Rescue Horses | Video

Retha Colclasure | 1/31/2013

Taking care of livestock is a full time job and temperatures and wind chills like those we`re experiencing today can be deadly for them. That made Andrew Ennen`s work today even more important.

A Burleigh County deputy contacted Ennen earlier this week and asked for his help seizing horses, mules and a donkey from land where they didn`t have enough to eat. The animal`s owner also had more than 100 horses taken from him in Morton County after law enforcement found 96 dead horses on his land. Ennen decided the best place for the 38 animals in Burleigh County was his own ranch.

From a distance, these horses don`t appear much different than any other horses in a field. But take a closer look, and you begin to notice a difference: Ribs sticking out, patches of hair missing and the fact that they aren`t going too far from their food.

"They were really thirsty. That first day, they just couldn`t drink enough," Ennen said.

Ennen isn`t looking for any credit for what he`s doing. He just saw it as something that needed to be done. "These ones here were caught just in time before they went the other direction."

What he is doing is saving these horses` lives. Ennen says some of these animals were just days away from dying when they were brought to his ranch. Now with just some food, water and a little bit of love, they`re all expected to make it through this cold snap.

"I think the death loss would have been pretty substantial just in the starvation and dehydration alone, not to mention the 50 below wind chill," he said.

He loves horses and he figured taking care of a few dozen horses wouldn`t be that much work on top of taking care of the 500 head of cattle he already had on his ranch.

"A few extra bales a day. I come out in the morning and water them, come out and water them at night. I always liked horses. It`s nice to know you`re doing something good for something."

He says he can`t imagine the life they had been living just a few miles away. But he says now, he thinks they`ll be just fine.

Ennen says he`s not sure what will happen to the horses next. Authorities are still working with their owner, and haven`t filed any charges yet, though animal neglect charges are possible.

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