Bannock County Sheriff investigating case of neglected horses

A woman called the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday claiming 15 horses were being abused at the Fairgrounds Race Track. Deputies checked it out and found conditions were pretty bad at the time. Since then, the barns have been cleaned and 14 horses have been picked up by their owners. Only one horse remains in a stall.

The Sheriff’s office was unsure Thursday as to how this could have happened. They said it’s still early in the investigation as to what happened and if there will be criminal charges.

Owners have since picked up their horses, fed them and have had veterinarians look them over.

“Well we received a call yesterday from a horse owner that she had saw a post on Craig’s List, warning all people that horses – they needed to check their condition, they weren’t being taken care of,” said Lt. Dan Argyle, Bannock County Sheriff’s Office.

After deputies came to check out the stalls, they immediately contacted the owners of the horses. But the first priority was to remove the animals and get the barns cleaned out.

“Some of the stalls were pretty dirty they haven’t been cleaned out. And as far as food and water, we’re just not sure yet, we’re trying to contact the persons involved who were hired to care for the animals.

He says one horse remains and he is positive that the owner will come Friday for it.The horses are privately owned by people who hired others to care for them and feed them.

Argyle says animal service organizations were not needed in the incident, due to quick responses of the owners. As for possible charges…

“That will come once the investigation is complete. So, at this time, we’re still investigating the incident. Once that that’s over, all the information will go to our office, and we’ll decide if charges will be filed,” said Ashley Graham, Deputy Prosecutor Attorney, Bannock County.

Lt. Argyle says if you ever plan to leave your animals with anyone, make sure you check the person’s or organization’s background first. And make sure it’s a clean and safe place.