Two of the three, emaciated horses that were rescued in the Needmore community on March 6 are now ready for adoption.
When Marna Barnette and her husband picked up the horses two months ago, probably no one would have given a plug nickel for their chance for survival.  But with food, the proper care and a lot of TLC, the horses have continually improved to the point they can be adopted.
“One of the horses has been a little slower getting where it needs to be but it’s beginning to pick up weight,” Barnette said. “It won’t be long before it will be ready for adoption.”
The larger of the two horses that are ready for adoption is a 16-hand, seven-year-old, bay mare.
“She’s still a little thin but she continues to gain weight,” Barnette said. “And, with a little tender loving care, she’ll put on the needed weight easily. She does ride and we’ve not found any bad habits, so she’ll make somebody a good horse.”
The other rescue horse available for adoption is a smaller, gaited pony.
“She’s about 13 hands so she’s not a big mare,” Barnette said. “How well she rides, we don’t know. She is halter broke and handles. But we don’t know about her riding history.”
Anyone who is interested in adopting one of these rescue horses is encouraged to call Barnette at 334-372-1333.
“There will be paper work to do and a veterinarian reference is required,” Barnette said. “We want to know from the vet that these horses will be taken care of. We’re not going to take them from a bad situation and put them into a worse situation. We won’t do that.”
The Barnetts participate in the care of rescued horses but they are not involved in any area of law enforcement.
“We don’t go out and take people’s horses,” Barnette said. “But when law enforcement officers ask us to care for the rescued horses, we do.”
The Barnetts got involve in rescuing horses in January when they offered to haul horses that had been rescued in Hope Hull.
“They were Arabians and they were nothing more than skin on bones,” Barnette said. “They were in such bad shape that three of them died after they were rescued. We’ve participated in the rescue efforts of the Alabama Equine Rescue Society and the Alabama Rural Crimes Unit. We can’t stand to see horses mistreated.”
For more information or to assist with the care of rescued horses, call 3334-372-1333.