A Grootfontein, Pretoria, resident has been charged with animal cruelty after the Wetnose Animal Rescue Centre recently confiscated 24 horses that were in poor health.

The centre received an anonymous complaint about the horses’ living conditions.

Upon arrival, the neglect of the animals was evident, claims the centre, which alleges that the horses were starved, infested with ticks and worms, had no hoof or dental care, and no vaccinations had been administered.

Shelter manager and inspector Veronica van Greunen explains that the horses belong to someone who used them as a source of income by doing horse shows, outrides and cowboy events, yet he allegedly failed to take care of them.

“When asked about food, we were shown four mouldy old bales that were about two years old… and one 40kg bag of feed.”

The lack of food meant all of the horses’ body scores were unacceptable, says Van Greunen, as they scored zero to two out of five.

“The first horse to be rescued was Jessie, a bay mare that was lying down in a very exposed open field. She was too weak to get up, cold, sick with tick bite fever and starving,” says Van Greunen.

“We had to get her to our large animal clinic urgently, which is no easy feat for a horse that can’t stand. Jessie was given a soft warm bed, all the meds she needed, and many litres of IV fluids, and with a lot of manpower, willpower, and prayer, we got her up,” she says.

After the mare’s rescue, a case was brought before a magistrate to show the horses’ shocking living conditions. A court order was issued to have the other horses removed.

“They have all been groomed and assessed by the vet and the farrier. Every horse had a blood smear to check for tick bite fever, which about half of them do have, and this week, we are erecting more shelters for the huge intake,” says Van Greunen.

After the shelter sent out a plea for assistance, the Highveld Horse Care Unit came to its rescue with a generous donation of bales, water buckets, and food troughs.

While the fate of the 24 horses will be determined only after the court case has been concluded, the centre is encouraging residents to adopt some of its animals to create space for the horses in their care.

Animal lovers are also welcome to visit the centre and help with volunteering, cleaning stables and grooming.

For more information on assisting the centre, contact 013 932 3941.