Eight starving horses were rescued from a Centertown farm Saturday after authorities found three dead horses on the property leading them to suspect a case of mass neglect.
“We are still investigating the case so there have been no charges yet,” revealed sheriff’s investigator Jason Rowland who requested the horse rescue Saturday. “The horses were picked up and are being kept by Volunteer Equine in Gallatin.”
Rowland went to the farm located on Robert Wilson Road on Saturday after he received a referral from an extension agent.
“He had been to the farm to check out a complaint and found three dead horses,” Rowland noted, the finding giving Rowland probable cause to get a search warrant and search the farm Saturday. “We found eight live horses there.”
The horses were in bad condition, according to members of Volunteer Equine Advocates, which is a nonprofit organization that renders aid to abused and neglected horses. The group said one of the horses was 200 pounds underweight and backbones were prominent on the horses, suggesting neglect. They added that some of the horses did not have water or hay available when they arrived to collect them.
A spokesman from the horse rescue said it will take time to nurse them back to health, noting it appeared someone had tried to burn the dead animals at the farm just prior to law enforcement officers arriving to conduct their search.
Should charges be pressed, the person responsible for their care could face felony counts under the aggravated animal abuse law.
The horse rescue organization has been called upon on two earlier occasions to rescue local animals. The other two times, in 2009 and 2011, involved allegedly starving horses at the farm of local business owner and equine enthusiast Sid Station. The businessman was charged with animal abuse on both occasions. However, neither of his cases have come trial after a special judge was appointed.
Stanton had nothing to do with the horses rescued Saturday.