A total of 21 horses were rescued from a ranch in Davie after a neighbor called police to say the animals were living in deplorable conditions.
"They've been standing in their own feces, their manure and urine, and it's about a foot and a half deep," said Victor Cutino, owner of Peaceful Ridge Rescue.
Cutino said one of the reasons the Paso Fino horses are in such bad condition is because there is no food for the horses on the property.
"I've never seen such a thing. Every time you think it can't get anymore disgusting, then you come across something else and it's like wow," said volunteer Cathi Rivera.
The rescue began Saturday night and resumed Sunday morning. Volunteers said removing the horses from the property was challenging.
"The horses aren't used to being handled by humans so they're very skittish and they're afraid because some of them are hungry and skinny, some of them have bad feet," Rivera said.
The horses were taken to Peaceful Ridge Rescue where they are being cared for until they are healthy enough to be put up for adoption.
"It's going to be a lengthy process to get these horses back to the condition [they need to be in]. We need help. We need help to feed them, we need help for hay and grain, we need help for shampoo and stuff like that," Cutino said.
Five of the horses were taken to a ranch in Pompano Beach.
For more information on ways you can help with rescue efforts, or if you're interested in adopting one of these horses click here.
