A Nappanee horse owner is glad to have her horses back after they were treated for abuse and neglect while staying at a New Paris Horse Rescue.

Kandi Ecklebarger three horses were returned on Friday. A number of animals were seized from the New Hope Farm in New Paris last month, including Ecklebarger’s three horses. Now Ecklebarger's horses will stay at another farm in Bremen.

Karin Wise offered to keep the horses until Ecklegarger could find a permanent home for her horses. She already runs a small dog rescue.

“I'm helping with these horses and hopefully she can find a place where they she can take them where they are basically in her backyard again,” says Wise.

Ecklebarger is thrilled to see her horses again but not happy with the vet bills she says she was forced to pay.

“Oh this is awesome. I raised these guys as babies. I have the pictures like I told you when I raised them and everything and they were home… and you saw the pictures... this is unbelievable,” says Kandi Ecklebarger.

Ecklebarger had to pay 17-hundred dollars in vet bills to get her horses back from the Humane Society.

She claims the horses were in better shape at New Hope rather than the Humane Society. The Humane Society’s director’s Anne Reel says that isn’t possible. The Humane Society finds that hard to believe since Ecklebarger herself admits she hasn't seen the horses since December.

The Humane Society gave her a detailed outline of the vet bills she paid. They maintain they are fees she'd have to pay if she wanted her horses healthy and back in a permanent home in the future.

The Humane Society points out the need to check on any boarding or rescue facility before you put your animals in their care.

They also point out the fact that they had several problems with New Hope in the past.

It's something pet owners can find out about if they ask for references plus owners can check on their animals while they are at a facility.