Officials in Harford County have misdemeanor charges forthcoming against the owners of Rayan Farm, Baldwin Mill Road in the Forest Hill area. The charges assess a thousand dollar fine for each offense and the possibility of a 90-day jail sentence.
Days End Farm in Woodbine is providing care for the six emaciated, neglected horses since they were removed from Rayan Farm. Each horse is seriously underweight. On a body-scale rating of 1 to 9 with 9 being the best condition rating, the seized horses rate from 1 to 3. Confiscated were four mares and two stallions. It is possible that additional animals at this farm are in danger.
Brittney Carow, manager at Days End Farm, using one of the six horses to demonstrate condition said, "These parts of the body -- the backbone sticking up, the ribs, the tail head and the hips -- all of that - you shouldn't be able to see this bone structure. And keep in mind, she has a full winter coat."
The horses are from 4 to 12 years of age. One horse had an enlarged knee, several others suffered from dermatitis, but there were no other apparent signs of physical abuse.
According to Harford County officials, “The owners of the farm claimed they could no longer care for the animals and were trying to give them away. One died, and six more are expected to be removed this week.”
Days End has undertaken the rescue and rehabilitation of the six horses. Each animal is in a slightly different stage of emaciation and requires close monitoring and further evaluation. The horses are very underweight and require weight gain of several hundred pounds each.
Carow said, “That’s something that has to be done over a period of months. They will get multiple small meals a day. Their bodies aren't meant to eat three larger meals, so they're actually going to eat about five to six smaller meals a day."
At the present time, Days End Farm is caring for 60 horses in various stages of rehabilitation. The cost per horse varies from $1,900 to $2,400 per horse per month. The success rate for good rehabilitation outcomes at Days End Farm is estimated to be 94 percent. If everything progresses well for the newest six horses at the farm, they will be up for adoption by the fall of 2013.
Since the beginning of the year, Days End has accepted 10 animals – including three undernourished ponies from Anne Arundel County and one emaciated horse from Howard County, in addition to the six animals from Harford.
Donations are always needed and would be greatly appreciated. Send donations of any size to DEFHR, P.O. Box 309, Lisbon, Md. 21765.
Source: Horsemoms
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