Horses discovered in Black Forest now in rehabilitation

It’s a resolution to an animal cruelty case that people around the world have been asking for since KRDO Newschannel 13 first broke the story Friday.

A veterinarian was brought to the barn in Black Forest Monday morning and made the call to remove all the animals. They’re now being taken care of at a large animal facility. Their owner charged with animal cruelty.

Now that the malnourished horses are in safe hands, relief is being felt throughout the community.

We spoke to one woman who cares for abused horses.

Hilary Wood has been saving horses for 23 years. She’s relieved the Black Forest horses finally got some help.

“What would have happened to them with winter coming? If no one had seen this, there would have been more,” said Wood.

Wood explained what horses go through after years of neglect. She says getting horses into a stress-free environment is the first step.

“It’s not always obvious like a case of starvation. There needs to be other things that need to be underlined. You want to look at their hoof care and dental care. You want to look for the possibility of parasites,” said Wood.

After thorough care with a vet and plenty of time, Wood is hopeful the Black Forest horses will have a much brighter future, just like her’s do.

“Now that they’re in the right hands, watched and monitored I think they stand a good chance of returning to healthy and happy horses,” said Wood.