Horses Abandoned For Fifteen Years Were found With Grown Three Foot Long Hooves In A Stable Piled Four Feet High With Manure

The House Left in Captive For Fifteen Years

           

Two horses have been rescued but a third had to be euthanized after they were discovered in a squalid Maryland stable.

The full-sized stallion and miniature stallion and mare were emaciated and wallowing in four-foot high manure.

Two of the horses had hooves so long they could barely walk. The three-foot-long extremities, which curled in on themselves, had to be cut off by vets after they sedated the animals.

Days End Farm Horse Rescue charity, which is caring for the surviving horses, said it was the worst case of hoof neglect they had seen. The group has cared for more than 3,000 horses in 26 years.

This emaciated horse with hooves so long they curl around themselves was one of three found in a stable 



The horses had been locked away without farrier, dental or medical care, sporadic feeding and watering, and both stallions presented with hooves that were monstrously long, a good 3-ft of long curled and distorted hooves. The attending veterinarian and farrier have never seen a worst case.



Both horses are evaluated in critical condition and will receive rehabilitative care. The most urgent task was to sedate the stallions, lay them down safely, and remove portions of their hooves

It believes the three horses were locked up for at least 15 years without necessary farrier or medical care. They were found on Friday in an unspecified location in Washington County, according to The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown. 

A veterinarian and farrier sedated the horses so they could lay them down and remove part of their hooves.

Days End Farm Horse Rescue said that a full-sized stallion and a miniature stallion 'were removed from a stall piled high' with 3 to 4 feet of manure.

A miniature mare was euthanized because of 'ruptured ligaments causing irreparable fetlock dislocation'.

Two horses were sedated so that their hooves could be clipped, while a third horse had to be euthanized 


Authorities were contacted by a citizen who called the Humane Society of Washington County to report worries about 'the welfare of pet pigeons.' Because the authorities have a standard procedure to also inspect other animals on the property, the three horses were discovered

The horses were discovered when a Good Samaritan called the Humane Society of Washington County with concerns about the welfare of pet pigeons.

It is standard practice during welfare inspections to check all animals on the property, which is how the horses were found. The investigation is ongoing and cruelty charges could be pending.

Days End Farm Horse Rescue currently provides rehabilitation and ongoing care for 78 rescue horses. 

The average cost for critical rehabilitative care is $1,900 to $2,400 per horse per month. The two horses rescued in this case will be on the higher end of this cost scale, the charity said.