By AP/KWMU
Union, MO – About two dozen horses that survived a trailer wreck are ready for adoption. The animals were headed to an Illinois slaughterhouse in September when the truck overturned on I-44 in Franklin County.
Eighteen horses died; the survivors have been recovering at a rescue ranch in Union, Missouri.
The Humane Society of Missouri owns the ranch and is making the horses available for adoption.
Longmeadow Ranch staffers treated the injured horses at the scene of the wreck. Since then, the horses have been rehabilitated at equine clinics and at the ranch.
The Humane Society was granted custody of the horses in November. In exchange, the organization will not seek to recover more than $150,000 in costs associated with the horses' rescue.
The adoption process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, said Ranch Manger Amanda Hirshberg. A racehorse once named Prince Conley, who has come to be known as Stan, is among those available for adoption. He never ran a race, but horse experts believe he came close, since he has a lip tattoo, a sign of a racehorse.
Hirshberg said 25 animals survived the accident, including a hinny, which is similar to a mule except it has a donkey for a mother and a horse for a father.
People wanting to adopt a horse must agree to care for the horse and not give it away. "We keep track of horses to make sure they don't end up in a slaughterhouse," Ranch Director Earlene Cole said.
Adoption fees for the rescued horses range from $300 to $800, which is less than the $1,050 the ranch estimates it spends on the first two months of an animal's rehabilitation.
Ranch assistants said people shouldn't hesitate about adopting a horse that has been through something as traumatic as the trailer wreck.
Some horses are trained for riding. Some of the horses do have bad habits, but they can overcome them with guidance and attention, said ranch assistant Nicole Howarth.
The ranch cares for more than 160 rescued horses, pigs, goats and chickens and prepares them for adoption. Open houses are held the first and third Saturday of every month for potential adopters to meet the animals and fill out applications.
Humane Society of Missouri: http://www.hsmo.org or http://www.longmeadowrescueranch.org.