The majority of the horses from the property were taken to an equine hospital where ASPCA forensic and equine veterinarians are conducting exams and providing daily care until they can be placed with Florida-based equine rescues. | Photo: Courtesy ASPCA

Captain Lyn Williams, Union County Sheriff’s Office public information officer, said deputies responded to a series of reports about allegedly maltreated horses on a 40-acre property near Lake Butler, Florida, on Oct. 25. Upon arrival, investigators discovered 51 horses in varying stages of alleged neglect residing in allegedly inadequate conditions. Deputies also found two other horses’ remains on the property, he said.

A group of equine veterinarians evaluated the surviving animals at the scene and, with assistance from the Alachua, Marion, and Putnam County Sheriff’s Offices’ Agricultural Units and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), authorities removed all the live horses from the property.

“The ASPCA transported the majority of the horses from the property to an equine hospital where ASPCA forensic and equine veterinarians are conducting exams and providing daily care until they can be responsibly placed with Florida-based equine rescues,” said Tim Rickey, ASPCA vice president of field investigations and response