21-YEAR-OLD EMACIATED HORSE RESCUED IN RAVENEL
Owner charged with felony animal cruelty. Horse is now safe with Charleston Animal Society.
RAVENEL, SC – A 21-year-old emaciated horse is recovering after being rescued August 9th. A Charleston County Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched to a property on Jacksonboro, Rd. in Ravenel, after an eyewitness called to report concerns about the horse’s condition.
The female horse named “Strawberry” was found alone in the field with only a bucket of dirty water and two bales of hay that appeared to be weeks old. The deputy said the animal’s ribs and spine were easily visible and her hooves were in “deplorable” condition.
The owner was found across the street in a house and said he buys Strawberry hay once a month and did have the horse de-wormed every three months. The owner is being charged with “ill treatment of an animal,” a felony in South Carolina, for not providing proper nourishment for Strawberry and for not providing adequate veterinary care.
The sheriff’s office seized the horse and brought her to Charleston Animal Society to recover. An equine specialist veterinarian determined the horse had a body condition score of 1 [out of 9] on the Henneke Equine Body Condition Score Chart, which meant she was very thin and emaciated.
An equine veterinarian also noted that the horse’s hooves were in bad condition and she had a sore on her face from the halter being left on for an extended period of time. Strawberry also has ticks in her ears and on her body and has a fungal skin condition. Strawberry is now continuing her recovery with a Charleston Animal Society foster family.
