HAMPTON -- The Hampton Police Department has found a new home to house the two remaining horses in its Mounted Patrol Unit. Hampton Police Chief Jamie Sullivan told selectmen last week the department signed a contract with Runnymede Farm of North Hampton to take care of the horses when they are not in service.

"They are a professional barn with good reputation," Sullivan said. "They are also offering us the service at the same price we have traditionally paid."

The town has been looking for a new home for its horses since it broke ties with the family-owned farm at the Tidewater Campground on Route 1 in Hampton back in May. At the time, the department removed the horses from the farm after all four equines in the unit were found to be severely underweight. An investigation into the care of the horses revealed no signs of abuse.

But a final report by an equine specialist at TNT Equine did find the rapid weight loss occurred because of confusion by the caretakers over the horses' feeding schedule.

The horses allegedly began losing weight when the caretaker at Tidewater, farm owner Wally Shaw, went to Florida and left them in the care of others. Sullivan said the horses are back to normal now and two of them, Patriot and Aarow, will be transported to the new farm in the near future.

The other horses, Buddy and Blaze, were donated to private owners after an equine specialist recommended they be retired because of their ages.

All four horses were nursed back to health at the Epping farm of retired Hampton Police Deputy Chief Dennis Pelletier, who helped create the Mounted Patrol Unit.