SUMNER COUNTY, Kansas – An elderly Kansas couple is left to care for four neglected horses that were left in their barn. The problem is they don't have the money to properly attend to them and legally can't give them away.
Ben and Dorothy Melcher own Lucky 7 Stables in Mulvane and never in their years of boarding horses have they experienced what happened last month.
“It's just making him ill because he's just so worried,” said Dorothy Melcher about her husband.
The couple is worried about the four neglected horses left in their barn. It all started two weeks ago, when the Melchers say a woman dropped off one horse to be boarded. A week later, when the Melchers weren't home, she came back with three more. Dorothy Melcher says the woman promised to pay the boarding fee, but she never returned.
“You know you just believe in people,” she said. “I can't believe anyone would do me that way, but she did.”
The couple says they can't afford to take care of four abandoned horses.
Horse rescuers believe one of the four horses is in such bad shape that he’ll likely have to be put down. After six to eight months of rehabilitation, the other three should be healthy enough to be put up for adoption. Getting to that point not only takes time but a lot of cash -- close to an estimated $2,000 per horse for a total of $6,000. It’s money the Melchers just don't have.
“What they did to you, is it wrong? It's terribly wrong,” said Victor McMullen, Sr. to the Melchers. “They should never have done it.”
McMullen is the president and founder of Southern Winds Equine Rescue. He’s doing what he can to help the Melchers.
“I'll get some feed and get it over here and that'll relieve some of the problem,” said McMullen.
But he can only help so much. Because someone else owns the horses, McMullen can't legally take them and the Melchers can't legally give them away. Though together, they're working to ensure the equines get on the right road to recovery.
The Melchers have contacted the Sumner County Sheriff's Office who says they need to file a civil lawsuit against the horses' owner. KSN tried contacting the owner, but our calls were not returned.
Anyone wishing to make donations can call Lucky 7 Stables at 316-777-4354.
