With the help of student employees and members from the ISU Equestrian Club, the Ames Animal Shelter is nursing four neglected and abandoned horses back to health.

The four abandoned horses were brought to the attention of the animal shelter Aug. 25, said Lorna Lavender, animal control supervisor at the animal shelter. The animals were found Aug. 18 by employees of the land the horses’ owner had been leasing, she said.

According to the animal shelter’s report, the horses appeared to be gaunt, thin and extremely thirsty. Two of the horses had infections in their hooves and one had an infection in its eye that required medical treatment, Lavender said.

The horses were taken to a private farm where the animal shelter could begin its rescue of the horses. The shelter’s part-time animal control division and ISU students Robin Kelly, freshman in veterinary medicine, and Shasta Smith, senior in animal science, have helped with the animals’ medical treatment and daily care, Lavender said.

“[Kelly] came to me and said, ‘You have two of us on staff that are knowledgeable about horses. Let us take care of them.’ We’ve been really lucky that way,” Lavender said. “I know the horses are receiving good care.”

Smith, an animal control officer at the shelter, has worked with the horses since the animal shelter received the horses. She helps with daily care and feeding, Lavender said.

“Regular food and water is huge, because these horses went without it for a period of time,” Lavender said.

Smith, a former member of the Equestrian Club, suggested involving the club because it would be beneficial to both the horses and the club members.

“I know the Equestrian Club is looking for interaction with horses and these horses need help, so I just put two and two together,” Smith said.

Smith went to an Equestrian Club meeting in late September and asked if the members would be interested in grooming and socializing with the animals, said Krystal Johnson, vice president of the club and senior in animal science. The club agreed to help.

“It’s a chance to get out and see some different horses and actually be able to help,” Johnson said.

The same club members helped de-worm the horses and are involved in the grooming of the animals. The horses’ manes are matted and they have hoof abscesses that require the soaking of their legs in water, Johnson said.

Smith said by grooming the horses, the club members are also helping to socialize with the animals, which is helpful for both the horses and for the animal shelter.

“It helps us find out the personalities of the horses, which will help in the adoption process,” she said.

Lavender said the animal shelter has filed a petition for a civil proceeding that could grant the shelter full custody of the animals. If the animal shelter is given full responsibility of the horses, workers can begin searching for adoptive caretakers.

“If that happens, we have already done our homework,” Lavender said. “Our goal is to find them permanent, responsible homes.”

Lavender said the shelter has three “qualified and interested people” for three of the horses.

The animal shelter hopes to find good homes for the animals’ sake and because the management and medical care for these animals is expensive, Lavender said.

“Hopefully [the legal work] will get done before wintertime,” Johnson said.