Suffering from neglect, horses taken from owner

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This emaciated stallion was one of four horses rescued Friday in Central Point. Their health is being evaluated.Equamore Foundation photo

August 19, 2008

By Sanne Specht

Mail Tribune

One of five abused and neglected horses already had died when authorities arrived Friday in Central Point to investigate a complaint of animal starvation, officials said.

"It was really pretty awful. It was definitely the worst we've seen in quite awhile," said Colleen Macuk, program director for Jackson County Animal Care and Control Center.

The small herd, owned by Debbie Tabor, was in such deplorable condition that shelter officers called in Jackson County sheriff's deputies to proceed with a criminal investigation, Macuk said.

"Ultimately the owner signed all the horses over to animal control," Macuk said.

Tabor lives at the Merita Terrace property in Central Point where the horses were kept "in makeshift pens," Macuk said. Tabor does not own the property, she said.

Tabor could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. Macuk could not say why Tabor had allowed her animals to deteriorate. Court records show no charges have yet been filed in Jackson County Circuit Court.

"The sheriff's (deputies) will do their investigation," Macuk said.

Volunteers from the Equamore Foundation on Saturday and Sunday responded to animal control's request to collect, house and care for the two surviving stallions and the two mares, said Macuk.

"We have no facility to house horses," Macuk said, adding she is grateful for the equine rescue foundation's help.

"It's important to have someone available and knowledgeable to care for a horse in need," said Macuk. "It is not the same as caring for a healthy animal."

Linda Davis is the owner of Eden Farm and the founder of Equamore, a nonprofit rescue organization in Ashland that provides care and placement for horses who are in desperate need, Davis said.

The four Central Point horses' matted manes, rotting coats and skeletal bodies tell the tale of long-term neglect, she said.

"One of the stallions is emaciated to the brink of death's door. One of the mares appears to be badly foundered. And she also appears to be pregnant," said Davis.

The weak, ill and half-wild horses were herded into trailers with the aid of panels and taken to the Ashland farm where they will continue to be assessed by veterinarians and cared for by volunteers, she said.

"Three of them you can touch. The skinny stallion you can't even touch. As soon as the stallions are healthy enough to endure anesthesia, they're going to be gelded," Davis said.

If they survive the coming months, veterinarians, farriers and volunteers will rid the horses of their parasites, trim their deformed and overgrown hoofs, and file their broken, rotted or sharp-edged teeth, Davis said.

"And they're going to be fed. Carefully, carefully fed," said Davis.

Animal control has absorbed the $600 cost of the initial vet visits. It will continue to monitor the horses' situation as the case against Tabor is investigated, Macuk said.

The Equamore Foundation is currently caring for 32 rescued horses. Costs for feed and care continue to rise. And donations continue to slide. A recent fundraiser netted only $1,070, Davis said.

"We do have promises of money coming in the mail," she said.

The Grange Co-Op has agreed to show the foundation's promotional video at its stores, she said. Anyone interested in donating feed or funds to the horse rescue can "put money on our account," Davis said.

As financial resources dwindle for both horse owners and rescue organizations, the numbers of animal abuse cases likely will continue to rise, Macuk said.

"These are very dangerous times for our animals," she said.

Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail sspecht@mailtribune.com.

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