Seized Powell Butte Horses Thriving In Foster Homes

We have an update on the 13 neglected horses seized from a Powell Butte ranch earlier this year: All of them are now in foster homes, and eight of them will be allowed to permanently stay with their new families.

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office hopes all 13 will be permanently adopted, but so far, the paperwork is on it’s way through for eight of the horses, and is expected to become official soon.

When the horses were seized back in March, they were in terrible condition: starving, with worms and lice, some with broken bones.But they’ve madeamazing progress since then.

‘Hippy’ and ‘Granny’ are just two of the neglected horses now in foster care.One named for a broken hip, the other for what appeared to be old age.

“Because when we first got her, she looked pretty old,”foster ‘mom’ Diane Dunbar of PowellButte said Wednesday,one of10 people/families to take the horses in. “She’s actually not that old – she’s about 10.”

When they first came to Dunbar’s home, ‘Hippy’ was a 2 on a body conditioning scale of 1-10.

“She was very thin, ribs were showing, kind of lethargic, almost depressed,” Dunbar said.

The black mare, ‘Granny,’ waseven worse, with a rating of 1. Her immune system drained, she was several hundred pounds underweight.

But since then,both have been eating well, with regular vet checkups, teeth cleanings, hoof trimmings, and most importantly,loving care.

“She’s gained several hundred pounds, and isfeeling pretty spunky,” Dunbar said as she brushed ‘Hippy.’ “She can buck and run and kick up, because I’ve witnessed that, soI think she’s feeling pretty good.”

Dunbar has owned horses for 30 years, and just put her own last mare down in October. When this rescue happened, she knew she had to help.

“Iwas devastated, reallyI was,” she said, of the horse’s initial condition upon arriving at her home. “But you have to put that aside and say, ‘Okay, how can we help them get well?’ And it’s been an emotional roller-coaster for me.”

“All the horses are doing very well,” said sheriff’s Commander Russ Wright, describing how pictures have been taken as they’ve gradually improved. “Some of the animals don’t even look to be the same animals.”

Helping nurse them back to health is a journey Dunbar wouldn’t miss for the world.

“Horses,I think, are good for your soul, andI really enjoy being around them,” she said. “You know, sometimes you just need to do something bigger than yourself.”

While the horses are in foster homes, the sheriff’s office is still footing the bill for their care, until the adoptions are finalized.To date, that’s cost a pretty penny, about $40,000.

Right now,the criminal case against four caretakers and the former owner, Robert Gruntz, is still under way, while the FBI andIRS look into allegations of tax evasion and possible business fraud.