Starving horses taken to fairgrounds
A horse owner who apparently skipped town and left 16 horses in the care of a Jellison Road border may face criminal charges.
Flathead County Sheriff’s deputies brought the severely neglected animals to the Flathead County Fairgrounds about a week and a half ago from the Jellison Road site where they were being housed.
According to Sgt. Lance Norman, their owner boarded the animals on private property before leaving the area without leaving a forwarding address.
Authorities first were alerted to the situation in February and checked with the property owner to make sure the animals had food and water. At that point, “they didn’t look near as bad,” Norman said.
But about four weeks ago, deputies learned the health of the animals had “degraded terribly,” Norman said. They found a stallion and a colt dead during a recent check.
The Jellison Road resident had been trying to care for the horses with the help of other people who had been bringing them food until about three weeks ago.
“They all would’ve died without their help,” Norman said. “This is cruelty to animals. That is what neglect and abuse looks like,” he said, pointing to a horse with pronounced hips and a protruding spine.
He said all of the horses are underweight and some of the yearlings have stunted growth from being underfed, but the animals have responded since getting good hay.
Volunteers have been coming to the fairgrounds to help feed and care for the animals.
Authorities were alerted to the situation when potential buyers responded to an ad saying the horses were for sale and called the Sheriff’s Office after looking at the animals.
After wading through some legal technicalities, Norman said, the Sheriff’s Office will start looking for homes for the horses.
Taxpayers are paying for the animals’ care, such as hay and veterinarian bills, but Norman said an effort would be made to recover those costs from the horses’ owner.
The county attorney’s office is reviewing this case to determine if charges will be filed.
Reporter Melissa Weaver may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at mweaver@dailyinterlake.com.