ROSEBUD — On a 40-acre pasture north of the old Rock Island railbed, accessed from a private drive off U.S. 50 drive west of Danz Road, horses have been dying from lack of food and, very likely, access to adequate water in recent sub-freezing weather. Following up Tuesday on an anonymous tip called into Chief Deputy Paul Owensby on Monday, Gasconade County Sheriff’s investigators discovered at least 12 head of dead equine on the leased property. A team from the Union, Mo., division of the Missouri Humane Society were removing the remaining 13 horses and mules from the site as the sun set Jan. 26.

Owensby said the caller told him there were “dead horses all over the place” and that the caller had been told this by a third party. A deputy sent out to the property on Monday night was unable to locate the herd.

Owensby said he went out early Tuesday and found 13 animals in the far northwestern corner of the property where they had bedded down for the night. He also found nine equine carcasses in the area near a pond.

An investigator for the Humane Society and an area veterinarian who asked that his name not be disclosed, would count 12 dead animals with the additional confirmation of one in a pond, another near the southern end of the pond, and another horse in a wooden area near where two others were found.

Authorities said at least seven animals were found pushed into a shallow ravine near the pond. It was apparent that there had been an unsuccessful attempt to fully dispose of the carcasses by burning them.

Owensby called Brian Thomas of the Humane Society and the two documented the deceased animals through photographs. “It was determined animal abuse did exist,” said Owensby.

The veterinarian suggested many of the animals, judging by their state of decomposition, may  have died during the extremely cold weather in late December and early January. Lack of adequate hay and grains along with limited access to fresh water as the pond froze over would cause death within two or three days due in sub-freezing weather, he said.

Captain Chuck Howard of the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Department secured two large bales of hay through an anonymous donor. Howard said the 13 animals, a mixture of horses and mules, began eating hay off the trailer as it was being driven into the pasture. “They didn’t even wait for us to unload it they were so hungry,” said Howard.

The 13 head continued eating throughout the afternoon. There was evidence of old feeding circles in the pasture which had been grazed down to the twine. Several of the animals appeared malnourished with ribs evident along their frames.

Owensby said Deputy Scott Eiler located the wife of the owner of the animals and informed her a complaint had been filed . Owensby then met with her and informed her of the “findings” at the scene. She told deputies the animals were owned by her husband and she had nothing to do with their care, Owensby said.

Based on their preliminary investigation, Owensby and Thomas applied for and obtained a complaint issued by the county prosecutor alleging animal abuse. Shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, Associate Circuit Judge John B. Berkemeyer issued a “live search warrant for impoundment” of the surviving horses and mules at the site, said Owensby. He said the owner resides in the Rosebud area and the pasture was leased.

Jean Jae, director of communications at the Humane Society’s Longmeadow Rescue Ranch outside Union, said all 13 surviving equine were at the facility by 8 p.m. yesterday and were housed in individual stalls with water and  small amount of grain. Their diets will be closely monitored over the coming days as they are assessed by veterinarians and receive treatment for a variety of evident “rain rot” skin conditions and “cracked hooves.”

“An investigation will be conducted and our report will be turned over the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Department and Gasconade County prosecutor,” said Jae.

A “disposition hearing” is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 10, in Hermann. At that time, said Jae,  a judge will determine if the animals should remain in custody of the Humane Society or be returned to the owner. The hearing is required by state law, she said, within 30 days of animals being seized.

“Of course, we will argue they should remain in our custody,” said Jae.

Owensby did not release the owner’s name noting that no formal criminal charges had been filed as of sunset on Tuesday, only a complaint. The Humane Society plans to pursue formal charges, said Jae.

“We will recommend to the Sheriff’s Department and prosecutor that animal abuse charges be filed against the owner,” said Jae. “Ultimately, that decision rests with the prosecutor.”

Seven staff members from the society wrangle the equine. Each animal was photographed, had a lead halter put on, received a condition assessment, and was then loaded into one of several trailers brought from the ranch. Several head separated themselves from the herd and had to be corralled after sunset before removal from the pasture.

Most of the animals, said Jae, “were extremely thin. Some were pretty bad. They were underweight and very malnourished.”

She said several of the animals had upper respiratory ailments, a skin condition called “rain rot” from excessive exposure to the elements.

“It’s exposure to the weather and not being care for properly,” said Jae. “Some had very poor hooves.”

Their preliminary rating includes the use of a “Body Condition Score” or BCS, which ranks them from 1 to 9, said Jae. A score of 1 is “extremely poor” (underfed) to 9 (overweight). A BCS of 5 is an ideal score, she said. Of the 13 animals transported to their facility, only one animal scored a 3.

“The majority were 1s and 2s,” Jae said.

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