Wetnose confiscated 24 neglected horses
All horses were transported safely to the Wetnose rescue centre
A Grootfontein resident has been charged with animal cruelty after the Wetnose Animal Rescue Centre recently removed 24 sick horses from his property.
The centre received an anonymous complaint about the horses’ living conditions. Upon arrival, the neglect of the animals was evident as they 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 explained the horses belonged to someone who used them as a source of income for doing horse shows, outrides and cowboy events, yet he failed dismally to take care of them.
“An emaciated, weak, or pregnant horse is not a good enough reason for this guy to get a vet in, supplement their grazing properly, or even not to use them on outrides, as he believed in ‘natural horsemanship’.
“When asked about food, we were shown four mouldy old bales that were about two years old that he could get cheaply and one 40kg bag of feed.”
The lack of food meant all of the horses’ body scores were unacceptable, as they scored zero to two out of five.
“The first horse to be rescued was Jessie, a bay mare who was lying down in a very exposed open field. She was too weak to get up, cold, sick with tick bite fever and starving,” said 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 said.
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 horses removed.
All of the centre’s staff were on board to begin the rescue project that required files being opened for the horses, medical staff having to check every horse on arrival, preparing stables, and feeding the horses.
“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,” said Van Greunen.
After the shelter had sent out a plea for assistance, it did not fall on deaf ears as the Highveld Horse Care Unit came to their 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.
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