BOONE TOWNSHIP | Six horses are in foster care after being found malnourished near Hebron, authorities said.
Porter County Animal Control officers were issued a warrant Monday to remove horses from a residence in the 800 block of South County Road 400 West.
Authorities said neighbors reported the owners regularly left the horses for the weekend without food and when they were home, rarely provided them with any food, often placing hay atop their manure.
A neighbor also said on a recent 90-degree day, he heard one of the horses banging its head against an empty trough.
Prior to serving the warrant, an animal control officer said the seven quarter horses and one standard bred horse appeared underweight, with minor cuts and injuries.
The officer also said there was no grass in the pasture where they were kept and no water inside the trough.
A veterinary technician from the Porter County Animal Shelter said the horses were in "really bad" shape, with their ribs and pelvic girdles visible.
Porter County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Larry LaFlower said six of the horses were removed with the warrant service and placed in foster care. The owners were allowed to keep two of the horses on their property.
"Eight horses was way too much for them," LaFlower said.
Animal cruelty charges against the owners were pending Thursday.
Horses were previously impounded at that address in May 2010.
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