A Clinton County, Ind., farm that cares for abused and neglected horses must obtain a special zoning exemption or go out of business, zoning officials said.

Indiana Horse Rescue’s nearly 22-acre property near Frankfort is mostly zoned for general business, which allows horse boarding, but not certain types of feeding, said Mark Mills, executive director of the Clinton County Area Plan Commission.

The zoning issue is a result of an honest mistake made when the nonprofit organization opened, said Tony Caldwell, a co-founder of the group.

Caldwell said he made it clear 12 years ago that horses would be grazing and fed on the property. He said it was a mistake that the horse rescue was not zoned for that purpose originally.

The discrepancy has come to light because zoning officials has received complaints about the horse rescue.

Mills told the county commissioners on Tuesday that one neighbor of the site about 25 miles southeast of Lafayette has filed a formal complaint, and others have logged informal complaints.

The complaints cite the storage of hay on the property and the burial of manure, among other things.

The group’s Web site lists about 30 horses available for adoption and more being treated for medical conditions.

County commissioners will hold a hearing on the rezoning Jan. 16, Mills said.