From the Los Angeles Times:
Four horses belonging to a Northern California woman with a history of animal abuse have either died or had to be put down after they were found to be in such poor condition, officials said.
Of the four malnourished horses kept by Lynn Countryman on her Rio Linda property, three had to be euthanized, prompting Sacramento County animal control officials to open an investigation, Fox 40 reported.
Over the past week, volunteers rescued an additional four horses by offering Countryman feed and other supplies. The volunteers were working to rehabilitate the horses, some of which had open sores and protruding rib cages, at a central park arena this weekend.
One volunteer told Fox 40 that the horses were expected to recover, “but it’s going to take a long time.”
It’s not the first time Countryman was accused of being in possession of malnourished or neglected animals, officials said.
Countryman pleaded guilty in 2005 to two first-degree counts of animal neglect in Oregon after authorities reported finding more than a dozen starving horses on her property in Multnomah County. One horse and a calf were so malnourished that they had to be euthanized.
In all, 21 animals — 13 horses, four cats, three dogs and one chicken — were confiscated, the Oregonian reported.
Countryman was also convicted of animal neglect in Oregon in 1997 and in 2002.
Asked by a Fox 40 reporter outside her property if she was feeding her horses, Countryman said she had good intentions, but could no longer afford their care.
There were still nearly 30 horses on Countryman’s property on Sunday. Organizers with the Back in the Saddle Project, a rescue group, asked that people interested in helping call (530) 961-2487.
Rio Linda is a rural community just north of Sacramento.