(WWL.com) - Twenty horses used in Mardi Gras parades this year have found new homes following a volunteer effort by the Humane Society of Louisiana. In past years, horses were used for the parades and then sent to auction, where they could be in danger of heading to slaughter. Humane Society Director Jeff Dorson said this is the third year for the program that has proven to be successful.
“We worked to find sixteen homes this year, which was pretty hard to do because we only have two and a half weeks to do it. Overall in three years, 52 horses were saved from going to an auction barn,” said Dorson.
Four of the horses will remain at Cascade Stables as part of their riding program.
Each horse is photographed and has a bio posted on Facebook. Dorson said it is landing the horses plenty of attention.
“They are becoming popular on the internet and they are becoming their own minor celebrities in a way because people want them to have happy endings,” said Dorson.
Dorson said a thorough background check is done on each of the potential owners, in an effort to ensure each horse has a bright future ahead of it.
“Some of them are just rideable, some of them are at pasture, some are pets, some are racers, it’s just a combination. We spend an enormous amount of time to make sure it goes to the right home,” said Dorson.