Volunteers have been caring for the horses as the community has donated feed, hay and other supplies.

Only a handful of Arabian horses rescued from a West Virginia farm still await adoption.

Ray Urksa, transportation coordinator for the Arabian Rescue Mission, said he hopes to have all horses adopted by week's end.

The horse barn at Westmoreland Fairgrounds, housing the herd of about 30, was open to the public for the first time yesterday.

Standing in their stalls, some horses sniffed at the hands of visitors, while others snacked on hay or used the stall as a scratching post.

While some of the horses are marked as adopted, many are flagged as pending, meaning the references of their potential adopter need to be checked.

About four or five horses were still available for adoption yesterday afternoon, said Terry Figueroa, president and founder of the nonprofit mission based in Colesville, N.J.

Horses are adopted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Adopting a horse is free, but a $25 application fee is required to process and screen each applicant.

The mission undertakes diligent background checks, said Urksa of South Fayette Township.

Simply owning farmland isn't good enough. An applicant must provide three references from a veterinarian, a farrier and one other person.

"You have to take your time with these (horses) -- get them used to humans," Urksa said.

After adoption, a rescue mission representative will check on the horse every three to six months. The mission can seize the animal if it's not taken care of properly.

Applicants approved for adoption can pick up horses at the Mt. Pleasant Township fairgrounds after Friday, Figueroa said.

The horses were rescued this past weekend from a hilly farm near Wheeling.

The horses' owner left the farm in 2008 and died in December. His family contacted the mission for help because they don't know how to care for the herd.

Though the horses were fed daily, they missed human contact and shots, Urksa said.

"It's not like this is a neglected herd," he said. "(The family) reached out for help."

Since the animals arrived in Westmoreland County, volunteers have given the horses shots, worked on their hooves and filed their teeth.

A Somerset veterinarian will donate a $2,000 surgery to heal a gelded horse's infection, Urksa said.

Donations of money, hay and feed have poured in.

One person brought 1,000 pounds of feed, Urksa said, and a wagon near the horse barn was loaded with more than 200 bales of hay.

Some 20 to 30 volunteers have donated their time each day to brush the horses and clean their stalls.

Susie Shew of Ligonier said she volunteered to help because she's handled lots of horses and owned one years ago that had never been handled.

Many of the horses are skittish because they haven't experienced human contact, Urksa said.

They range in age from 6 months to 20 years and in color from brown to white to gray.

Some horses have lice and others suffer "rain rot," essentially crusty skin from the weather.

"There's a few thin ones," Urksa said. "... But for the most part, they're pretty healthy."

Rossilynne Skena can be reached at rskena