April 24, 2019—

Linn County Seizure.

Sound Equine Options helped Linn County Sheriff’s Office seize 34 horses on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, after 14 were found dead on a property outside of Lebanon, Ore.

Deputies executing the search warrant on Wednesday found some of the horses standing in septic mud and water, full of urine and feces. The horses were so emaciated that their ribs and hip bones were showing. The horses did not have access to clean drinking water, and there were no signs of an adequate food source. Criminal Animal Neglect II charges are pending for the property owners.

The rescue effort took all day and included coordinating more than 30 volunteers and a dozen horse trailers to catch, load, and haul all 34 horses to an equine hospital in the Portland area. Once there, it took almost three days days to evaluate and treat the horses. Several of the mares were visibly pregnant. Once stabilized, the horses were sent to foster homes where they received quality nutrition and additional deworming and vaccinations as their health improved.

Most horses usually remain with SEO for six to nine months before they are adopted. However, horses from law enforcement cases must remain in protective custody until court proceedings are over, which means these horses may not be able start SEO’s training and adoption program for an extended period of time.