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Auction helps make winners of retired horses

Event benefits REASON, which helps to place unwanted equines in a good home.

RALPH NARDONE Times Leader Correspondent

CENTER MORELAND -- In their glory days, people cheer for them as they race around Pocono Downs, but when they become “unwanted,” the Retired Equine Adoption Society of the Northeast comes to their aid.

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Gerry McCutcheon of Walnut Port and Debbie Bichler of Lake Linola in a bidding war over an item at the REASON auction.

Fred Adams/for the times leader

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On Sunday, REASON conducted its first fundraising auction at its farm in Center Moreland, Wyoming County, to continue the effort to find good homes for unwanted horses.

Founder Lisa Smith said that since 2001 REASON has placed about 400 abandoned horses. But that does not put a dent in the number of unwanted horses in Pennsylvania, she said.

There is a long waiting list of people seeking to leave their horses with REASON, so long that Smith is turning away several every week.

Horses become unwanted for a variety of circumstances, she said.

Many of the race horses can no longer perform because of health reasons and are no longer wanted by their owners, she said. Others are victims of unprepared owners who thought they could keep a horse and learned differently, she said. Or they are leftover property from a divorce, or even suffering the effects of the economy when their homes are lost through foreclosure.

The bigger problem lies in over breeding and the elimination of domestic slaughtering, she said. Because of enthusiastic animal rights groups, it is very difficult to have a horse euthanized, she said, which contributes to overpopulation.

Smith points out REASON works to match horses with good owners. Anyone interested in adopting one must fill out an application and pay about $600. A proper placement benefits the family and the horses, she said.

The horses brought to REASON are typically between 5 and 12 years old, Smith said. They are not “old or sick” and have many healthy years to give to the right owners. The 18 currently corralled at the REASON farm are well trained and mannered animals, she said.

“Our horses are placed in the most suitable and loving homes we can find and are monitored for the rest of their lives,” Smith said.

Cheryl Willis, a REASON volunteer and organizer, said the group came up with the idea of an auction to raise funds about a year ago. Auctions are very popular locally, she said.

People donated horse equipment, such as saddles and bridles, along with household items for the cause. The Ken Geyer Real Estate Auctioneers donated their talent for moving merchandise. The group was very pleased with the results by mid-afternoon, Willis said.

Willis adopted a horse from REASON in 2004 and pays to board him at the Center Moreland farm. Photos displayed of her horse, named Man, show how emaciated he looked before adoption and how healthy he looks now.

Photos of other horses available for adoption with names like Breezy, Blazin Bayou and Chibella were posted for auctiongoers

Willis stressed the auction was also an effort to build awareness of the problem of horse overpopulation in Pennsylvania. “People just don’t know,” she said.

Smith said REASON could always use feed, hay, medications, supplements and horse or barn equipment. Anyone interested in helping may call 570-333-5266 or visit ReasonHorseRescue.com.