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Neglected Horses Seized From Maryland Farm, Hooves Were Over 3 Foot Long

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 07:07 PST, Aug 26, 2015

Two severely neglected horses were seized from a Maryland farm last week.

Animal rescue workers in Woodbine, Maryland, made the shocking discovery when they went to visit the stable. The Humane Society of Washington County had originally received a call from a Good Samaritan for them to conduct a welfare check on the owner’s pet pigeons. However, upon arriving, they discovered the emaciated horses in their stalls, standing in four-foot high piles of manure, where they were suspected to have been locked up for at least 15 years, HLN reports, with no farrier or medical care.

The horses, described as a full-size stallion and miniature stallion, were then transported to the Days End Farm Horse Rescue to undergo rehabilitation. Their hooves were so long (over three feet) that they could not walk for risk of getting tangled in their own hooves. Therefore, before they could be transported to DEFHR, the veterinarians and farriers worked together to sedate the horses so that they could comfortably remove parts of the hooves. They said it was the worst case they had ever seen, according to a report from the DEFHR.

“These are the worst, most extreme cases of hoof neglect the organization has ever seen,” the press release from the rehabilitation, which has been in business for 26 years, reads. Once the horses arrived at their new temporary home, Erin Ochoa, DEFHR’s Executive Director, told the gray stallion, “Today your life changes.”

A third horse was found on the property, but sadly had to be euthanized due to “ruptured ligaments causing irreparable fetlock dislocation.” The investigation into the owner’s of the horses is still ongoing, and cruelty charges are likely to follow.

DEFHR was founded in 1989, and has since helped rescue and rehabilitate thousands of horses, according to their website. They provide a safe home, and proper training to the horses, so that they can eventually be adopted.

“Since 1989, Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR) has gone from a small non-profit sheltering a few horses to a full-scale, well respected national rescue and rehabilitation facility sheltering 110 to 150 horses annually. All horses come through animal protection authorities from across Maryland and surrounding states.

After their rehabilitation, the horses are evaluated and provided the training needed to best prepare them for adoption. DEFHR utilizes principles of natural horsemanship in an effort to help each horse realize its full potential as an equine partner.”

What do you think the owner of the neglected horses punishment should be? Leave your comments below.

[Photo via Days End Farm Horse Rescue]

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