The Danville Dams

The Danville Dams

Before 
On January 18, 2007 10 mares and one 7 month old colt arrived at HAHS. The AQHA herd had previously belonged to a breeder in the Danville area who could no longer financially sustain his operation. The word was out: the mares were available to any bidder, even a killer buyer (slaughter-bound) for a minimal fee.

A woman in the area, sponsored by the Friends of Barbaro and The Animal Welfare Institute (Washington DC) proceeded to obtain ownership of the horses and arrange their transport as they were relinquished to HAHS. Many thanks to Margie Miller and Gail Vacca who facilitated the funding and preparations. Due to erratic winter weather conditions in Illinois, the task at hand took several weeks to accomplish.

All of the horses were rumored to be untouched, never vetted, and appeared to be extremely herd bound. That was evident when they were loaded into two trailers for the ride north. It quickly became a "chute" operation, with the haulers literally herding them into the transport vehicles.

After 
Once at HAHS, the horses were divided into three quarantine areas and allowed to settle in. They were de-wormed by day 3 and the subsequent manure content confirmed that they had not been treated in a very long time. The little colt was haltered and sequestered to begin socialization. He quickly overcame his fear enough to be handled by several people and introduced to the new concept of leading. The plan devised by HAHS staff was to begin working with the youngest  horses first, progressing to the two older (12?) chestnut mares who appeared to be matriarchs. They have all learned quickly what the "dinner truck" looks like and come running without fear of their human provider.

The heard breaks down as follows: seven dark bay mares, one bay colt and three chestnut mares. They are all identical in conformation and size. Tw of the chesnuts, one with a blaze and one with a star, are the alpha mares. Third appears to be approximately 2-3 years old and has no white on  her face. Most of the bays look like range in age from 2-6 or 7 years of age. Surprisingly, they have very long manes that appear all well kept considering their lack of handling. Only one of the bays has a left rear sock that distinguishes her from the rest. All of the horses are quite small, none of the over 14 hands  high at this time.

Stay tuned....