We ride 'em. We race 'em. Local businesses and families in the Chicago, Illinois area collect their pennies to rehabilitate them!

When horses young or old get sick, sometimes the easy option is to have the animal put down. Sue Balla, president and co-founder of Field of Dreams Horse Rescue, says that instead, with a little love and a lot of help, those animals still can have a long life ahead of them. However, rescuing horses that need a home and rehabilitation isn't easy, either. [A]rea businesses and families [help] by dropping their change into a Pennies for Ponies jar. The change-gathering effort will help pay for feed, rehabilitation and bedding for the animals, as well as the day-to-day costs of housing them. Families also can become involved by collecting their spare change to donate to the horses. The family that collects the most money will receive a day with the horses, a photo of the animals now at Field of Dreams, horse-themed books and note cards. [...] One St. Charles girl, Sarah Anderson, had friends and family donate money to the rescue rather than buy her a birthday gift, Balla said. That effort alone brought in $360 for the horses.

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