Mindy Camphouse’s property sits outside of Concrete, surrounded by grass-covered fields that would seem ideal for a number of horses. But as she looks around her property, she sees all the work that needs to be done and feels a little ashamed about her situation.

The 48-year-old information technology professional and horse breeder came to Skagit County from Spokane, hoping to better her financial situation. But it went from bad to much worse as she struggled to provide her 12 horses the expensive amount of food and medical care they required.

As feed prices grew, she delayed constructing the facilities to properly train her horses. But soon, she was using every dime to give the horses the minimum they needed.

“We used up all of our financial resources last winter just taking care of our hoses,” she said. “We’re still trying to pay all of that back.”

Camphouse wanted the best for her horses, so when she realized she couldn’t keep as many, she tried to sell them. She e-mailed people asking for help, posted advertisements and found that, like many, she couldn’t even give away horses from the finest breeding lines.

“Last year, I couldn’t even sell a baby for $300,” she said. “There was a time I could sell a baby sight unseen for $5,000.”

Camphouse isn’t alone. As gas prices rise, so do feed prices. People who keep horses — from the breeders with dozens of horses to equine enthusiasts with just one or two — are feeling the pain of a weak economy.

“It is bad out there,” said Wilma Tronstad of the Ripley’s Horse Aid Foundation, an organization that helps struggling horse owners. “This is not just Skagit County. This is a national problem.”

Northwest Hay owner Clarence Paul said hay prices have nearly tripled in the last three years and will probably continue to go up.

In 2006, he could sell hay for $100 to $120 per ton. Now he charges $290 for the cheapest variety to $325 for the most expensive.

“It’s the fuel,” he said. “Thanks to our government, they’re putting all corn and wheat for fuel, which is totally ridiculous.”

Sarah Edgett of Skagit Farmer’s Supply said freight charges also drive up costs, and their current supply reflects gas prices from earlier in the year. Upcoming purchases could cost even more. That combined with crops focusing on fuel-based grains affects anyone raising animals.

“It’s hard on everybody whether it’s horses, cats, dogs, sheep,” she said. “It’s not just the horse people.”

Catherine Chapman, who cares for 16 horses at New Beginnings Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation on Camano Island, estimated caring for a horse costs between $12 and $17 per day, a cost that will continue to rise. Even at her facility, which operates from donations and volunteers, she has to make difficult decisions about the horses’ well-being.

“We have to weigh the consequences,” she said. “Food or dental, what are you going to do? I don’t like having to make decisions like that.”

Skagit County Animal Control Officer Emily Diaz doesn’t have to look far to see the problem. She responds to an ever-increasing flow of calls reporting starving, neglected and abandoned horses all over the county.

From January to July 2007, she responded to 94 horse calls, of which 40 were neglect. This year, she’s already responded to 108 calls, of which 53 involve neglect. She expects this winter will be the worst she’s seen.

She said the economy contributes, but worries that a well-intended slaughter bill could be worsening the problem. Several state-based bills banning horse slaughter for human consumption shut down the only three slaughter houses in the area, and the Humane Society of the United States is supporting a national bill that would ban transporting the horses out of the country for slaughter.

Diaz said she doesn’t like the idea of slaughtering horses, but now wonders if the industry served another purpose — an easy way out for horse owners unable to feed and nurture their horse. The industry used to slaughter 90,000 horses every year.

“Without that option, without that easy out, what’s happening is that horses are staying where they’re at,” she said. “So they’re being left in pain, and they’re going to remain in pain or starving until somebody reports them.”

The whole situation has horses selling for little to no money at the auctions, which Diaz said puts horses in the hands of ill-equipped owners.

“People who shouldn’t have horses get the horses,” she said. “Give it a year or two, and the horses are going to be in poor condition.”

That’s why Camphouse in Concrete and Chapman on Camano Island have given horses away for free, but demand that new owners sign a contract that includes site visitations.

“We’d rather they put the money into the horse,” Chapman said.

But finding knowledgeable horse owners with resources to care for the animals is getting difficult.

Camphouse finds most people back out once they realize how much money and time a horse requires.

“They don’t even understand what they’re getting into,” she said. “Once I educate them, they back out — either that or I back out.

“You’ve got people out there who are good people but uneducated. They get their hands on horses, they do not have the financial means nor the education to take care of them. Now you’ve got more horses out there being neglected and/or abused.”

And some find themselves in deep water with few options.

Camphouse waited to ask for help with her horses first because she thought it would get better, then because she was embarrassed that she let it get so bad. Her horses were hungry and needing medical attention. Their hooves had grown long, which extends their tendons and can cause permanent leg damage.

She eventually got in touch with Ripley’s Horse Aid Foundation, a local agency that offers a little help with feeding, dental work or hoof trimming, but it also means a visit from Diaz to examine the situation.

“I thought she was going to come out with the SWAT team,” Camphouse said. “I was scared, but it doesn’t matter. If she takes them, they’ll go to a rescue.”

Camphouse got help with her horses’ hooves and some feed, but she still needs to find homes for some of them while she looks for a job. Meanwhile, the shelters are full of horses in worse condition.

Diaz doesn’t want to say some horses get priority — she works to help every neglected animal. But she must find alternative solutions for mild cases and save shelter space for the most serious neglect.

With winter coming and feed prices rising, Diaz expects people will struggle even more.

“If somebody calls me seeking help, I will do everything I can to get them help,” she said. “(But) there’s just not a whole lot of resources.”

A family that can’t care for a horse can’t sell it to the slaughter, or even at an auction.

Horse breeder Emil Freimark, 66, said he could sell an old or injured horse to a slaughterhouse for 30 cents per pound, amounting to around $400 per horse. Euthanizing a horse could cost him $500.

Tronstad said struggling families can’t afford that.

“If they’re already struggling to pay for the hay, where are they going to come up with $500?” she said.

Equine Protection Director Keith Dane is quick to deflect blame from the Humane Society, saying that slaughterhouses use population control as a scare tactic. He’s optimistic breeders will adapt to a shrinking demand.

“The fact is the number of horses that go to slaughter is driven by the demand for horse meat,” he said. “There was a demand for them, but there was a greater demand for the meat.”

Diaz is not convinced though. Registered breeders may slow down, but she’s still worried about neglectful owners who don’t fix their stallions.

“They’re not registered, they’re not bettering the breed, they’re not reputable,” she said. “They are your backyard breeder. Those people — they’re not going to stop.”

She compares the problem to the situation of cats and dogs breeding unregulated.

“I can’t believe it’s gotten to this point,” Diaz said. “It’s gotten to where pretty soon we’re going to need castration days for horses, just they way they have spay and neuter days for cats.”

Camphouse said she’s learned her lesson in all this. She neutered her stallions and is working tirelessly to find good owners for her horses.

After she got through it all, she learned that horse owners in trouble can’t wait hoping the economy will improve or assuming their horse is worth money.

“Your horse is not worth anything,” she said. “If you have a really well-trained horse, maybe you can sell it. Maybe.”

As she’s struggled with her horses for more than a year, she’s learned there’s no quick fix.

“If you have a problem, you’d better get on it and get it under control,” Camphouse said.

Diaz is sympathetic and ready to help, but she said she’s walking a fine line between bailing someone out and holding them responsible.

“Just because things are bad right now doesn’t mean they’re not responsible for their animals,” she said. “So they need to be trying to figure something out.”

* Aaron Burkhalter can be reached at or 360-416-2141.