Officer Elaine Gower, with Action for Animals Humane Society in western Pennsylvania, says "Over the past four years, calls to rescue neglected and abused horses have quadrupled," she said. "We're finding horses in everyone's backyard, but they need more than that. You can buy a foal for $35, but owners soon find out they'll cost you $2,000 to take care of by the next year."

To help the Humane Society, which does not have adequate equine housing, Bryce and Christine LeJeune formed Second Chance Equine Association. One of SCEA's first projects is to connect the Humane Society and its officers with volunteer foster homes able to care for horses in need.

More on this story from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_457959.html

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As announced on the USERL web site, "The most recent Foster Certification Training Course was held May 20, 2006 at the NCSU Veterinary College in Raleigh, NC. The course was designed to inform our USERL Fosters about our policies, caring for the neglected/abused horse, and working with them - just to name a few."

More on the program:
http://www.userltriangle.org/fostertraining.html