In March 2009, the Appaloosa Horse Club members received an e-mail blast about a family with 80 Appaloosa horses they needed help finding homes for as they could no longer afford to feed them. Just two months later, two month-old Appaloosa fillies were dumped in Baker City, Ore.

"Appaloosa owners need to know that there are options and resources available to help find homes for horses they are no longer able to care for," said Vicki Gaudreau, executive director of the Appaloosa Rehoming Resource.

Appaloosa Rehoming Resource Inc is a non-profit, charitable organization formed for the following purposes:

• To assist in rehoming Appaloosa horses suffering starvation or neglect, or to prevent starvation and neglect, due to owners' inability to care for the horses. Financial assistance might be provided for hay and grain, transportation costs to a new home, placing horses in temporary homes until permanent homes can be found, emergency veterinary care, humane euthanasia, and other disbursement of funds when and where the life of an Appaloosa or other horse might be in jeopardy.

• To provide a resource to the public for placing individuals in contact with owners who have an Appaloosa horse needing a new home.

• To offer programs to educate horse owners regarding responsible horse ownership and to provide information to the public about horses in need.

• To provide temporary aid in the way of emergency funds for hay and grain, when a horse owner is facing imminent, or is in temporary crisis caused by unforeseen circumstances such as fire, illness, or job loss.

The Appaloosa Rehoming Resource is modeled after the Arabian Horse Rehoming Resource