READING, Minn. -- The Nobles County Attorney’s Office is investigating a case of animal neglect after the remains of 15 horses were discovered this week on a farm west of Reading in southwestern Minnesota.
Nobles County sheriff’s deputies were called late Tuesday afternoon to investigate a report of dead horses on the property.
Nobles County Sheriff Kent Wilkening said the deputies were accompanied by a veterinarian from the Veterinary Medical Center in Worthington. Upon arrival, the veterinarian counted the remains of 15 horses “in varying states of decay,” Wilkening said. Nine horses on the farm were still alive.
Wilkening said he couldn’t release the name of the person who owned the horses at this time, as formal charges have not been filed.
It was apparent during the investigation that the horses had been starved, he said.
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“(They) ran out of money and didn’t have money to buy hay,” Wilkening said. “In (the vet’s) professional opinion, these animals were not receiving the care they needed. It was readily apparent the horses were malnourished.”
