'There's one horse that would almost bring tears to your eyes'
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. -- Rescue workers say 26 horses on pasture land in Skagit County were in dreadful condition, and animal control, sheriff deputies and volunteers worked together to move them to stables in Snohomish County.
The horses were all seized from a hillside near Mt. Vernon. The sheriff's office got a call of horses in trouble, and they sent animal control and a veterinarian to investigate.
"The (horses) were 2 on a scale of 9," said Jackie Brunson with the Skagit County Sheriff's Office. "They were in pretty poor condition."
All of the horses have lice, while many have a fungus known as rain rot. Others have open sores.
"I don't think I've seen anything quite like these horses," said horse rescuer Teryn Cothern. "There's one horse that would almost bring tears to your eyes."
The horse Cothern is talking about is a 5-year-old mare. Lice are clearly visible.
"All of this hair loss is probably from the lice," Cothern said.
They've destroyed most of the coat. The hair on the mare's back is matted, caused by rain rot. There are sores near the hooves.
But caretakers say the horses' luck won't run out.
"There's a few that have decent body weight but as far as skin condition, I wouldn't say there's one horse that doesn't need body treatment," Cothern said.
There are three horses in fair condition, all the others are described as stage two -- one step above dead. But workers here predict they will all survive.
So far, no charges have been filed, but the Skagit County Sheriff's Office says the horses are on a 15-day hold during which time the owners can contest the seizure.
The horses were all seized from a hillside near Mt. Vernon. The sheriff's office got a call of horses in trouble, and they sent animal control and a veterinarian to investigate.
"The (horses) were 2 on a scale of 9," said Jackie Brunson with the Skagit County Sheriff's Office. "They were in pretty poor condition."
All of the horses have lice, while many have a fungus known as rain rot. Others have open sores.
"I don't think I've seen anything quite like these horses," said horse rescuer Teryn Cothern. "There's one horse that would almost bring tears to your eyes."
The horse Cothern is talking about is a 5-year-old mare. Lice are clearly visible.
"All of this hair loss is probably from the lice," Cothern said.
They've destroyed most of the coat. The hair on the mare's back is matted, caused by rain rot. There are sores near the hooves.
But caretakers say the horses' luck won't run out.
"There's a few that have decent body weight but as far as skin condition, I wouldn't say there's one horse that doesn't need body treatment," Cothern said.
There are three horses in fair condition, all the others are described as stage two -- one step above dead. But workers here predict they will all survive.
So far, no charges have been filed, but the Skagit County Sheriff's Office says the horses are on a 15-day hold during which time the owners can contest the seizure.
