By AP
Castle, OK – Okla. charity to help horse owners obtain hay
CASTLE, Okla. (AP) An Oklahoma woman has started a non-profit organization to provide hay to horse owners who are struggling to keep their animals fed amid a hay shortage.
Registered nurse Pat Penn owns 19 horses in the small Okfuskee County town of Castle. She started Hope for Horses Oklahoma after an extreme summer drought hindered hay production.
Penn told the Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/sgsqVJ) the charity allows ranchers to obtain hay and grain at participating feed stores.
Oklahoma endured its hottest summer ever, with temperatures reaching the century mark for much of the season.
Tom Zickefoose, who sells hay on the side, says an exceptionally dry winter and hot, dry summer depleted the ground moisture and kept the grass from growing.
Penn says higher feed and grain prices have added to the problem.
___
Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
Summary