The Hutchinson News

HUTCHINSON (AP) -- Royal Gigolo, or Gig, wandered slowly around the yard, sniffing for a bit of grain, his skin hanging lankily over his ribs. Chunks of his hair have fallen out, and his hooves, though recently trimmed, show the cracks of neglect.

Gig's new owners, Garen and Don Albert, have wrapped his legs and used a salve to help heal the scabs on his ankles.

The Alberts, who own 11 horses that are mostly adopted, recently took in Gig. Garen Albert believes Gig's previous owners could no longer afford to take care of him.

Buhler Police Chief Bill Tracy said the department had received several calls about this horse. However, he was told by officials from the Reno County Sheriff's Office, which has jurisdiction in area, that Gig was just a case of an old horse who could not eat very well.

"I haven't put a thing under his nose he hasn't eaten," Garen Albert said.

Though officials from the Reno County Sheriff's office were unavailable to comment specifically on Gig, Wayne Baughman, patrol captain at the sheriff's office, said officers often receive neglected animal reports and when they check on it, the animal is just old and looks unhealthy.

He said if the reports turn out to be a true neglect or abuse case, they take action.

"Around here, for the most part, people take pretty good care of (their horses) even in the winter," Baughman said.

Gig's previous owners allegedly told police he was 30 years old, which could account for his poor condition, but Garen Albert believes the horse is about 15 years old -- still relatively young for a horse.

"It is a very tough call between is this horse neglected or is this basically a rundown old horse," said Dr. Ron Keeler, with Ninnescah Veterinary Service.

Keeler, who often checks on possible neglect cases, said he does a series of tests, which will hopefully show whether a horse is unhealthy because of its age or because of neglect.

Don Albert said it can be difficult for anyone to afford a horse with the rising prices of feed and fuel.

"There's more pressure on the average income," he said.

The Alberts said it costs nearly twice as much to care for their horses than it did five years ago. Grain alone costs them about $60 per month per horse.

Along with the feeding prices, Keeler said, his clinic, like most other businesses, has raised prices. He said it costs about $300 per year for typical medical care that every horse should receive, such as vaccinations.

Jane Harder, director of Reins of Hope, a therapeutic riding school in Hutchinson, said she has felt the pinch of the rising prices.

"It's tough because feed prices are going up," she said. "We depend a lot on donations."

Harder said she has had enough money to continue running Reins of Hope without program cuts, but some students have been unable to continue the program because of high fuel prices. She also has seen other horse owners struggle with higher prices.

"Feed prices are going up," she said. "People can't feed their horses, and the horses are starving."

Though the prices for certain food items are high, such as corn and grain products, there are some alternatives.

Greg Farney, manager at the Farmers Coop in Hutchinson, said he works with livestock nutritionists to create feed mixes that are healthy and less expensive. Farney also raises, breeds and trains horses, but he has cut back because of high prices and because the horse market is down.

"We've got a decent market built, but the horse market's been in a definite lull for several years now," he said.

The economy is hurting the market, but Farney said the recent closure of all U.S. horse slaughterhouses in the past two years is another reason for the market's lag. The American Quarter Horse Association reported there were roughly 90,000 horses sent to the slaughterhouses each year.

"There is a population of horses out there right now that normally would have been sold in the slaughter market that are now just waiting in a pasture to die," Keeler said.

Keeler said he has also seen an increase in the number of horses being euthanized in his clinic, which he said could be linked to the number of horses and the financial difficulties of horse owners.

The Alberts said they were aware of more people having trouble caring for their horses, and they pointed out there are many people who will adopt horses, as long as owners take the time to look and advertise.

"If you can't feed them, give them away," Garen Albert said.

"These animals didn't ask to be born. They didn't ask to be on this earth."

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Information from: The Hutchinson News, http://www.hutchnews.com