TUSCOLA — Even the meat buyers didn’t want thin, pain-wracked Miata.

The horse had been left in a field after an accident involving the vehicle that pulled his trailer. The badly hurt horse was left to fend for himself for three months.

When someone finally corralled the 13-year-old animal, he was 300 pounds underweight, had mange and an infected scar on his back.

The Cross family of Tuscola took pity on him at a horse auction in May 2003 and considered euthanizing him because of his injuries.

But after two years of treatment by Dr. Daniel King of Tolono and a loving home, the long-legged saddlebred looks beautiful and healthy.

“Our broken, shattered, frightened … rescue case has more personality and spirit than most horses I’ve ever known … ,” AnnMarie Cross says on her Web site, which details Miata’s painstaking recovery.

Miata is just one of the many success stories at Crosswinds Equine Rescue between Tuscola and Villa Grove.

Cross and husband, Mike, are the two primary officers on the nonprofit corporation, with three other board members and a nonvoting membership of about 100.

The Crosses’ daughters, Gerry and Tory, help keep the sanctuary running.

During a recent open house, the Cross family and numerous volunteers showed off the eight horses now at Crosswinds — some are permanent; some need homes. People who adopted horses brought them back for a reunion and a chance to talk about the benefits of adopting an abused or neglected horse.

Cross said the sanctuary can handle up to 10 horses comfortably. She has to turn down four to five horses a month.

Since it was founded in 2001, Crosswinds has found homes for 22 horses that have actually come through the rescue. In addition, the group has helped place about 50 more, helping people with problem horses or problem situations find new homes, without the horses ever coming to the farm.

Cross commutes to her job as product support manager at Time-O-Matic in Danville and would like to find at least 10 acres in the Danville area so she could relocate the sanctuary. The current farm is 4 acres; a larger site could help more animals.

Eliminating the two-hour round-trip commute would give her more time to work with the horses. It takes about six months to rehabilitate the horses.

SPONSORS NEEDED

In the meantime, Crosswinds has a cadre of volunteers and sponsors who help out.

The minimum monthly sponsorship is $35 for a pony or $50 for a larger horse.

“We ask them to commit to that basic feed sponsorship for at least 90 days,” AnnMarie said. “Sometimes several folks will go together to provide that, or rotate who makes the donation each month across three of them, or whatever works for them.

“If the sponsors are able to do more, we contact them any time the horse has any expenses, and give them the option to help … .”

Some sponsors pay all of a horse’s expenses each year.

If they’re able to make a monthly donation but not provide the full sponsorship for a single horse, she said, “We certainly still greatly appreciate that. We’re happy to let them allocate the funds to certain things — like purchasing feed for horses who are not sponsored, or buy hay or wormers, or other veterinary care.”

HELPFUL HANDS

Candace McMasters of Champaign helps by sponsoring Sandy, a former wild pony who now loves people.

McMasters, who owned Shetland ponies as a child, has been sponsoring Sandy for a couple of years.

“I get a lot of satisfaction from knowing that I’m helping an animal that’s been abused or injured or thrown away,” she said.

She also likes the fact that she can stop by Crosswinds anytime, noting, “I can come out every day if I want to. I send money to a lot of rescue groups, but this is very personal.”

Sandy is another success story.

The 2-year-old pony had been left in a pasture until her owners roped her and brought her to the sale barn. Nobody — except the meat buyers — wanted the beige-colored pony who had never been handled.

When the Cross family took her in, it was difficult at first to feed her or do anything with her. Then Sandy met Tory, now 12, the daughter of AnnMarie and Mike, and decided the small human might be OK.

Sandy wouldn’t do anything unless Tory was by her side. When Tory left the state for a month to visit her grandparents, the pony slowly warmed up to AnnMarie and Mike.

“She became a love bug and you can’t get her to leave people alone now,” AnnMarie said, stroking the 6-year-old pony.

Sandy is known as the “Barbie” pony because she has a hot pink halter and a hot pink blanket.

PROUD ‘DAD’

Another proud sponsor is Steve Kaluf of Muncie, Ind., who adopted three horses from Crosswinds — Buster, a quarter horse; Laddie, used by his son for 4-H; and Majesty, a registered Belgian.

Majesty, who was bought at an Arthur auction, probably had been used as a brood mare. She was very dominant at first, but has turned into a good trail horse, Kaluf said.

Explaining why he has adopted the horses, he cited the “satisfaction of helping an animal who could have met a bad fate.”

“The neat thing about getting a rescue horse … by the time you get it, it’s ready for virtually anything. Every one has gone out as a well-trained horse,” he said.

Adoption fees vary by horse and are based upon the skills and functionality of the horse. Generally, the fee is about half of what the equivalent horse would have sold for if it had not been in a rescue situation.

Buster, the 4-year-old quarter horse, sold for about $1,500.

PONY POWER

Heather Soder of Broadlands was giving rides on Buddy at the recent open house.

Buddy — a once-skittish pony who has warmed up to people — had been adopted from Crosswinds to serve as a nanny to an orphaned filly.

Soder, a vet tech at the University of Illinois, helps Crosswinds with minor veterinary procedures, adding, “I try to do as much as I can for them.”

Mabel, the orphaned filly, has blossomed with Buddy’s friendship and Soder’s care. She’s a Russian Bashkir curly, a hardy breed whose coat is made up of tight curly ringlets. Mabel came to the U of I with special orthopedic problems, but the owner didn’t want to invest in treatment.

Soder adopted the 3-month-old filly and Mabel had surgery on her feet.

“She’s doing great because of the surgery and because she has Buddy,” Soder said. “I really love her. I took a chance and I’m glad I did.”

Originally, she had only a 40 percent chance of becoming a sound horse.

Mabel will be 1 in October.

FAMILY MEMBERS

A couple of permanent residents at Crosswinds are a Clydesdale and a former race horse.

Tess the Clydesdale is used as a tool to show how big horses can be gentle. She belongs to Mike, who bought her from a caring family in St. Louis. Because of an injury, the owner was no longer able to care for her.

The 3-year-old registered Clydesdale was bred for Anheuser Busch. She was sold as a baby, and kept in less-than-ideal conditions until coming to Crosswinds.

She arrived in November 2004 barely even knowing how to lead, and is now the group’s primary “ambassador” to the public, including such efforts as providing more than 100 rides at the open house.

Factor, an 18-year-old registered thoroughbred mare, arrived in fall 2004 as an ex-race horse who had been a broodmare since racing unsuccessfully at 2 and 3 years old. She was underweight and had not been handled much. She was donated to Crosswinds by a Decatur family who learned that she would be going to sale. As an aging broodmare with no training, she likely would go to slaughter.

Under AnnMarie’s care, Factor blossomed as a show horse and has regained her physical health.

“She is eager to please and a joy,” AnnMarie says on her Web site.