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MONROE – An aged photo shows the handsome stallion standing proud, ears forward, eyes shining, all muscle and gleaming coat and bearing a bloodline that garnered respect from breeders.
Now, after years of neglect, each of the stallion’s ribs protrude against his dulled coat, the bones of his haunches tower above his shrunken frame and his eyes seem to beg understanding of what he once was.
“He still tries to be as proud as he can be,” Bill Miller, 57, of Decatur, said as the stallion stood beside him.
The stallion was among 37 neglected, starving horses the Adams County Sheriff’s Department confiscated in August from a farm owned by Rick Hill, 59, of Decatur.
Since then, the horses – nearly all Arabians with good bloodlines – have been housed at the Adams County Fairgrounds and a benefit on Sunday will raise money to pay for expenses like veterinary care, which already exceeds $10,000.
The county is also seeking people willing to foster the horses until the case against Hill is resolved.
Hill faces 14 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and one felony count of improper disposal of a dead animal.
The horses were confiscated after an inspection Aug. 10 of the property by officials including Shelly Chavis, the Indiana Board of Animal Health District 3 Field Veterinarian.
In her report, Chavis said she found fences cobbled together from pipe, broken boards and woven wire as well as pastures grazed bare and filled with debris.
Chavis also reported horses with cracked and chipped hooves, sores, wounds and scars. In an old chicken coop, she found a colt born last spring that was fed grain every other day. Behind the colt’s pen was the carcass of a horse that had died a year ago from strangles, a respiratory disease, Chavis reported.
It wasn’t the first time Chavis had inspected the property. According to her report, twice in 2008 she had been at Hill’s farm and had left recommendations for Hill to follow to improve conditions for the horses, none of which were followed, she said.
“Not only have conditions not improved, but they have continued to deteriorate and the number of horses increased substantially, by almost 20, on a property that is not set up to house and maintain that number of horses. Either the owner is not able to or is unwilling to provide the care these horses require,” Chavis said in her report.
The inspections followed years of complaints that Hill’s horses weren’t properly cared for, according to Cindy Marckel, 48, of Decatur.
Marckel, who like Miller is among the volunteers who have cared for the horses at the fairgrounds, was among the about 60 volunteers who helped the county confiscate the animals.
Although 37 horses were confiscated, there are now 38 that reside in temporary digs at the fairgrounds.
On Friday, the 38th horse entertained visitors.
Dubbed “Little Bit” by Bill Miller, the filly born at the fairgrounds about one month ago ran from one end of the barn to the other, her dashes frequently accentuated with a whinny as her tiny hooves kicked up dust.
Little Bit stopped only long enough to nose some loose hay and closely examine the gates her keepers had closed knowing her penchant for misbehavior.
As the filly dashed, she was watched by the other horses, their heads moving back and forth as if they were watching a tennis match. Included among the horses was her sire, the once-proud but now emaciated stallion.
Although the filly’s ribs still show because her dam was underweight, she has become healthier with care.
Miller said although the filly’s sire will also become healthier, it will take years and he will likely never be the same as he once was.
“He was a big-time show horse at one time,” Miller said.
