Horse neglect - 8 seized
Jerusalem, AR (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jan 23, 2009
County: Conway
Disposition: Not Charged
Abuser names unreleased
Eight horses that authorities said were neglected were taken from an elderly Conway County couple Friday and will be treated at a Jefferson County shelter until they can be adopted, Pulaski County Humane Society director Kay Simpson said.
Law enforcement officers were called Thursday to a rural home in Jerusalem in northwest Conway County where they found the horses, said Shane West, a detective with the Conway County sheriff's office.
The horses ranged in age from 9 months to 15 years, Simpson said.
"It was a bad deal," Simpson said. "We don't know yet if some of these horses will make it."
The horses were malnourished, she said. Several had cracked hooves and had not been fed properly. They also had not received routine worming treatments.
One horse will undergo surgery next week to remove a halter strap embedded in its face.
The couple who owned the horses was not charged with animal cruelty, a misdemeanor, West said.
"We're still investigating, but at the request of [Simpson] if they gave the horses over to her, then charges would not be filed," he said. "They willingly gave them up."
Simpson said the couple bought one horse years ago and then continued purchasing horses through the years. The two became handicapped, she said, and were living on disability.
"They got in over their heads," she said.
She said she didn't push to charge the couple because the neglect was not intentional.
"They loved those horses," she said. "They no longer could care for them, but they didn't want to let go of them."
The horses were taken to a Jefferson County shelter, where a veterinarian will treat them. She said it may be several weeks or months before some of the horses recover.
Once they are able, the horses will be offered for adoption by the Humane Society.
"There are a lot of responsibilities to owning horses," she said. "People need to be able to afford them. You don't get a horse just because they're pretty."
Prospective adopters are screened to ensure they have proper shelter for the horses, along with a proper water supply.
"We make sure they understand about correct feeding and horses' needs for roughage for digestion," Simpson said. References |
