More than 20 horses have new homes after an investigation Thursday at a local riding and training center determined the animals were malnourished and in “poor” condition.
The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the U.S. Equine Rescue League, seized 23 horses from the Skyward Pines Equestrian Center at 2940 W. Main Street Extended on Friday. The horses were transferred from the center to the parking lot of Berea Baptist Church, where about 25 volunteers were waiting with pickup trucks and trailers to transport the animals to new and safe locations.
“All horses involved in this case have found a safe place to land,” said a message posted Friday afternoon at the USERL website.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded Thursday to several complaints about the welfare of more than 20 horses stabled at the equestrian center.
The horses were evaluated using a method known as the Henneke horse body conditioning scoring system, which rates horses on a scale of 1-9 based on an individual animal’s body fat content. A ranking of 1 indicates the horse is in “poor” condition and a 9 indicates the animal is “extremely fat.”
A healthy score ranges between 4-6, but the average score of the 23 horses examined was 1.9, according to the sheriff’s office.
The website for Habitat for Horses defines a Henneke score of 1 as, “When a horse scores a 1, his bone structure is easily noticeable on his neck, withers and shoulders. Also, his ribs, the hook bones at his tailhead and his spinous processes at his loin protrude prominently.”
One of the horses belonged to Elizabeth City resident Ivy O’Carroll, who said her male horse Bound For Greatness was 5 years old and a former racehorse.
“He’s an ex-racer,” she said. “I got him from the United States Trotting Association.”
According to its website, the association represents horse owners who participate in the sport of harness racing.
Wiping away tears, O’Carroll rubbed her horse’s face one last time while saying goodbye. She does not know where Bound For Greatness was taken or if she’ll ever get him back, she said.
“It’s upsetting not knowing if I’m going to be able to continue working with my horse,” O’Carroll said.
Up until about six months ago O’Carroll worked at Skyward Pines and helped feed the horses, she said. She described the facility as small for the number of horses that were housed there.
“It was an 18-stall barn and whenever I left, they had 26 horses, which is inhumane,” she said.
O'Carroll said in response to a Facebook comment about this news article that she is 14 years old.
As of Friday, no criminal charges had been filed in the case.
On Friday, the riding center’s website, skywardpinesec.wixsite.com appeared to have removed all of its content and all that remained was a message that read, “Nothing to book right now. Check back soon.”
The center’s Facebook page was still active.
The center’s most recent post is a message that reads: “PSA: Anyone found on the property without an appointment will be arrested for trespassing!”
A reporter reached out to the owners of the center for comment but had not heard back as of Friday evening.
Residents concerned about the horses can donate toward the costs of their care.
The “care and rehabilitation of the 17 horses will be expensive,” the Sheriff’s Office’s release states. “If you would like to assist with offsetting the costs of care and rehabilitation for these horses, donations will be accepted at the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office.”
For information on how to donate, contact administrative assistant Heather Caraway at 252-548-4530.
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