Two horses euthanized, seven removed from Brooksville property

The gate opened and the emaciated horse limped along the driveway and bent its head straight toward the high grass along the edge of the sandy road.

It took a big bite and loudly began chewing its food like it hadn't eaten in days.

The white Arabian's skeleton was on display. Pressing against its skin were the spine, rib cage and hip bones.

"Right here should be muscle," said Animal Services supervisor Patrick Pace as he patted the animal's lower back. "You shouldn't be able to see the spine as pronounced as it is."

The health and nourishment of a horse is graded on a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 being the best. The horse Pace was showing the news media Thursday morning was a 1.

Pace thought there was a chance a veterinarian would recommend euthanasia. Two others on the property were put down Wednesday. Six more were collected and will be examined.

For three months Jerry Conley and his girlfriend, Jillian Medina, owned and managed Living Ranch, a horse rescue shelter off Tranquility Lane. The desolate neighborhood is located northwest of Brooksville.

Horses had been on their property for more than a year, neighbors said.

"That's the way we got her," Conley said of the white horse. It was led into a horse trailer and removed from the property Thursday afternoon. The owner said it was on his property for about two months.

"There's not much I can do about it," Conley said of Hernando County Animal Services taking away his animals. "I love these horses. They eat before I do. It hurts."

Medina declined to speak to reporters. Conley initially refused, but agreed to walk one of his horses toward the awaiting media and show them the healthiest one that had been living on his 2.5- acre lot.

He was openly affectionate with the quarter horse, which he named Blue Boy. Pace said the animal scored a 4 on the scale.

Conley admitted he and his girlfriend were overwhelmed with the animals they had rescued. He had nine on the property Tuesday and sometimes had as many as 10, he said.

"He was very cooperative," said Pace of Conley. "He turned them over to us. He understands."

Animal Services is recommending he and his girlfriend be charged with animal cruelty. The Hernando County Sheriff's Office is investigating, Pace said.

Conley insisted on keeping Blue Boy, but Pace said a judge signed an emergency order that turned over the horse to Animal Services.

"We have to question their capacity to care for these animals," Pace said.

Conley and Medina are being evicted from their property this week. Animal Services learned of the emaciated horses from an anonymous tip. Had they waited a few days later, they would have missed their chance to save them, Pace said.

The couple intended to take the horses with them to their new place in Shady Hills in Pasco County.

A few neighbors were interviewed. Some of them came to Conley's defense and others said they had contacted the county a few times during the past six months about the malnourished horses.

The only one who spoke on record was Richard Mickelson, who lives next door to Conley.

He said he first called an animal welfare group six months ago.

"They get these animals all the time," Mickelson said. "They get nothing for the horses to eat."

Conley said he is a cabinet maker by trade and work has been slow. He insisted he fed his horses properly and they came to him already sick and malnourished. He was trying to help them get better.

"I wanted to take a little time with them so they could (fill) back up," he said.

Mickelson was skeptical. He said he had seen dogs chained on his property and deprived of shade and water during the middle of the summer. He also said Conley buried two horses on his own - one six months ago and another one less than two weeks ago.

Pace confirmed there were two horses buried on the property.

Mickelson said he saw Conley and his girlfriend riding a couple of their horses earlier in the week.

"I told my wife they looked awfully thin," Mickelson said. "He was getting all these distressed animals. You're going to get these horses when you can't afford to feed them? It's asinine in my book."

Code Enforcement requires one acre for every hoofed animal. Conley had nine on 2.5 acres.

Most of the grass in the small pasture was gone. Some of the horses were at risk for eating sand and getting sick.

To fend off "sand belly," horse owners often will feed their animals vegetable oil or molasses. Jars of both were sitting on a picnic table on the property Thursday afternoon.

"You could tell they cared," Pace said.

Last month, Animal Services removed more than 200 animals - mostly dogs, cats and birds - from an animal sanctuary near Spring Lake.