PENTICTON – The BCSPCA has seized 16 horses from a property in Armstrong that is home to over 100 of the animals. SPCA Investigator Kathy Woodward says there were 117 horses on the property when the BC SPCA went – with a warrant – to the farm. She says many of the horses were thin to very thin and some were emaciated.
“The 16 horses that we seized were in the worst condition out of all of the horses on the property,” says Woodward. “They were in need of immediate veterinary care.”
She says there are still more horses on the property that are in poor condition and the SPCA will continue to monitor them. She says there is concern for the horses that are still on the property and the BC SPCA will be recommending charges against the owner next week.
“I believe he breeds horses with the intention to sell,” she says. “I believe a lot of people call him a hoarder.”
She says while no animals have been seized from the farm before, this isn’t the first time the SPCA has had to attend the property. There have been several visits over the past year, but she says the condition of the horses really started to deteriorate within the past few months. She says the horses haven’t been fed adequately.
She says the BC SPCA was tipped off by members of the public. Members of the SPCA and RCMP executed the warrant at the farm on Thursday.
She says some of the horses ranked between 0.5 to 1.5 on the body condition scale which goes up to nine.
~ With files from Angela Jung
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