CHARLOTTE - Bennie Lynn Clawson has been around horses all her life. She runs a consulting business to help owners find horses and has been raising Paint horses near Rock Hill, S.C.

But Clawson said business has been grim this year.

Not as many people are willing to buy horses, she said. And those who already have them are worried about how they'll feed their animals through the winter because the severe drought has cut hay production across the state and sent the prices of available grains soaring.

Local horse rescue agencies say they've been flooded with calls from people seeking advice, or who want the groups to take in their animals. Some horse owners are even offering to give away their pets or have sold them for dramatically less than they might have gotten in the past.

"What we fear the most is ... that people will begin to abandon or neglect the horses, and we're going to see an abuse situation ever-increasing as we move into January," said Sue Gray, executive director of the N.C. Horse Council.

Officials in some of the state's U.S. Forest Service districts said they've not yet received any reports of people setting horses loose. But Gray said estimates show120,000 horses already have been abandoned across the country.

Clawson, who lives near Historic Brattonsville in South Carolina, said she has heard of people who don't think they'll be able to care for their horses anymore.

Because of the drought, which has caused the price of some of her feed to double, Clawson has sold or given away 10 of her horses, leaving 13 that she's not sure she can part with.

"I've made a good life with horses," she said. "But this is about the saddest thing I've ever seen."

Horses not alone

The hay shortage is affecting more than horse owners. Owners of cattle and other pasture animals also have struggled to find feed this year.

A square bale of hay used to sell for a few dollars. Now, some are going for $7.50 and up. Meanwhile, larger, round bales that went for $20 to $30 can sell for twice that amount, in addition to per-mile shipping costs.

"There is still hay to be found," said Lissa Boatright of Hope for Horses, a rescue farm in Leicester. "It's just more expensive."

The summer's heat and drought also killed off grass that many animals normally would graze on until October or November. That meant some farms began using hay as early as July.

Farmers and agricultural experts say horse owners face different challenges from those with other animals.

For example, while cattle farmers can sell their animals at market to help recoup some of their costs, there aren't many similar avenues for horses.

Horse slaughter has been banned in the United States, although some markets still exist in Canada and Mexico.

And many are holding off on buying horses because of the rising hay costs.

"I'm sure there's probably going to be some reluctance on the part of other buyers because your feeding problem becomes that person's feeding problem," said Brian Long, spokesman for the N.C. Department of Agriculture.

Another issue: Though cattle can eat several types of feed -- even moldy hay -- horses have more delicate stomachs.

Feeding horses the wrong type of hay or switching their food too quickly can cause colic, a potentially deadly condition affecting their intestines, said Darlene Kindle, regional director for the Southern Piedmont chapter of the U.S. Equine Rescue League.

"It scares the death out of me," Kindle said of this year's hay shortage.

Kindle is taking care of 10 horses, including some that will go to foster homes. But she's worried the higher costs might turn away people who might want to take in foster horses.

Alternatives sought

In the meantime, horse owners across the region say they're trying to make do.

At LifeSpan at Joshua's Farm, a nonprofit that offers therapeutic horse rides for children with developmental disabilities, leaders have researched feeding their horses beet pulp, an alternative food source.

Program director Jennifer Frey Sternleib said the nonprofit doesn't want to ask its clients to spend more money, so it will turn to fundraisers to help feed its animals.

Meanwhile, Jerry Godwin, who has 40 horses on his farm in Marshville, has weaned his horses down to three bales of hay per week, using other protein feeds to supplement their diet. Before the drought, he would feed his horses five bales of hay each day.

Godwin said his horses have lost a little bit of weight -- mostly, what he calls their "hay belly." He said he will likely feed them more as it gets colder and won't let them get too skinny.

"I'm just trying to hold out and maybe make it through this year," Godwin said. "Maybe next year will be better."

(Charlotte Observer staff writer Esther Robards-Forbes contributed.)