Oregon: neglected horses seized.

One dead, others malnourished.

Suffering from neglect, horses taken from owner [link]
Sanne Specht | Aug 19, 2008

One of five abused and neglected horses already had died when authorities arrived Friday in Central Point to investigate a complaint of animal starvation, officials said. "It was really pretty awful. It was definitely the worst we've seen in quite awhile," said Colleen Macuk, program director for Jackson County Animal Care and Control Center.

The small herd, owned by Debbie Tabor, was in such deplorable condition that shelter officers called in Jackson County sheriff's deputies to proceed with a criminal investigation, Macuk said. "Ultimately the owner signed all the horses over to animal control." Tabor lives at the Merita Terrace property in Central Point where the horses were kept "in makeshift pens," Macuk said. Tabor could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. Macuk could not say why Tabor had allowed her animals to deteriorate. Court records show no charges have yet been filed in Jackson County Circuit Court.

Volunteers from the Equamore Foundation on Saturday and Sunday responded to animal control's request to collect, house and care for the two surviving stallions and the two mares, said Macuk. "We have no facility to house horses," Macuk said, adding she is grateful for the equine rescue foundation's help. "It's important to have someone available and knowledgeable to care for a horse in need... It is not the same as caring for a healthy animal." Linda Davis is the owner of Eden Farm and the founder of Equamore, a nonprofit rescue organization in Ashland that provides care and placement for horses who are in desperate need, Davis said. The four Central Point horses' matted manes, rotting coats and skeletal bodies tell the tale of long-term neglect, she said.

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