Charlotte Bright, 70, of Tyendinaga Township is now facing a charge of public mischief by provincial police after dozens of horses escaped from her property.
Const. Juliane Porritt says Bright’s escaping horse pack has been an issue for six years. The issue is, according to OPP, Bright’s property is not properly fenced in.
“Ms. Bright was arrested yesterday for public mischief and has been released at this point on bail conditions,” said Porritt. “One of those conditions is that the horses are to be removed from her property.”
So far, police haven’t been able to corral any of the roughly 40 horses on the loose.
Porritt say the roaming horses are a public safety issue.
“We’ve been out here on a daily basis trying to corral the horses. Last week there was a near collision. In the past, two of the horses have been hit.”
The horses have also been damaging neighbours’ property.
Peter Walsh says at least some of the horses are near daily visitors, and he says the runaway horses have damaged some of his wheat crop.
“Just after the rain yesterday in the spring, there are a lot of hoof marks and a lot of damage — not to mention how much they eat.”
At this point, it’s not clear what will happen to the horses once they are caught.
The OSPCA says they can’t comment while the investigation is ongoing.