Assistance efforts are underway in southern Indiana to treat 17 Thoroughbreds removed from Green River Stables near Evansville earlier this month.
According to the Evansville Courier & Press, breeder-trainer Steven Duncan has been charged with 13 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty in connection with the case. Duncan, 54, is scheduled to appear in court March 31.
The newspaper reported that 18 horses were removed from the farm by Vanderburgh County sheriff’s deputies March 9. One horse, a 7-month-old filly, was euthanized due to her condition and most of the others are being taken care of by volunteers at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center.
In a memo to his organization’s membership, Marty Maline, executive director of the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, provided an account of what he and trainer Mike Bruder witnessed when they went to the 4-H Center to deliver a check to help with the horses’ care.
"The appalling physical condition of the horses was beyond comprehension," Maline wrote, providing additional specifics of problems encountered by some of the horses and what was being done to help them.
Maline said there is a need for financial help in the assistance effort, with donations being accepted by Animal Care and Control, Att: Spirit Medical Fund, 815 Uhlhorn Street, Evansville, IN 47710-2729.
