Officials find neglected horses with 3-foot-long hooves

“Of the over 3,000 horses DEFHR has rescued in its 26-year-history, these are the worse, most extreme cases of horse neglect the organization has ever seen”, rescue staff said in the news release.

Days End is now caring for the two surviving horses, which had been living in three to four foot piles of their own manure with hooves which had grown to such lengths that they could hardly move without them becoming tangled. Another horse, a miniature mare, had to be euthanized on the property due to ruptured ligaments causing irreparable fetlock dislocation, which causes a deformity of the leg.

The horses were rescued from the 18’x18′ enclosure on Friday.

“Hoof neglect is the most hard rehabilitation they can experience”, said DeEtte Gorrie, Days End’s equine program director. In order to transfer them to the rescue, officials said they had to sedate the horses and remove portions of their hooves.

Authorities were contacted by a citizen who called the Humane Society of Washington County to report worries about “the welfare of pet pigeons”.

The Humane Society of Washington County announced it would be launching an investigation. Because the authorities have a standard procedure to also inspect other animals on the property, the three horses were discovered.

All evidence collected in the investigation was turned over to Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.

During its 26-year history, Days End Farm Horse Rescue has rescued over 3000 horses and presently has 78 horses in its care.

Photos courtesy of Days End Farm Horse Rescue.

The investigation allegedly found several horses slated to compete in a Tennessee competition were illegally sored, which could give them an advantage at the event.