AUSTIN, Texas — The Travis County Sheriff's Office has opened two investigations after Chelsea Dreyer noticed an emaciated horse and three dead cows on her drive to Houston on Sunday.
When she didn't know who to call or what to do, she posted her call for help on Facebook, along with pictures of the sick horse and dead bovines. She said her friend in California Googled horse groups in Austin and came up with Texas Trail Rides.
Abigayle Terry answered that call. She described what the horse looked like when she saw him.
"He had bones you can see," Terry said. "He was skinny. A thing that we do is to check hydration levels. I checked his hydration and he was so dehydrated."
Terry named the horse Spartan and took him to the vet, but the help was too late. Spartan had to be euthanized.
"Sometimes the best way to tell that horse you care about it is to let it be free of all that pain," said Terry. "And yeah, it stinks."
Spartan's story is one Terry and others who work at the Texas Trail Rides know too well.
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And each time, "it's shocking," it doesn't get easier for Tina Adams to hear.
"It's really traumatic every time," she said.
Which is why when she's not running her for-profit business, Texas Trail Rides, she's taking in sick horses and rehabbing them back to life.
Like Honey. Three months ago, she was so emaciated, all her ribs were sticking out. Adams is now looking for a good home for Honey and other horses.
She wants the community to know if they see neglected animals they should call authorities immediately.
"We're here to help, so when you see that, don't just say somebody else will take care of it because -- this horse didn't get like that overnight," said Adams.
Just like what the Facebook poster did.
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According to the Travis County Sheriff Office, there are two open investigations: One for the horse and one for the dead cows, because it involves two different property owners.
We are also trying to locate the owners of the animals. If there are any charges, we will make sure to update you, but as of right now a spokeswoman said there is no evidence that shows that any crime or animal abuse has been committed.
Kristen Dark said the owner of the property where the horse was discovered said they didn't know that the horse was on their property. The owner told the sheriff's office that a portion of their fence line was down and that's how the stray horse wandered onto the property. The sheriff's office is currently looking for the owner of the stray horse.
Dark said the owner of the property where the three dead cows were discovered explained that coyotes killed the cows and that the grounds were too wet to drive a tractor to remove the animals.