The burglary of a nonprofit organization is one of a rising number of burglaries reported countywide.

Mariposa Farms on Red Gate Drive in Macedonia was burglarized last week, with eight saddles taken from one of its tack houses.

Three of the saddles were to be sold to help the hippotherapy program operated at the farm, Bethany's Equine & Aquatic Therapy Services. The program uses the horses in therapy for children with special needs.

Bethany Nugent, who runs BEATS, said another one of the saddles belonged to a therapeutic riding instructor, who is pregnant. The other four saddles belonged to a boarder who recently lost a horse in an accident.

The three saddles that were donated could have brought in $500 to $800 for BEATS, she said.

"That could get a couple of kids through the next couple of months," she said, adding the money could have funded scholarships to help kids who can't afford the program's fees. "It hurt kids."

BEATS was established in 2003 to raise money and awareness of hippotherapy and aquatic therapy. The organization has a budget of about $100,000 a year.

Ms. Nugent said donations are down this year, which is why she was hoping to be able to sell the saddles.

Burglaries are slightly up so far this year, according to the Cherokee Sheriff's Office.

There were 361 residential burglaries from January to November this year, an increase from 352 reported during the same time last year.

The sheriff's office has received a handful of reports from churches about thefts and burglaries this year.

One church reported a break-in last month, but nothing was stolen. In September, a trailer tag theft was reported by a church. Landscaping equipment was stolen from a church storage shed in August.

Though nonprofits and churches have been targeted recently, burglars do not seem more desperate than usual, according to Lt. Jay Baker, public information officer for the sheriff's office.

"It doesn't appear that burglary suspects are acting any different that they have in the past," he said. "Most thieves are going to choose targets that yield the greatest gain for them with the least likely chance of getting caught."

Anyone with information about the burglary at Mariposa Farms can call the sheriff's office at (770) 928-0239.

For information about BEATS or making a donation, call (678) 494-6616 or see the website at www.beats-inc.org.