The 35 horses removed from James DeNoyer’s northwestern California ranch late last year have new homes, but the case is far from closed. 

The malnourished horses were seized in December 2005 following a six-month investigation. Paul Michelsen, DVM, and Mike Witt, DVM, of Michelsen and Witt Large Animal Practice in Redwood Valley, treated the horses immediately following their removal from the property. Michelsen reported many horses having a body condition score of 1 (emaciated), with one mare scoring a 0.5.