A handful or Vermonters spent their Sunday nursing a rare breed of horse back to health.
These horses in Johnson, Vermont are a piece of history. More than 500 years ago their forefathers were the first to set hooves on American soil. Now, there are only about 3-thousand left in the world.
"I fell in love with the breed and it's just evolved into founding this nonprofit organization," said Stephanie Lockhart.
"I just fell in love with them and once I learned their story I just realized how important is to save the breed," said Brenda Hedges.
Lockhart and Hedges are two of about twenty people who run The Center for America's First Horse. The all-volunteer staff are nursing five of Colonial Spanish horses back to health.
"We really felt that it was something we have to do for these horses," Lockhart said. "They actually are looking a lot better than I anticipated."
The horses come from New Mexico where their former owner could no longer properly take care of them. Trainers say each horse needs to gain at least 100 pounds.
"They get hay, as much as they can eat around the clock to keep warm and they're doing really well," Lockhart said.
The non-profit secured donations from around the globe to bring them to Vermont. But caring for the 21 horses is expensive. "This year we're looking at a budget about 106-thousand and that just barely covers the cost of feeding the horses and keeping the operation running," Hedges said.
The volunteers say they're making hay through fundraisers and by drawing tourists from locations as far off as France, Switzerland, and even Mongolia.
All in an effort to save America's original horse.
