Acton residents concerned by ‘criminal’ living conditions of neighbor’s horses

Acton residents worried for neighbor's horses

Residents in Acton say they're worried about the living conditions of horses at a neighbor's ranch, saying the owner isn't feeding them enough. Officials from the county Department of Animal Care and Control say there's no evidence to suggest that the owner should lose her horses.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Acton resident is calling the conditions under which one neighbor keeps their horses "criminal." They said they're just as angry at the owner, whom they accuse of not sufficiently feeding the animals, as they are with Los Angeles County's Department of Animal Care and Control, whose response they described as inadequate.

The equestrian residence is off Bryan Glen Road. The concerned resident said they made several calls to animal control about the horses' living conditions before the department responded. When they did, one of the horses had to be put down.

In a statement to FOX 11, DACC Director Marcia Mayeda said that once they received reports of the horses' conditions, they sent a unit to the scene "within one hour." The department then called out a veterinarian, who determined that the 25-year-old horse had to be euthanized in Oct. 19.

That same vet examined the rest of the horses on the property, and according to Mayeda, "confirmed there was adequate food, water and resources available," and that the local feed store confirmed that the owner regularly buys food for the horses.

While the department did find two more horses in need of medical attention during a follow-up visit, Mayeda said the department's investigation couldn't find any legal justification to take the horses away from the property owner. Neighbors, however, aren't satisfied.

"How many more horses have to be starved to death?" asked one resident, off-camera. Other residents said the owner, a woman who has lived there for years, had accepted hay donations, but would not agree to give up the horses to local rescues which have agreed to take them.

The property owner did not respond to FOX 11's inquiries.

Neighbors said they don't necessarily want her to be prosecuted, they just want the animals taken care of.