DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Animal law enforcement officers and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office responded to an anonymous animal abuse call last week and found multiple horses who appeared malnourished.
When officers arrived to the 12300 block of Piney Lake Road in Parker, they found several horses with rib cages and hip bones protruding from their bodies, according to DCSO.
Officers reported the barn as having a large amount of feces and flies, some stalls had standing urine and many of the horses did not have access to food or water, the sheriff's office said. One of the horses had an open laceration on its neck that required medical attention, DCSO said in a release.
The next day, DCSO and Animal Law Enforcement services seized the horses and relocated them to an equine rehabilitation facility, DCSO said. The homeowner, 69-year-old Jose Covelo, was served with a summons for misdemeanor animal cruelty, according to DCSO.
Authorities said they removed six of the 12 horses on the property. They said all the horses taken were deemed to be underweight and had some medical concerns. Animal law enforcement is expected to check on a couple of the horses that were left on the property; additionally, a horseshoer is expected to go out to perform work on all the remaining horses.
Horse rescue organizations said the rising cost of caring for horses may contribute to the increase in calls for rescues.
Gloria Timmons runs the Allegiance Ranch and Equine Rescue. She said in her seven years of working with horses, it is currently the most expensive to care for them. Hay that once cost about $9 a bale for Timmons now costs close to $13.
"That's even a deal, so the prices have just skyrocketed for sure," Timmons said. "I'm sure [the farmers] don't want to charge more for hay, but it's their livelihood so they have to. "
Timmons said the high costs have made caring for horses a lot more challenging, which is why, she believes, she's getting more calls to take in more rescues.
"I looked back at my call log this morning and I probably have five since June, which is a lot. Usually, I get maybe one a month or so," she said. “We’re usually full, but my goal is to always at least provide some resources to share with other rescuers in the area that may be able to help. You just wish you can help them all, but you just can’t. “
Allegiance is not the only horse rescue organization that has dealt with an increase in calls. Rocky Mountain Horse Rescue said they have seen a 60% increase over recent years.
Kris Nixon, the Vice President of RMHR, said they don’t believe it's primarily a financial issue, but rather a lack of knowledge or experience.
“People who are good caretakers of their animals relinquish them before they are in horrible condition because they know they will be unable to care for them going forward,” Nixon said. “I wish more people cared enough to ask for help before it came to starvation.”
Nixon said RMHR offers help for people in need of caring for their horses on a case-by-case basis. They said they always prefer to help someone keep their horse.
Jodi Messenich from Zuma’s Rescue Ranch in Littleton also tries to provide some resources. She said there are some horse rescues on the Front Range that help with a “rescue in place” program. Through the program, owners can apply for help with food for the animal or a vet bill to keep their horses home.
6 horses rescued by Douglas County Sheriff's Office
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