Bethany Hooper and Charlene Sharpe
Staff Writers
SALISBURY – Rescue efforts continue at a Quantico farm this week where authorities found approximately 100 neglected horses, but it will be weeks before a comprehensive report on the investigation will conclude, according to authorities.
Last Friday, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 150-acre farm owned by Paige and Barbara Pilchard on Cherry Walk Road in Hebron, where authorities found approximately 100 neglected horses and the remains of more than 25 horse carcasses.
In a press conference Tuesday, Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said horses found on the property were standing in manure up to 18 inches deep in some locations. He added that several windows and a sliding glass door were broken and siding where the horses were congregating was ripped off.
“Whether the horses ate that aluminum siding or not I don’t know,” he said.
Lewis called the conditions in which the horses lived as “inhumane,” “atrocious” and “despicable.”
“I would not allow my dog to walk through that property, let alone live on that property,” he said. “I consider that neglect on the homeowner’s part and I think that it was absolutely inhumane that those animals were exposed to that.”
Deputies Responded To Farm Multiple Times
Lewis said deputies have responded to the Pilchard property at least 81 times in the past five years.
“The overwhelming majority of those complaints have been for loose horses in the roadway, neighbors’ yards, in their flower beds and in their vegetable gardens,” he said.
Lewis noted that authorities were unaware of conditions on the farm.
“We can only go to the front door to address the homeowner,” he said. “We have no authority to walk around the back of the house.”
Lewis said the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office charged Barbara Pilchard on at least four separate occasions with illegal dumping for horse feces deposited on the roadway and in neighbors’ yards.
“In each case, she had to appear in court,” he said. “She ultimately pleaded guilty to one of these criminal citations and received a suspended 30-day sentence and a period of probation. This conviction was in April of 2016.”
Lewis added that in 2015, local authorities reached out to the Maryland Department of Agriculture to investigate conditions at the property.
“A report by the MDA resulted in several recommendations for the conditions of six horses showing signs of neglect from inadequate feed or veterinary care,” he said. “These were six of approximately 100 horses on the farm.”
Lewis said authorities worked closely with state officials and local merchants following the 2015 investigation to ensure the horses were being cared for properly.
“It is heartbreaking to say the least,” he said. “We love our animals, but one thing is abundantly clear. Not everyone cares for animals in the same manner.”
No Charges As Probe Continues
Wicomico County State’s Attorney Jamie Dykes said the investigation is ongoing.
“The sheriff’s office and animal control will continue methodically investigating,” she said. “There will be no rush to judgement. The forensics in this case are key and will take time. The necropsies and the follow-up veterinary care of the horses will be assessed to determine what, if any, neglect caused the concerns.”
Dykes said she expects a comprehensive report on the investigation will take weeks to conclude. Charges are not being pursued at this time.
“Charging a crime is not anything any of us take lightly,” she said. “If we rushed to judgement, it would be a breach of public trust.”
Rescue Efforts Continue This Week
Throughout the weekend, Lewis said county resources were used to clean up the Pilchard property, as horses were loaded up and taken away by various rescue organizations.
Wicomico County Humane Society Executive Director Aaron Balsamo said inclimate weather conditions have stalled rescue efforts this week. As of Tuesday, 32 horses remained on the Cherry Walk Road property.
“I’ve been in contact with several rescues today and hopefully Thursday or Friday we’ll be able to get the rest of them out of there,” he said.
Balsamo said rescue organizations from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland have been taking in neglected horses that were found on the farm. Three of the neglected horses have since been euthanized.
“We’ve had a rescue take from three all the way up to 30 (horses),” he said, “so it depends on the capabilities of that particular rescue.”
Lewis added that many of the mares found on the property were pregnant.
“We have approximately 15 to 20 mares that are currently pregnant,” he said. “While we were on the property rescuing horses on Saturday, a foul was delivered in my presence stillborn. While we were on the property Sunday, another foal was delivered stillborn. That birth resulted in the euthanization of the mother.”
Organizations Taking In Horses
Rescue organizations from several states are currently caring for the neglected horses found on the Pilchard property.
In an interview Wednesday, Brenda Jordan, volunteer coordinator for Changing Fates Equine Rescue of Delaware Inc., said the organization was asked to assist in rescue efforts Sunday.
“It’s been such a blur,” she said. “We went down with our trailer on Monday and helped round up horses. We took two mares, both pregnant. We were told all the mares were probably pregnant because they’d let the stallions and the mares run together.”
Jordan said the mares were brought back to Changing Fates’ farm in Laurel, Del., where they have been quarantined to ensure they were not carrying illness and disease.
Because the horses are not used to eating grain, the horses are being fed hay and water.
“You have to be cautious, you don’t want them to gorge themselves on anything that could cause colic,” she said. “Our vet is going to look them over today. We have mares Number 12 and Number 20. They don’t have names. Those were just the numbers written on them so animal control could keep track of who was going where.”
Jordan said she had seen aerial photos of the farm taken by WBOC TV. She noted the property looked like “a boneyard.”
“I’ve been with Changing Fates for three years,” she said. “To my knowledge we haven’t had a rescue like this. I think it ranks right up there with some of the worst, 25-plus dead horses on the property.”
Multiple Ways To Help
Lewis said several organizations, businesses and concerned citizens are currently donating money and supplies to help the horses found on the Pilchard property.
Changing Fates, for example, has received donations of grain and hay, as well as vet and farrier services.
Jordan said Changing Fates, a nonprofit, is also seeking monetary donations to care for the horses.
“Our greatest need right now is money,” she said. “We don’t know what we might be facing in the way of illnesses. When the foals come we need to have a cushion. The community support has been amazing. It’s just been incredible.”
Jordan said people interested in donating can visit the organization’s website or Facebook page.
Lewis also said monetary donations can be made to the Humane Society of Wicomico County with the notation “Bless our Horses.”