The county was investigating reports of neglected horses on a property near Rancho Santa Fe on Friday.
The San Diego County Department of Animal Services said it received a call about a horse in distress on Artesian Road. While they were there, they found an older horse down, trapped in mud. The horse died before veterinarians could administer humane euthanasia.
There are several horses on the large property. Animal services said its investigation is ongoing, and the ranch owner’s private veterinarian indicated that they’re onsite several days a week tending to the horses.
NBC 7 spoke to the head of a local nonprofit horse rescue organization, who noticed the horses while driving by the property. She said what she saw raised red flags.
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"Well, there's no shelter for the horses. And it's against California penal code … Not getting an appropriate diet," Audrey Reynolds with Saving Horses Inc. said. "There were horses that looked like they hadn't been touched in years. Their manes are so long and struggled."
The San Diego Humane Society confirmed to NBC 7 that they also received a call about horses being neglected on the property and they referred it to the county.
NBC 7 reached out to the ranch owner Friday but did not hear back.
