Laura Evans Phone: 815-478-5320

There’s nothing small about Laura Evans’ love for miniature horses.

When the U.S. stock market fell to five year lows in 2002, it wasn’t just Wall Street investors who were hurt. A lot of little victims felt the pain on farms and ranches hundreds of miles away.

“I realized when the economy tanked that people were having trouble,” said Laura Evans, owner of Little Star Ranch in Manhattan, Illinois. A severe Hay shortage followed soon after. “That’s when I started to do rescues and re-homing of miniature horses.”

Miniature horses are just like the name suggests, smaller versions of the standard horse. Minis average height is about 31” tall. Some are smaller and some are a bit taller.

Back when she began, Evans had a pretty high number of miniature horses. At one time she rescued ten miniature horses whose owners couldn’t keep them. She has eighteen miniature horses on her ranch right now, and five of them are rescues.

“This last year there were probably over sixteen” rescued minis, Evans said. “I found homes for about 13 if not more.”

Little Star Ranch is like a foster home for miniature horses. It’s the only rescue ranch of it’s kind in the area, and it’s one of only a few like it in the entire country.

Rescuing animals is nothing new to the big hearted Evans. She’s fostered and rescued cats and dogs for as long as she can remember. When people began contacting her about taking in their minis, she couldn’t say no.

“So many people lost their jobs and the price of hay has gone up so high. They became too expensive for some people to keep. Many times, the reason is just that the “kids have outgrown them”.

And so Laura Evans became a foster parent and last best chance for dozens of miniature horses.

“It’s usually owner give up. Or people who end up with too many animals and they can’t take care of them. Sometimes they’re neglected because people run out of money or they don’t know better, or they lose their jobs.

Many of the horses come from nice homes, but for some reason or other, can’t be kept any longer. Sometimes Evans gets horses with hooves that haven’t been trimmed for six months or a year because the owners had lost their jobs and couldn’t afford the upkeep, which isn’t all that much for a single horse.

‘It’s only about $50 a month,” to feed the minis, says Evans. “But if there are medical bills or feet issues, it’s more. It costs $30 to trim their feet every eight to eleven weeks.”

Even as the bills to keep the rescued minis pile up, Laura Evans keeps saying yes as often as she can, in hopes that one day she can find a new home for the lovable miniature horse that someone else didn’t want, or couldn’t keep. She says she could do more, if she only had help.

“I do this on my own. I work full time and I’m doing the best that one person can. I’m very passionate, but right now three to five minis is about the most I can do at once. Could I take in more? Oh yeah, they’re out there. I’ve heard of situations where minis need to be rescued but I don’t always have the means or time to go pick them up or put them somewhere.”

Evans says any donations could really enable her to do so much more to help the rescued minis. Rescue and rehabilitation of the minis, is very financially draining. Volunteers to help the farm be maintained and even grooming the minis, is greatly appreciated. However, adopting a mini out to a good forever home is the best donation and situation that Evans can hope for.

At Little Star Ranch, adoption fees are between $250 and $400, a fraction of the cost it takes to buy miniature horses somewhere else where they can sell for several thousand dollars.

Just ask Evans why someone would want to own a miniature horse and she rattles off reasons like a woman convinced of the power of love.

“They have very good temperaments in general” Evans said. “They love to be around people.

They’re good companions. They’re less expensive to feed than a big horse. They’re great for kids to be around and they’re good companions for other animals.”

Laura Evans says she and her foster home for miniature horses at Little Star Ranch aren’t trying to do anything grand. But, it’s no small thing to make people happy and save a lovable animal at the same time.

“If everybody does a little bit,” she said. “We can do a lot together.”