This Article Appeared in the Wellington Daily News - July '06
When Vic McMullen observed horses that were starved, weakened, deprived of food and water for several weeks, he took action. "They were just a bag of bones," said McMullen. Their owner "just totally ignored them." It's illegal to feed another owner's horses, but McMullen fed hay bales to the animals to ease their suffering. He reported the abuse to law enforcement and let the owner know about it. "When he found out the sheriff was coming, he put them down," McMullen said.
It's legal for a horse owner to euthanize his animals. That incident compelled McMullen to start an organization that would care for abused and neglected horses.
The South Winds Equine Rescue and Recovery Center was granted 501-c 3 non-profit status by the IRS on April 21, 2002. It's located seven miles north of Wellington on U.S. 81, two miles north of the airport. In extreme cases when a horse has to be taken away from its owner, McMullen keeps the horse at the rescue center where he restores it to health and maintains care until a new owner can be found.
The center took in its first two horses — a Quarter Horse named Red and a Paint named Bebop — in January 2003. They're still there and will live out the remainder of their days at the rescue center because they're unadoptable. The horses are old and need constant care due to diseases brought on by malnutrition they endured under their former owners.
Homes have been found for all other horses taken in by McMullen. In the past three years, 18 horses have come through the rescue center. It's rare for someone to have to relinquish ownership of a horse. The goal of the recovery center is to educate the horse owner about proper equine care. Most people are grateful for the help."The majority of horse owners want to do right by that horse," McMullen said.
Sumner County Sheriff Gerald Gilkey praises McMullen for sharing his
gift for horses with others. "In a rural setting such as Sumner County, his services are at times desperately needed," said Gilkey. "It's hard for a law office our size to take care of all needs. It's good when people step up to the plate and offer a helping hand."
Most often a horse's poor condition stems from the owner's lack of
knowledge about equine care, not out of maliciousness, said Gilkey. Lifelong Sumner county residents usually know how to take care of
their horses. Most of the problems originate from people moving in from
the city, acquiring a few acres and saying, "Hey, I'm going to put a horse out there."
