Gentle Beck was starving. Every rib stood out, and even his hindquarters and legs looked skeletal. That was two months ago, when Denton County sheriff’s deputies and the Humane Society of North Texas rescued him and 76 other Egyptian Arabian horses from a breeding farm near Pilot Point.

Now, 300 pounds heavier and beautiful again, Gentle Beck is one of 68 horses who found new homes last weekend in an online auction by the humane society. Nine are still without homes, and volunteers for the organization hope people will soon adopt them as well.

Acting on a tip, sheriff’s deputies went to the Renazans Arabians ranch Aug. 14 and found the horses without food or water, many locked in stalls in a barn and standing in several inches of their own waste.

The Fort Worth-based Humane Society agreed to care for the horses until homes could be found for them. Separated by sex, part of the group stayed at a location in Pilot Point while the rest went to a horse ranch in another part of the county.

The horses’ owner, Gordon Key, voluntarily gave them up at a seizure hearing. He faces charges of animal cruelty.

There are fewer than 30,000 Egyptian Arabian horses in the world, and the volunteers learned that many of the horses have rare bloodlines. They acquired the horses’ pedigrees and put them on their Web site for adoption.

Samantha Laos, one of the volunteers, said the auction collected noncompetitive bids. Interested people filled out applications ahead of time. Those who were approved to bid were able to look at the horses and then place a bid online. They saw only their own bids, she said.

“We were able to collect $60,000 in adoption fees,” she said. “The highest-priced horse went for $10,000, and the fees enabled us to cover our court costs and for their care.”

Laos said D&L Farm and Home in Aubrey and the store’s customers donated feed, bucket straps, hay feeders — “whatever we needed,” she said. “They told every single person who came in, and people would put money in a canister on the counter. It was quite wonderful.”

Laos said Nestle Purina PetCare Co. donated a ton of feed, and private donations poured in when people heard about the horses’ plight.

“So many people donated money and time. It’s been really nice,” she said.

The Humane Society chose the method of adopting the horses so they could make sure each one got a really good home. Just because someone had the money to pay for the horse didn’t mean they would give it excellent care, Laos said. The application process allowed the society to evaluate the bidders and prioritize them.

There were nine horses left on the Web site, www.hsnt.org, on Tuesday. Their photos and descriptions can be viewed there, and interested people can send an e-mail to arrange to meet the horses. The base adoption fee is $200.

There will not be another auction, and applicants will be notified about how to get the remaining horses.

Laos said the Arabian horse rescue was one of the most successful the society has organized.

“Every horse got a wonderful home,” she said. “We want equally good homes for the rest.”

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com.