ASHLAND — The Humane Society of the United States and the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office led a rescue of around 16 horses and other animals from a farm off County Road 1475 on Wednesday.
Kirsten Peek, a public information officer with the Humane Society, said the horses’ condition — at B&L Ranch — appears to be “pretty bad.”
“There’s feces piled up, many inches, if not feet high, in the stalls,” she said. “Almost to the windows. The hooves are extremely overgrown. Visually, it looks like they have untreated injuries. One of them has what looks like a ruptured eye … it definitely does not seem like they’re getting the attention they need.”
Authorities also removed six goats and several cats and dogs from an alleged neglect situation, read a press release issued by the national organization.
Peek said the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Humane Society of the U.S. after learning about the case, what she characterized as a typical process when conditions are severe.
Authorities said one of the goats had severely overgrown hooves and a horn curling into his head.
“Due to the waste accumulation, it took several responders to pry open the door of the stall to remove him from the barn,” read the press release.
Several agencies, including the Humane Society of Ashland County, Days End Farm Horse Rescue and Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary also assisted in the rescue operation.
“It’s like walking into an abandoned, forgotten barn, but there are beautiful living beings trapped here. Looking at the accumulation of waste, you can only imagine how long these animals have been suffering in these conditions,” said Mark Finneran, Ohio director for the Humane Society of the United States. “We are grateful to the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office and everyone involved in intervening so these animals never have to live this way again.”
Peek said the Humane Society will work with local officials to remove the animals from the farm to get veterinarian care.
“And then we’ll move them to a temporary location to await eventual custody, depending on the court process,” Peek said.
Ashland County Sheriff Sergeant Cindy Benner said the situation is still under investigation and declined to say if any criminal charges are planned.
The 1200 block of County Road 1475, which is just northwest of the U.S. Route 42 and Claremont Avenue junction in Ashland, has been blocked to traffic as officials investigate.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
