Horses allegedly found emaciated, one dead
NEW MEXICO -- Livestock inspectors report finding five of neglected and malnourished horses on a Carlsbad property and allege the neglect led to another horse dying a painful death.
The owner of six horses, Pamela Lunsford, 40, was arraigned on six counts of animal cruelty in Carlsbad this week over the treatment of her horses.
"The horses were living in unkempt pens, their water wasn't very clean, there wasn't any feed available for them," livestock inspector George Mendoza of the New Mexico Livestock Board said. "The horses were very emaciated,"
One of the six horses didn't make it. A male roughly 8 years old was found dead on the Carlsbad property. It was undetermined how long he'd been there.
Mendoza said the male horse likely died from a lack of water, which he said is a very painful death. Given the dry, warm conditions, Mendoza said that could kill a horse within days.
"It's disheartening to see that animals are being kept this way and that they're also subjected to that kind of cruelty," said Mendoza.
Mendoza said Lunsford kept her horses at a property on Kiowa Drive in Carlsbad for months.
"It's a crime scene," Mendoza said of cruelty cases in general. "The horses, they're kept in pens and dependent upon their owners to care for them both through nutritional needs and health needs."
Witnesses in this case said Lunsford rarely had food and water for the animals. Court documents allege the surviving horses were very thin and had sores and overgrown hooves to the point that they were splitting.
"The only explanation that was provided to me was that she was financially unable to care for them," said Mendoza. With the high price of feed and low cost of livestock, Mendoza said it's a problem he sees all too often.
The five other horses involved in the case were adopted. Mendoza said they're expected to make a healthy recovery.
Lunsford is scheduled to be back in court in January. If she's found guilty she could face a $1,000 fine and up to 364 days in jail.
Mendoza said in some places horses can be purchased for as little as $5, but it costs much more to keep them healthy.
(KRQE - Dec 14, 2012)
