METHUEN, MASS. (WHDH) - Law enforcement and adoption center personnel spent nearly two hours digging out two neglected horses who became trapped inside their Ludlow stalls that had filled up with manure in what is considered the “worst case of neglect” the MSPCA has ever seen.
Authorities responding to a home in Ludlow on Feb. 5 found a 13-year-old Arabian horse named Shakira and an 11-year-old Quarter/Arabian horse named Tia stuck inside stalls with manure piled so high that they could not exit through the doors, according to the MSPCA.
They worked diligently to free the horses, who had sores on their backs as a result of standing on manure so high that their bodies were pressed into the building’s rafters, MSPCA added.
The former owner of the horses, Nancy Golec, was arraigned Monday in Palmer District Court on four counts of animal cruelty.
The horses were transported to MSCPA’s Nevins Farm, where Equine Rescue Training Manager Roger Lauze said he hasn’t seen such severe neglect in nearly 40 years of working in horse rescue.
Both horses had overgrown teeth, overgrown and misshapen hooves, and hind legs caked in manure. Tia was also considered underweight.
“The hooves on these horses were so overgrown and disfigured that it will take years of farrier work for them to reshape — if that’s even possible,” he said. “We’re going to do everything possible to help them live the rest of their lives without pain, but that will be determined by the degree to which we can reshape the hooves.”
X-rays showed changes to the coffin bones of both Shakira’s front hooves but the staff is hopeful that reshaping them will not further erode the quality of her life.
Tia’s radiographs showed immense deformation of the coffin bones in her hind hooves, among other bone changes that could compromise her health.
Nevins Farm will continue to rehabilitate both horses in hopes that they can be placed for adoption. Anyone interested in adopting can email barnstaff@mspca.org for more information.
Those who wish to donate toward the horses’ mounting medical bills can do so through the Ashton’s Hope Fund.
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