DILLON — Six horses and a pony — some at the brink of death — are now in a safe place after authorities rescued them from a Dillon County residence Wednesday.
According to a Dillon County Sheriff’s Office incident report, a deputy went to 514 New Circle Drive and saw the seven animals in deplorable living conditions.
The animals were being housed in cramped pens that were soaked in water and horse manure and the area smelled of urine, according to the report.
The animals were later seized and are in the custody of Florence Area Humane Society volunteers.
“The horses were up to their knees in feces and manure,” said Denise Hughes, a humane society volunteer. “They didn’t have any water, very little feed left in the buckets — it was just a very bad environment for the horses to be in.”
The animals were all malnourished and underfed. The ribs and hip bones of the animals were clearly visible through their coats, according to the incident report.
Authorities at the scene said there was only one bale of dry hay, about two scoops of feed in a large plastic barrel and hardly any water for all the animals.
People obviously don’t realize that larger animals require a lot of care, Hughes said.
“... it takes a bigger place, and a lot more expense,” she said. “Every time the vet comes, it’s several hundred dollars a horse. The teeth need to be done, their feet need to be done, they need everything.”
Since the seizure, volunteers have been providing the animals with food and medical care, Hughes said.
Animal Hospital of Kingstree veterinarian Dr. Jim Coker was summoned Thursday to examine the horses and said some could recover from their ordeal.
“Most of these horses can be rehabilitated very nicely. There is one old stallion who shows some really advanced problems. His teeth are in really, really bad shape,” he said. “He’s got some severe problems with his hind legs, I don’t know what the long-term outlook is for him, but the other guys I think can really be turned around with some good care.”
The seven animals ranging in age from 2 to 25 years old, and all have some serious problems, Coker said.
“They are not showing signs of being well cared for ... there are several problems. Some of these horses have some lameness issues,” he said. “Five out of the seven appear to have some pretty bad nutritional issues, and we did find a severe lice infestation on one horse.”
It wasn’t immediately clear from the sheriff’s office whether arrests had been made or if any charges had been filed in connection with the case Thursday night.
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