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Horse charity seeks
new home
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By MATT
WILLIAMS
© 2005 THE
NEWS-GAZETTE
Published Online May 22,
2005
DANVILLE – Crosswinds Equine
Rescue, a nonprofit charity that adopts and rehabilitates abandoned
or mistreated horses, could be relocating to
Danville.
Crosswinds, currently located in
Villa Grove, near Tuscola, is looking to expand its facility as well
as allow AnnMarie Cross to be closer to her job at Time-O-Matic in
northeast Danville.
"We are landlocked and our
property just isn't big enough," she said. "We have already turned
down 15 horses this year. We have the manpower and volunteers to do
more if we just had more room to do it."
The
facility, which Cross operates with her husband, Mike, stables about
10 horses at a time, but the couple would like to keep as many as 20
to 25.
She said they have cared for as many as
16 horses at one time, but it gets too difficult to have so many in
such a confined space.
"We had too many
problems with horses fighting with each other," she said. "It was
just too small of an area for them to be comfortable."
Cross said since she started working full time
in March at Time-O-Matic, the one-hour commute time each way also
has been a burden.
"That is two extra hours I
could be spending with the horses," she
said.
Crosswinds has been federally recognized
since May 2003 and has found new homes for 25 horses. Cross would
like to see that number grow. They are looking for at least 10
acres, expanding on their current 4-acre property, which has a
30-by-50-foot barn.
Cross said they are able
to maintain the charity because of donations and several helpful
volunteers. She said she isn't worried about finding interested
people to help when the move is complete.
"I
have already talked to the vet we work with and he wouldn't have a
problem coming out," Cross said. "I already had people from the
Danville area say they would like to help if we move. There are no
worries."
The Crosses would also like to have
a few permanent horses on site that can be used specifically for
riding.
The Champaign County STEP program
routinely brings special education classes to Crosswinds, something
the Crosses would like to continue.
"Part of
the problem with only having a limited number of horses is having
horses that will be friendly with kids," Mike Cross said. "We are
taking horses that are at-risk and training them to be riding
horses."
Other stories appearing
in the online edition of Sunday, May 22, 2005:
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