Despite Efforts, Mare Dies, Male Horse Remains in Treatment
Geauga Humane Society’s Rescue Village recently seized two horses in Geauga County in critical condition — emaciated and standing in a paddock with a third horse that was already deceased.
Chief Humane Agent Christian Courtwright transported the horses to the Rescue Village barn for evaluation and emergency care.
Under the supervision of Rescue Village staff and a local veterinarian, both horses were being carefully monitored. One of the horses, a mare, was down and too weak to get herself up.
Her caregivers fought valiantly to give her the medical attention she needed to begin to regain her strength and survive. However, despite everyone’s best efforts, she passed away last week, said Anna Marie Velazquez, marketing and events coordinator for the humane society, Tuesday.
“They finally got her up … however when she was up, she was in so much pain. We’re not exactly sure what happened yet, we’re waiting on results, but she didn’t make it,” Velazquez said.
She said despite losing the mare, if the male survives, it’ll still be considered a huge success for the humane society given the significantly dire conditions the horses were found in.
The male horse continues to be monitored closely and is still in the Rescue Village barn doing better, Velazquez said.
“He is still in somewhat a critical condition, but he is getting stronger, so we are hopeful that he will make a recovery,” she said, adding the staff is doing everything they can.
“The weight and physical condition of these horses suggests long-term neglect and starvation,” said Geauga Humane Society Executive Director Hope Brustein in a statement last week. “We need the public to help us get the message out that it is not acceptable to treat horses or any other living creature this way.”
As for the location of and more details about the seize, Courtwright and Velazquez said no further information can be released at this time as this is an ongoing investigation.
Rescue Village, at its core, is responsible for enforcing Ohio’s humane law statutes in Geauga County and investigates approximately 3,000 animals each year. Humane societies rely heavily on the community to report suspected animal abuse or neglect.
Anyone suspecting animal cruelty or neglect is encouraged to contact his or her local humane society.
