19 dead horses, 9 starving ones found on Hewitt farm

Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation

The carcass of one of the horses found last month at a farm in Todd County, Minn. Nine other horses that were barely alive were removed from the farm, but three of them later were destroyed. An investigation is continuing.

A Todd County sheriff's deputy found dead foals next to their dead mothers. A felony case is being pursued.

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: June 5, 2008 - 7:57 PM

A grisly discovery on a central Minnesota farm: 19 dead horses scattered about and nine clinging to life.

That's the scene that a Todd County sheriff's deputy came upon at the farm in Hewitt.

Of those nine, three had to be destroyed, said the head of an animal rescue center that first took in the surviving horses.

"I believe the rest of them are going to be fine," said Drew Fitzpatrick, whose Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation in Zimmerman is nursing the remaining six.

When Fitzpatrick arrived at the farm May 25 with three trailers, she saw horse carcasses and horses that were still alive but just "skin and bones ... their skin loaded up with parasites."

Dead foals were next to their dead mothers.

"All of the neighbor dogs had been chewing on [one horse]," Fitzpatrick said. "It was really heart-wrenching."

Bryan Tebben, chief deputy for the county sheriff's office, said a deputy was sent to the farm after a report of horses that were loose. The deputy determined the animals came from a farm in the 13300 block of Raccoon Road. Two people were on the property, but the owner was not, Tebben said. The owner was in jail from May 3 until Wednesday in Wadena County on suspicion on drunken driving.

In the meantime, Tebben's office continues to investigate and intends to present a felony case to the county attorney.

Fitzpatrick said of the nine horses her center retrieved, eight were stallions. The mare, she believes, was pregnant and "all bitten to hell."

Despite how terribly the horses had been treated, she said, they're friendly to those tending them. "It's embarrassing as a human that these animals can be so forgiving."

Wade Hanson, an Animal Humane Society investigator in Golden Valley called to the farm, said, "We've never been to a property where there's been 19 dead horses."

Hanson added, "We're probably going to see worse before we're going to see better" because of the overall economic downturn. He cited the high price of gasoline to run farm vehicles and the skyrocketing cost for hay to feed horses.

Still, he said, "that's not an excuse" for neglecting animals. "There's always a way" to do what's best for animals, he said, whether it's turning them over to rescue operations or selling them. However, he acknowledged, "you can't get a decent dollar" for a horse now.

Fitzpatrick said she has seen many cases of abuse and neglect in her 15 years of rescuing horses and other animals. Even so, she said, "It's still tough. If it ever became easy, I'd have to go find something else [to do]."

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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