By Clay LePard
clepard@cbs4qc.com
A shocking case of animal abuse in Rock Island County, nearly three dozen starving horses were found on a farm.
And now the land owner is under investigation and could face serious charges.
The horses have been moved to Schone's Friendship Farm in Milan where workers have been feeding these horses with hay around the clock, trying to get them back up to a healthy weight.
"They've all been malnourished – they just need to put on a couple hundred pounds," said Leslie Hahn, a trainer at Schone's Friendship Farm.
It was a farm in rural Rock Island County where law enforcement arrived last week to find a grim scene, a site that even included several horses dead on the property.
The owner has voluntarily given up the horses to police.
"I'm just appalled at anybody that could treat horses like this – when you have horses, you have to treat them like their own kids, and I suppose there are some people that would starve kids but I wouldn't," said Cindy Traub of Davenport.
An investigation is underway and charges could come as early as next week.
In the mean time, Schone's farm will nurse the mares and geldings back to health and find them new caring homes.
"Love and food – yup – and they'll come around. I can't wait to see the end result, I'm excited for that," Hahn adds.
If you're interested in adopting one of the horses or just making a donation, you can do so by calling Schone's Friendship Farm in Milan at 309-787-9422.
