GIBSON CO., IN (WFIE) -
A Gibson County man is facing animal neglect charges after three of his horses had to be rescued just in the nick of time. Authorities say they were nearly starved to death.
Officials say it all started when a neighbor called to report a pack of starving puppies. She says those puppies, belonging to her neighbor, Rodney Mallory, killed her cats and were so hungry they were eating the siding off one of her buildings.
Officials came out to investigate the puppies, when they discovered the horses.
"They were so hungry and so starved they were eating the siding, they were eating the bark up to fifteen feet up off the trees, they tried to eat their ways out of the stalls, they were eating metal," Eleanor Baumgart said.
Eleanor says the three horses rescued from a dilapidated barn in Hazleton were locked up without food or water. They were one of the most extreme cases she's seen.
Eleanor owns A Hoof and a Prayer in Evansville and rehabilitates severely abused horses. It is the only horse rescue and 501c3 in the area.
"We're taking these unwanted horses and making them wanted, these horses have been thrown aside and forgotten and they've done nothing with them," Eleanor said.
Officials say they left several notices to contact Mallory, which he never responded to.
Officials say Mallory locked the animals in the barn without food or water for several days while he was out of town last week.
That's when the state veterinarian and the sheriff's office came to seize the animals.
"State vets rate horses on a body score condition which is one through nine, nine being the best and one being the worst and they rated the horses a one and a half," Eleanor said.
Eleanor says it will be at least a year until these animals are ready for adoption.
She says they're sweet, innocent animals that now have a nurturing home.
"It's hard, just heartbreaking, I don't have words for it," she said.
There are 35 horses at the rescue which is on Old State Road in Evansville. Owners tell us it costs about $4,500 to run the stable each month and without federal or state funding, donations are always needed.
If you'd like to learn more about donating, volunteering or adopting an animal, click here.
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