A Quebec family is hoping a fundraising event will save their 15 horses from slaughter.The couple from Très-Saint-Rédempteur, located about 70 kilometre west of Montreal, said the cost of keeping the horses is too much to handle.

Though the couple is no longer earning money, they continue to spend $700 every month to feed their stable.

Daniel Joubert and his wife Sylvia Lepage once owned close to 50 horses. Their Appaloosa horse-breeding ranch was the biggest in Canada, and their horses were purchased by people in France and Italy.

Lepage has lost her sight to diabetes, and Joubert was left partially paralyzed after a stroke.

The couple has 15 horses they can no longer care for. Unless they can find new homes or sponsors for the animals, they say they will have to send them to the slaughterhouse. Their friends have organized a special "adopt-a-horse" fundraiser, which will be held on Saturday.

"You have an attachment to these horses," said Joubert. "I'd rather see them go than see them in bad places."

Kerri Fenoff, a family friend, said she refused to see the horses go to the slaughterhouse. She moved from Montreal to the town of Hudson just to be near them.

She organized this weekend's fundraiser in order to save the animals.

The fundraiser will take place at the farm, located at 834 Principale Street in Très-Saint-Rédempteur between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The family is welcoming donations of all types, but said they are hoping to receive some hay to continue feeding their horses.

People can adopt a horse for $500 and take it home. Those who would rather sponsor a horse for a month can pay $200 to leave the animal at the farm and help pay for its food.

The family has also decided to offer "partial sponsorships" for $100. In this case, groups of people can sponsor the same horse and get to interact with it as they wish.