Borough set to auction off pair of horses

February 18, 2007

By Russell Stigall/Frontiersman

MAT-SU - The day for Mat-Su Borough animal control to auction off its two orphaned horses is neigh - or nigh.

Soon to be up for bid are the female Willow, a Sorrel pony with a light reddish mane and tail that match her coat, and Mystery, a bay mare with white socks and rump patch. In preparation for her public debut, animal control trimmed Mystery's black mane.

Having had more human contact, Mystery is socialized and is easy to approach, said deputy animal control officer Mat Hardwig. Willow, in comparison, is shy and needs love and attention to calm her down, he said.

Both Willow and Mystery had their hooves trimmed this month. They were wormed in January.

Mystery and Willow have on their shaggy winter coats, and Hardwig said this extra fur will blow like a dog's come spring. Clean and energetic, the friendly girls take every opportunity to gallop around their fenced pen.

Mystery and Willow went to the shelter early in December. The two quarter horse mixes were then transferred to the Point MacKenzie Correctional Farm to fatten them up. They were soon followed by three other horses: a gelding named Romeo; Fancy, a female; and a young male named Sitka.

Hardwig said the livestock were transferred to Point Mac because the Mat-Su animal shelter is not set up for long-term horse care. Department of Corrections Commissioner Joe Schmidt and Animal Care and Regulation Chief Dave Allison set up the horse exchange program to help the shelter with its large animals and to add depth to the corrections' farm program.

At Point Mac, the horses have a place to get healthy and get back up to weight, Hardwig said.

The shelter provided vet services, medicine, feed pellets and grain, and the Point Mac farm supplied the hay.

With nearly a half ton of weight gain between the five horses, the animals' rehab has been mostly successful, Hardwig said.

Alone, Romeo has gained about 260 pounds. He arrived at the shelter weighing only 540 pounds and is now in excess of 800 pounds. Willow and Mystery gained a combined 320 pounds in a little more than two months.

All this added equine girth is especially impressive considering the animals packed on their pounds in the energy-sapping winter months, Hardwig said. Two-year-old Willow now stands at 14 hands and weighs 830 pounds. Mystery, also 2, is 735 pounds and 13.3 hands.

So far, the shelter has been able to find homes for all of the wayward livestock it has put up for auction. Hardwig said some past notable auctions at the shelter were for a 2-year-old bull that no one ever claimed and eventually sold for $500, or a 9-year-old Percheron mix mare and her yearling colt that together sold for only $400. An amazingly low price, Hardwig said, because the colt was so strong.

&#8220A big, muscular colt, like a crusades horse,” Hardwig said.

Then, in comparison, Hardwig said, the shelter auctioned off an old mare for $1,300. One proud bidder once won a pig for only $60.

Hardwig said he didn't want to guess at how high the bidding would go for Mystery and Willow.

The animal shelter comes into possession of livestock through a number of situations, Hardwig said. The shelter picks up loose animals or rescues animals in cruelty situations.

Some animals come to the shelter because the owners are no longer able to provide for the large animals.

The borough animal care and regulation shelter will auction Mystery and Willow at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Mystery's ID number is A019222, and Willow's ID number is A019210.

The two girls will be sold to the highest bidder &#8220as is, where is, with no warranties expressed or implied as to their health, age or condition,” according to a shelter release. Cash, check or credit cards are welcome.

To get a peek at the horses before the auction, stop by the shelter, which is at 1200 N. 49th State St., just off the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, near the recycling center. The shelter is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more information contact Mat-Su Animal Care and Regulation Chief Dave Allison at 746-5500.

Contact Russell Stigall at

352-2267 or russell.stigall@ frontiersman.com