Rescue horse league depends on fundraiser

This Saturday, the Iowa Equine Rescue and Awareness League will hold a 2-mile fundraising walk 'Hoofin' It for Horses.”

The event begins at 8 a.m. at the Terry Trueblood Recreational Area, Shelter No. 2, 4213 SE Sand Rd., south of Iowa City. On-site registration begins at 7:30 a.m. or go online at http://www.iaeral.org/.

Do Iowa's horses need saving? For many, this issue is simply 'not on their radar.” There are, unfortunately, instances of abused or neglected equines being seized by authorities across Iowa on a regular basis.

But what happens next? If these animals are lucky, what happens next is the Iowa Equine Rescue and Awareness League, based in Palo. In nine years, IERAL has assisted law enforcement in seizures, or in other rescue or educational efforts, in all 99 Iowa counties.

The horses that come to us often are in extremely poor condition, sometimes barely alive. At IERAL's foster sites, the horses are evaluated, nursed back to health and, ideally, adopted out to prescreened, caring new homes.

Because IERAL is a registered non-profit and is a 100 percent volunteer organization with no federal or state funding, this fundraiser is one of the ways we raise the money to continue our work.

These animals need our help. Which makes this weekend the perfect moment for Iowans who care to put equine rescue and awareness 'on your radar.”

Christian Schoon

Cedar Rapids