A Utah woman accused of maltreating 80 horses has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Utah County, Utah, Sheriff's Deputy John O'Hara said 80 horses belonging to Trudy and Rory Childs were removed from a ranch in Spanish Fork, Utah, in 2013. At the time of their seizure the horses were allegedly malnourished and dehydrated, O'Hara said; on the same property, he said, authorities also discovered several horses' remains. Additionally, several other allegedly maltreated horses were found at other locations where the animals had been allowed to stray, O'Hara said.

Trudy and Rory Childs were subsequently charged with 20 counts of animal cruelty.

Prosecutor Lance Bastian said Trudy Childs appeared in Utah County Justice Court on June 5 and pleaded not guilty to the charges

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.