Giant manure piles trap two neglected horses in stalls, Massachusetts organization says

A woman in Massachusetts was arrested after crews had to dig two horses out of piles of manure in their stalls, an organization says.

On Feb. 5, officials discovered two horses couldn’t get out of their Ludlow stalls because manure had piled up so high, WJAR reported.

One horse is a 13-year-old Arabian named Shakira and the other is an 11-year-old Quarter Hourse-Arabian cross named Tia, according to the outlet.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Roger Lauze, an equine rescue trainer, told WBTS. “When we got there, the thought that went through my head was looking at the barn they were in is, ‘How am I getting them out of the barn?’”

It took two hours for crews to dig through the pile of manure, WGGB reported. Once the horses were able to get through the door, officials were met with a disturbing sight: sores on the horses’ backs.

The sores were caused by the rafters in the stall because the horses had been standing on manure piles with their backs pressed up against them, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals spokesperson Rob Halpin told the outlet.

Lauze said the horses’ hoofs were “overgrown and disfigured” and expects correction to require years of work, if they can be reshaped at all, WWLP reported. The horses also had overgrown teeth and a number of bone changes.

The horses were taken by equine ambulance to MSPCA at Nevins Farm where they’re being rehabilitated so they can be adopted, according to the outlet.

MSPCA posted an update on Shakira and Tia on Monday explaining that their recovery will be a “careful, long process.”

“The ladies have a long list of physical needs that we’re tending to, but their feet are perhaps the most critical,” the post said. “We’re working very closely with a highly skilled farrier and our veterinarian to execute a long-term plan for trimming, reshaping and hoof care.”

The horses’ owner, Nancy Golec, was arrested and charged with four counts of felony animal cruelty, according to WBTS.

This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Giant manure piles trap two neglected horses in stalls, Massachusetts organization says."