Two starved horses rescued from Southwest Ranches property - Sun-Sentinel

DAVIE—

Two emaciated horses were rescued from a property in Southwest Ranches on Monday, the Broward Sheriff's Office said, and detectives are determining whether charges will be filed against the owner.

Concerned neighbors called authorities when they spotted the 25-year-old thoroughbred mare, dubbed Lucky by his rescuers, and a 22-year-old gelding pony now called Taz. The horses were found in the 6300 block of Southwest 136th Avenue, sheriff's spokeswoman Dani Moschella said.

"It's unclear what charges someone might face, or even if a crime has been committed," she said. "Detectives will look for signs of neglect and abuse or if this just happened because somebody couldn't take care of the horses properly." Authorities would not disclose the name of the horses' owner.

The ribs and pelvis were prominent on both animals. Hair was shedding down to the flesh. Lucky was 400 to 600 pounds underweight, said Victor Cutino, who runs the nonprofit Peaceful Ridge Rescue, 3004 SW 121st Ave. in Davie.

"I've never had one this bad," he said. "This is going to be a special challenge."

He expects Taz will recover, but gives Lucky a 50-50 chance of survival.

"This one is the worst one I've ever seen," he said. "Usually when we get them they're processing their food good when manure comes out at the other end, [but] there's nothing but water coming out of her, which is not a good sign."

He plans to feed them hay and water for 30 days to settle their stomachs and slowly put on weight without shocking their systems. Cutino's son Giovante is an equine dentist who will check out the animals' teeth to aid digestion.

Cutino said he has taken in 70 horses in nearly 10 years. He cited the economy as one of the reasons.

"When everything went downhill in 2005 and 2006, that's when we saw more neglected horses because people were leaving their homes, taking their furniture, taking their kids and leaving their horses in their backyard," he said. "We were called to go pick them up."

In this latest case, the owner surrendered both horses to Peaceful Ridge Rescue. Moschella said the residents who phoned in tips about the horses did the right thing.

"Fortunately we don't see [abandonment] too much in the western horse communities," she said. "We have a lot of people who watch out for horses and they know to call the authorities. We don't see this too often and to this extent."

BSO encourages anyone who encounters abused or neglected animals to contact law enforcement, she said.

Cathi Rivera, 44, and her daughter Shelby, 12, both of Davie, are volunteer caregivers for the horses.

"Why does someone let those horses look like those horses look?" Cathi Rivera asked. "You don't have to know anything about horses to know that's not right."

Cutino says saving the horses is expensive; the group accepts donations and has a wishlist of needed supplies on its website, peacefulridgerescue.com.

"The ultimate goal, our mission, is to find a home for every horse," he said.

wkroustan@tribune.com or 954-356-4303

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