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Prepared by: Sgt. William Bailey
Updated: March 27, 2018 at 11:00am
The care and welfare of the 83 horses removed from the Terrebonne property this past Sunday have been our first priority. We had a veterinary team and farriers on-site most of the day yesterday evaluating the horses and getting them the care they need.
Eight of the horses we removed had long term hoof neglect that led to severe abnormalities and excessive hoof wall growth, causing severe pain, arthritis and laminitis. The only responsible and humane thing to do, based on recommendation from the veterinary team, was to euthanize these horses. Sadly, these eight horses were humanely euthanized late yesterday by a veterinarian.
Also late yesterday, the owner of the removed horses and her horse caretaker were charged with Animal Neglect. Sixty-seven year old Linda B Stream of Terrebonne and 41 year old Christina J Hart of Terrebonne have both been charged with one count each of Animal Neglect I -- Felony. Each count alleges the neglect occurred to ten or more animals. Stream and Hart have been cited to appear into Deschutes County Circuit Court next month.
The remaining 75 horses are now receiving the essential care they need which is our top priority.
**End of Update**
Released by: Sgt. William Bailey
Release Date: March 26, 2018
Location: 4700 block NE Smith Rock Way, Terrebonne
NARRATIVE:
On March 24th, at approximately 3:18pm, deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the 4700 block of NE Smith Rock Way regarding possible horse neglect. The reporting party expressed concern over a horse with an eye injury and hoof neglect.
Deputies contacted the horse owner that afternoon and determined there were a large number of horses on the property that were suffering from mild to severe neglect. Based on the observations at the scene, deputies began working on a large scale horse removal operation, including organizing volunteers to help move the horses to the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Rescue Ranch in Bend.
On March 25th, deputies returned to the property and began removing 83 horses from the property. They partnered with the Pet Evacuation Team (PET) and Mustangs to the Rescue to remove and transport 83 horses to the Sheriff's Office Rescue Ranch in Bend. Two other horses on the property were euthanized by the owner prior to removal due to their overall condition.
Throughout the day today, we have had a veterinary team and two farriers at our Rescue Ranch beginning the work to evaluate and provide the necessary veterinary and hoof care to the horses.
We are incredibly thankful to the Pet Evacuation Team (PET) and Mustangs to the Rescue for organizing 33 volunteers and 15 horse trailers on short notice Saturday night. The expertise and patience of their volunteers was greatly appreciated.
Sheriff L. Shane Nelson said, "Our first priority was to get the horses off the property and to our rescue ranch so we can assess them and get the care that they need. Our office will investigate this case fully to determine the facts and plan the next steps for the horses as we go forward. We are fortunate to have our Rescue Ranch and we will be able to house all 83 horses. We have had large seizures like this in the past and are always impressed with the overwhelming support that we get in donations to help care for these animals."
No charges have been filed at this time. This is an active investigation and more information will be released as it becomes available.