By: Stacey Kaiser
s.kaiser@krdo.com
Follow me on Twitter at staceykaiser@twitter.com

CANON CITY - More than 20 neglected horses are now getting the care they need thanks to a change of heart by the Fremont County Sheriff.  Sheriff Jim Beicker was going to auction the horses, but horse rescue groups say auctioned horses are often sent to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico, and then sold as food in Europe and Asia.

"The slaughter industry is one of the cruelest, most vicious, most violent ways a horse can meet its death," said Pat Miller with Ruby Ranch Horse Rescue.  And that is why horse rescuers came to get the horses in Fremont County. 

Miller says this situation could have lead to what happened in El Paso County when Sheriff Terry Maketa auctioned neglected horses.  "Some of them did in fact go to the slaughterhouse.  There was a huge public outcry and basically he had to apologize to the community because he wasn't aware of that situation," said Miller. 

Miller says most rescues know auction leads to the slaughterhouse, but not all law enforcement agencies do.  "Their intent was always to protect the horses, it was never to harm the horses.  And once they had all of the info, they easily switched track and said okay, rescues you can come and get these horses," said Miller. 

The horses will go to Ruby Ranch Horse Rescue and Front Range Equine Rescue in El Paso County.