San Martin Animal Shelter takes in neglected animal
San Martin – When animal control officers went to see a man about a horse last week, they found a disturbing sight: an aging thoroughbred that had been put out to pasture and left to fend for itself.
“We think it’s had a hard life, it was not well-treated as a horse,” Animal Control Program Manager Phillip Jewitt said of the of the approximately 15-year-old animal. “We definitely think it’s been neglected. The property owner was horrified to see it on his land.”
The horse was discovered July 14 on a pasture in the San Martin-Morgan Hill area. Animal control officers are investigating how the horse ended up on its own. What is known is that about one month ago the landowner had agreed to lease his field to the horse’s owner, who subsequently traveled to Mexico and seems to have not returned.
The landowner could be held legally responsible for the horse, but Jewitt said he will not face any charges.
“He won’t be in trouble,” Jewitt said. “He called us the first time he saw it and he was just as upset as we were.”
In addition to being severely underweight, the horse also suffers from knee and hip conditions, but staffers at the San Martin Animal Shelter are sure they’ll have no problem finding the horse a new home.
“People call from the freeway every day,” shelter clerk Sue Padgett said, adding that two people have already made donations to care for the horse. “There’s great support in the community and people interested in horse welfare. There’s always a willingness to step forward and an outpouring of support.”
After the horse gains some weight and appears healthy, the shelter will adopt it out through a silent auction.
“First, we’ve got to get it fattened up and see if there are any problems so we can disclose that to anybody interested in the horse,” Jewitt said. “Whoever does want to adopt the horse will have to know it’s probably going to only be a pet for the rest of its life.”
For all of the hundreds of cats and dogs the shelter takes in each year, horses are uncommon visitors. Jewitt said the shelter gets just a few a year, and only one in recent memory needed to be euthanized. Most of the horses that come to the shelter in ill health arrive because their owners were not prepared for the large investments in time and money needed to care for the animals.
Bill Schwerm, president of the San Martin Horsemen’s Association, said those owners are typically new to country living.
“I hate to stereotype, but it’s usually city folk who move to the country and the first thing they do is buy a couple of horses and aren’t well versed on the time and money commitment,” Schwerm said. “Usually these people have the money to do the right thing. It’s mostly an educational issue.”
Schwerm guessed that as much as many as 15 percent of the association’s members join before they buy a horse just so they can learn about horses and know what they’re getting themselves into. In addition to regular care and medical checks, horses must be fed carefully because they’re easily susceptible to colic and other intestinal disorders.
“You see a lot of people who don’t know how to take care of horses. I don’t know why they have them,” Jewitt said. “Sometimes they like the thought of having the horse because they’re in the country but they haven’t really thought clearly about what it takes. Even though they’re big animals, horses are very delicate.”
For more information about the horse, contact the animal shelter at 686-3900.
To report a horse that may be neglected or abandoned, call animal control at 465-2920.
For information about the San Martin Horsemen’s Association, visit www.smhorse.com.
