Five dead horses, five other horses near-starved discovered on Palmyra farm

PENNSYLVANIA -- At least five dead horses were discovered at a Palmyra farm Friday, and five others near the point of starvation were removed by the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area in a case Humane Society officials say may be a case of "horse hoarding."

"I've never seen anything like it," said HSHA executive director Amy Kaunas of conditions on the Laudermilch Road property of Rebecca L. Roberts.

Roberts, an attorney, did not immediately return messages left for her.

Kaunas said 24 horses remain on the property, and an investigation is ongoing and charges are pending. Kaunas said "extreme unsanitary conditions" were exacerbated by lack of food and adequate sources of water.

Humane Society officials removed the five horses in the worst condition after serving a search warrant Friday. The warrant signed by Magisterial District Judge Lowell A. Witmer was obtained after Roberts failed to respond to warnings to get veterinary care for the animals and after a humane officer saw one of the horses dead in an open barn Friday morning.

Kaunas said when they entered the property Friday evening, they discovered the remains of at least four other horses in varying stages of decomposition.

Kaunas said the volume of manure and other factors indicated "this has not been a good situation for quite some time."

"This is going to be a long and ongoing case," she said.

The five horses removed from the property have received a veterinary assessment, and "our focus right now is really helping these five horses survive into the new year," Kaunas said. The five horses, she said, were "teetering on the brink" with body condition scores of 1 on a scale of 9.

The 24 horses remaining on the farm have scores of 2 or 3.

"I don't think there was a horse higher than a 3," Kaunas said. "We have the ones in immediate danger and in need of immediate veterinary care."

Kaunas said "a lot of signs in this case" lead humane officers to suspect it's "a hoarding situation with horses. This could be a horse hoarder." It's a situation, she said, more often seen with cats.
She said the horses appear to be Morgans or Morgan crosses.

Kaunas said the Humane Society is open to working with Roberts to improve the care of the remaining horses, "but we will do what we can to ensure these horses are properly cared for."

(Penn Live - Dec 12, 2012)