Owners of 4 dead horses, 3 neglected horses in Acres Homes sought

TEXAS -- On the same day the Houston Humane Society rescued Monty, a 16-year-old horse they say was being abused and neglected, they also took in two more horses.

The animals were covered in lice and infested with parasites. Both are female. One is 5 years old, the other is 8 months old.

"It's extremely sad to see horses in such poor physical shape," said Dr. Timothy Harkness, the Humane Society's chief veterinarian.

  

The horses are all from Acres Homes. Four of the seven found in the past week were deceased.

Harkness performed necropsies on two that were found dead last week and said they died from severe malnutrition. Two more dead horses were found Tuesday.

"You can't sustain a horse on just bread. A lot of these horses were just getting bread and potatoes for nutrition," Harkness said.

He chalks that up to the large number of dead and malnourished horses that have been found in the past week. Their owners could face animal cruelty charges. Crime Stoppers is working with the Humane Society and is now offering a cash reward for information leading to their arrests.

"It's very important. We're taking it very seriously. If they don't do it out of the goodness of their heart, I hope this might incentivize somebody to come forward," said Monica Schmidt, with the Houston Humane Society.

The organization is considering launching a program that would entail going out into that community and talking to horse owners about how to properly care for their animals.

(Click2Houston.com - Jan 13 2015)