Community rallies to feed seized Terrebonne horses
The call for help went out, and Central Oregon answered with an astonishing show of generosity. NewsChannel 21 broke the story of more than 80 horses seized from a Terrebonne property on Sunday, and throughout the week, the community rallied to help.
When the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office requested hay donations, Marianne Walker sent tons — 28 of them, to be exact. “That’s what we sent to them, 28 tons,” Walker said Friday.
Her family-run DP Walker Ranch is among the donors keeping the animals fed.
“It just hit me in the heart,” she said. “I thought this was one of the opportunities where the Lord was leading us into giving our hay to help the sheriff’s department and those horses.”
Sadly, eight horses were beyond help and had to be euthanized, leaving 75 stomachs to feed. About 10 donors generously have offered up roughly 60 tons of hay among them, along with bagged feed and carrots.
Jade Creek Arabians also stepped up and provided 26 tons of hay, Sgt. William Bailey said.
The sheriff’s office has been advised that the horses will eat about three-quarters of a ton to a full ton a day. So even with all these donations, they’re estimating they have less than three months of feed. And right now, there’s no saying how long the horses’ stay on the Sheriff’s Office Rescue Ranch southeast of Bend will be.
“If you’ve got hay that you can donate great, as long as it’s good hay. Or money, because they’re having to pay the farriers and the veterinarians,” Walker said.
Walker is hoping the momentum behind the donations continues, as the horses continue on their road to recovery. The horse’s owner and a caretaker are facing felony animal neglect charges.
Anyone wishing to help the horses s also being asked to consider monetary donations to cover health care. All money goes directly toward the horses’ care.
You can donate on the DCSO website at sheriff.deschutes.org, by PayPal or by mailing a check to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office at 63333 US 20, Bend, OR 97701.
