Ocala-area horses need place to stay dry a while

Wet feet and horses don’t mix. Excess moisture can turn sturdy hooves spongy and cause a host of skin problems.

Thanks to all the recent rain, much of the Horse Protection Association of Florida’s farm looks like a marsh and Morgan Silver, the executive director, is asking for a foster farm or farms to house part of the herd until the water recedes.

The farm, which the association leases for $1 a year plus upkeep, is low lying and has a base of clay that keeps water from draining efficiently. For 17 years, since moving from South Florida to the farm near Shiloh in northwest Marion County, close to the Alachua County border, flooding has been a problem. Most years it is manageable, but for the second time since 2014, the flooding is critical.

This time Silver hopes to find a farm — at least 100 acres — in the northwest area of the county that can offer a dry place for 45 horses. The association would care for the horses and feed them.

If that is not possible, then she is looking for several foster families who can take in the horses. In 2014, association horses went to several farms in two counties, which was difficult to oversee. Silver hopes to find enough fosters in the general vicinity to make monitoring easier.

“We’re trying to keep them close by because the logistics were a challenge with them spread out so far,” she said.

Foster families would need to groom and feed the horses, the association could provide feed, Silver said.

Prospective fosters would need a secure pasture and to feed and groom the horses daily for a few months, until the end of the rainy season.

“We met some really great people the last time this happened, who ended up being some longterm friends and supporters,” Silver said.

The group’s long-term goal is to find another farm but they do not have the money to rent another property. Silver hopes someone will help them with a new home.

The rescue currently has 58 horses and only 13 are in a pasture that remains dry. The others are already developing issues.

“There may be a few dry spots here and there, but [the horses] don’t realize they should stay out of the water,” Silver said.

For information about how to apply to foster or to donate, visit www.hpaf.org or call 466-4366.