto Equine Clinic on Yonge's Island, has provided medical care for the rescued horses at a discount, as has Summerville veterinarian Mark Shambley, Steed said. Still, bills are mounting. Even at a discounted rate, Shaker's eye operation and gelding ran around $1,000, she said.

"It's intricate surgery," Steed said. "And it's expensive."

Shaker's former owner, Eddy Ackerman, faces 43 counts of animal cruelty in connection with the case. Ackerman runs Gift Horse Bible Camp near Cottageville, where the horses -- along with a dozen dogs and some chickens -- were seized by animal control officers May 5. Ackerman argued that some of the horses weren't eating because they were sick but that none was abused or neglected.

Though the courts have ruled against him, Ackerman still wants to reclaim the animals, Lynes said. Ackerman could not be reached for comment last week.

The seizure was one the largest in state history, second only to a 2003 raid in Lexington that netted 50 horses, said B.B. Weavil, regional director for the South Carolina Horsemen's Council. That group is still held up in a legal quagmire, straining finances as its numbers have grown to 80 horses, thanks to new offspring, she said.

Weavil commended Colleton County with persevering in its legal battle and paving the way for adoptions.

At the same time, the demand on animal rescue groups appears increasing across the state as they deal with more and more unwanted or improperly cared for horses, Weavil said. Many people simply take on more than they can handle when they buy a horse and don't realize the level of care that it requires. The sour economy isn't helping matters either, she said.

"It's a growing problem," she said. "Not only are people walking away from them, but there is shortage of buyers out there."

The council has launched a survey to gauge how bad the problem is, but some estimates put the number of unwanted horses at more than 1,000 across the state. One national survey estimated there are about 170,000 unwanted horses across the country. Finding new homes for them can be a problem.

"It's much harder to adopt out a horse than it is a dog or a cat," LEARN volunteer Leslie Tumbleston said.

Lynes said the applications keep coming in for a chance at adopting the Cottageville horses for $150 apiece. The county is allowing a maximum of two horses per person to prevent the same situation from happening again.

Of the original 13 horses LEARN adopted, six remained at week's end, Steed said. A local woman adopted Shaker and three other horses Thursday, with hopes of retraining them for a 4-H program. Steed hasn't put a price on adoptions for LEARN's horses, just whatever anyone can donate to give the horses a good home.

"It's more important to me to get them a forever home than it is to get more money," she said.

Andy Paras contributed to this report.Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or gsmith@postandcourier.com.