Approximately 50 horses will be on display for auction at the Carroll County Agriculture Center in Westminster on Sunday, Feb. 26.
One is blue, another has stripes and another has balloons.
Another has the scene of a fox hunt painted on its side.
Yet another comes with two tickets to a Broadway show.
These horses don't eat much and can easily fit into your car — they aren't real, but rather a mix of ceramic statues, wooden models and others — all created for the "Horses of Many Colors for a Cause Retreat Round-Up," a fundraiser hosted by the Horse of Course 4-H Club, and benefiting The Retreat at Beckleysville.
Founded by Mary Shunk, The Retreat offers therapeutic riding for people of all ages. Currently, the facility on Beckleysville Road, right at the Carroll/Baltimore county line, Hampstead, has students ranging in age from 3 to 67.
"We have 11 horses," Shunk said proudly. "We have the best horses in the world. They're the best."
Most of the horses at The Retreat came as donations, but to provide hay and feed throughout the year costs money, as does veterinarian bills and upkeep.
Shunk is thankful for the support of the 4-H club, of which she is co-leader.
"The 4-H Club does a lot of community service," Shunk said. "They've helped me at flea markets, have helped me do demos. Everything from the Round-Up .. is going into feeding and taking care of the horses."
For the past several years, the Horse of Course 4-H Club has held a silent auction to raise funds for The Retreat, and has also been involved in several events to promote special needs riding. The groups helps with Special Olympics events, and event took a horse to Sandy Point State Park last month to accompany Polar Bear Plunge participants.
The model horse show was suggested to Karen Scott, the club's second co-leader.
"I took it back to the club and Mary, and they said 'Give it a go and see what happens,' " Scott said. "It's exciting to see what people have done. It runs quite the gamut."
Since then, members of the 4-H and others have added painted ponies and decorated horses to the mix, with whimsical and fun names, such as the Peanuts cartoon-themed model, called "Charlie Horse," and a model laminated with dozens of photos of small coins, dubbed, "Horse Cents."
Many are paired with other prizes in the hopes of increasing the auction prices — such as the model of the character from the film, "War Horse," which comes with two tickets to the Broadway show of the same name in New York City.
In addition to fetching donations in the auction, the model horses will be judged for various awards in several categories.
"Since it is horses, we decided to hold classes and judge them," said Scott laughing, about the comparison to real horse shows. "The judging is just fun. I don't even know what classes we'll have."
The afternoon will also include entertainment, food and a flea market.
"I think it is going to be a lot of fun," Scott said. "It should be a good time."
Shunk is also looking forward to the event, and is thankful for the support.
"4-H is great. Great for kids," Shunk said. "Therapeutic riding is great. It is a win-win situation."
Horses of Many Colors for a Cause Retreat Round-Up will take place Sunday, Feb. 26, 2 to 5 p.m., at the Carroll County Agriculture Center, 706 Agriculture Center, Westminster. For more details, or to view some of the horses for the auction, go to http://www.farmerruth.com/index.php?id=6.