Some Animals Emaciated, Officials Say; Owners Could Face Cruelty Charges
By Jonathan Mummolo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 24, 2008; B05
Four dozen horses were seized from a Middleburg farm, and charges of animal cruelty may be filed against their owners, Loudoun County officials said yesterday. Many of the horses were emaciated, some were standing in their own waste and drinking water was found frozen in their troughs.
The horses, which appear to be thoroughbreds, have been monitored since November, when an anonymous tip alerted the county to poor conditions on the property, officials said.
Since then, officials from Loudoun County Animal Care and Control have been visiting the site regularly. After a noticeable decline in the condition of the horses, a veterinarian was brought in. All 48 animals were seized Tuesday night, officials said.
"The water troughs had frozen ice in them that obviously was several days old, [and there was] absolutely no hay," said Karen Iovino, a vet with Blue Ridge Veterinary Associates who examined the horses.
Iovino said about 10 of the 48 -- some of which scored a 1 out of 5 on the body mass index used for horses, the lowest rating -- appeared to be pregnant. Others had poor coats, and their hooves had not been trimmed. "There were horses in paddocks without shelter," Iovino said. "Three horses were in the barn standing in their own urine and feces and had frozen water in their buckets."
After reviewing evidence before the seizure, prosecutors told officials that they would be willing to pursue charges of animal cruelty, said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jason Faw, the liaison with the animal control office.
Faw said there appeared to be some confusion over who owns the horses, which may be holding up filing charges. The property where the horses were seized has not been identified.
All the horses were examined, dewormed and numbered yesterday, Iovino said. They will remain in county care until a hearing Jan. 30 to determine their custody.
Although the details of the case are unclear, the horses' dismal food supply could be partly attributed to the skyrocketing price of hay.
A regional drought has obliterated hay supplies, said Warren Howell of Loudoun's Department of Economic Development, and demand is highest in the winter as animals try to stock up to keep warm.
"The fact of the matter is, this year, hay prices have really gone through the roof," Howell said. "They're at record highs. I've seen a bale of hay selling for seven, eight, nine dollars. Normally a bale of quality hay is like four dollars. . . . This is particularly acute for horses because horses require high-quality hay; they can't just eat any hay, the way a cow can."
Howell said hay prices are going to worsen in the coming months, as the cold weather continues to fuel demand.
"They're only going to get higher," he said. "Typically, you see the most critical feeding time comes in basically the second half of February on to early April. [That is] when you really have serious problems when it comes to feeding horses, or any livestock for that matter."
Iovino said it appears to be a case of neglect, regardless of hay prices.
"Yes, maybe the cost of hay has gone up, but this is just basic common needs of animals -- water and shelter," she said. "It just breaks my heart."
Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.
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