Horses With Three Foot Long Hooves Discovered After Being Neglected For 15 Years
These shocking pictures lay bare the unimaginable cruelty three horses suffered over 15 years of being locked up inside a stable.
[Warning: Disturbing Content]
Wallowing in their own manure that stood up to four feet high, the horses were left desperately skinny and with hooves that had grown to three feet long.
The animals were discovered in a stable in Maryland, and were barely able to walk as a result of their neglect.
Curling around and in on themselves, the hooves had to be cut off by vets after they had been sedated.
Their plight was shown to the world by the Days End Farm Horse Rescue charity, who are caring for two of the horses.
A third, a miniature mare named Piper, was in such a poor condition that it had to be put down.
The charity said that out of 3,000 horses they had cared for in the the past 26 years, this was the worst case of hoof neglect that they had ever seen.
They were discovered after a concerned local phoned the Human Society of Washington Society about the welfare of pet pigeons on the property.
Standard procedure dictates that all animals on the property be checked and the horses were subsequently found.
The surviving horse and pony - named Quest and Rio respectively - are being rehabilitated by the charity.
Pics: Days End Farm Horse Rescue
