Horse 500 Pounds Underweight - Owner Charged

by Dr. Chris

September 9, 2011 In South Carolina a woman was arrested after the Horry County Police Department found a horse that was 500 pounds underweight and unable to rise.

Police came to her farm because of a call about a horse laying on its side. The horse had lots of skin abrasions from struggling to stand according to the report.

A veterinarian from The Pet Doctor clinic was called to the scene and determined that the horse was in bad enough shape that it had to be put down.

The veterinarian said she was called about the same horse the day before but the owner never returned her phone calls.

The owner, who was out of town, claims he bought the horse 2 months ago, and it was in poor condition then and that he had no money to have a veterinarian examine the horse.

A Conway woman was arrested, 24 year old Heather Martin. She says she fed the horse once a day. A warrant was issued for the owner Ervin Martin as well.

This leaves several questions about the horse's health. If the horse was in bad shape when they bought it, shouldn't the previous owner face charges as well? I find it hard to believe that a horse lost 500 pounds in 8 weeks.

Source: WMBF NBC News

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