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LUDLOW, Mass (WWLP) – A woman is facing animal cruelty charges after two horses had to be dug out of their stalls at a Ludlow home on February 5 because the manure they were standing in had piled so high they couldn’t exit through the doors.
According to Rob Halpin from the MSPCA, the manure pile the two horses, Tia and Shakira, were standing on was so high it caused their backs to be pushed up against the rafters which caused sores to develop. A Wilbraham Animal Control Officer alerted the MSCPA about the horses.
VIDEO: MSPCA at Nevins Farm caring for two extremely neglected horses, conditions the worst ever seen
“Our MSPCA at Nevins Farm is caring for two horses that literally had to be dug out of their stalls at a Ludlow home on Feb. 5 because the manure in which they were standing had piled so high that they could not exit through the doors. The horses, Tia and Shakira, are with us now and we’re doing all we can to rehabilitate them.”
MSPCA-Angell
PHOTOS: Horses neglected in Ludlow
On the scene – the horses literally had to be dug out of the stall in which they were trapped (credit MSPCA-Angell) 
Shakira is walked gingerly off the trailer to arrive at Nevins Farm and to begin a new life (credit MSPCA-Angell) 
The condition of Tia and Shakira’s hooves shocked the rescuers and Nevins Farm barn staff say they are the worst they have ever seen (credit MSPCA-Angell)
The MSPCA Law Enforcement and Adoption Center personnel spent two hours digging the horses out. They were both covered in manure.
Roger Lauze, the equine rescue training manager at Nevins Farm, said in a news release sent to 22News, he hasn’t seen such neglect in nearly 40 years of working in horse rescue. “The hooves on these horses were so overgrown and disfigured that it will take years of farrier work for them to reshape, if that’s even possible.
According to Halpin, both horses had overgrown teeth, Tia is underweight, x-rays confirmed changes to the coffin bones of both of Shakira’s front hooves, Tia’s radiographs showed deformation of the coffin bones in her hind hooves, among other bone changes that could compromise her health forever.
The former owner of the horses, Nancy Golec of Ludlow, is being charged with four counts of felony animal cruelty. Golec was arraigned in Palmer District Court on Monday.
Shakira is a 13-year-old Arab and Tia is an 11-year-old Quarter Horse/Arab cross. Both Tia and Shakira were taken to the MSPCA at Nevins Farm in Methuen, Mass by an equine ambulance where they are now being cared for.
The team will continue to rehabilitate both horses so they can be placed for adoption. Anyone interested in adopting can email barnstaff@mspca.org for more information.
If you’d like to donate to the horses’ medical bills you can do so through the MSPCA at Nevins Farm Ashton’s Hope Fund.
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