Thirteen horses, some severely neglected, surrendered or sold from Salt Creek Equine Rescue and Sanctuary

CAPTION: One of two malnourished horses surrendered to Storm Creek Horse Co. Farm and Ranch from Salt Creek Equine Rescue and Sanctuary. CREDIT STORM CREEK HORSE CO. FARM AND RANCH

By Kate Irelan

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Another case of equine neglect has led to four more horses being relinquished to Lisa Loyd, owner and director of Storm Creek Horse Co. Farm and Rescue, this time from another equine rescue, Salt Creek Equine Rescue and Sanctuary, outside of Nickerson, Kansas. A total of 13 horses have been either removed or adopted from the property, and 9 still remain.

According to Loyd, she was contacted last week by volunteers of Salt Creek Rescue who reported they had to haul the bodies of 4 horses to be disposed of and that there were other horses in acute condition. Loyd pointed them to law enforcement. She said when it comes to animal neglect, “If you see something, say something.”

An animal complaint case was filed with the Reno County Sheriff’s Office on November 14 at the same address as the Salt Creek Equine Rescue near Nickerson, Kansas. The Patrol Captian assigned to this case could not be reached for comment.

A representative from Salt Creek Rescue also could not be reached for comment at the publication of this article. 

In a Nov. 11 post on the Facebook page associated with the Salt Creek Rescue it was stated, “With considerable regret, I have made the difficult decision to restructure. Maintaining 20 horses has become unsustainable for one individual, leading to financial, physical, and emotional exhaustion. I must find new homes for certain horses needing specialized care.” Subsequent posts provided photos and information about the horses for sale.

“I could see things were spiraling out of control,” said Loyd. “I contacted the owner and offered to take the two worst in. At first, she did not want to do that. She was not interested in surrendering and I would have to buy them. Then she talked with the Sheriff. She called the next day asking me to come get them. They were malnourished, their teeth and hooves were long, two stallions were running with mares, and other animals like pot-bellied pigs and dogs were in with the horses.”

Loyd said she asked the owner, “Are you sure this is all you want us to do? She said ‘yes.’”

Loyd said that Salt Creek Rescue is not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

“The only reason she got rid of the horses is because people called her out on it,” said Loyd. “She said she was aiming to get down to 9 to 10 horses she would use for riding lessons and that she is no longer taking rescues. She stated she had 22. She is down to 9 horses now.”

According to Loyd, another person bought the two stud horses and surrendered them to Storm Creek. The person told Loyd they bought the two to remove them from the situation. Loyd said the horses have received veterinary treatment and were gelded, and one was also treated for a hernia and eye injury.

The Hutchinson Tribune previously wrote about two other horses surrendered to the Storm Creek Rescue in late August. Loyd gave an update on their status. The 12-year-old stallion “Casper” is gelded now, and is being trained on maintenance schedule for the winter.

“He’s hanging out with two other geldings and thriving,” said Loyd. The other horse, a filly named “Laramie,” went to foster home on Saturday. 

Storm Creek has a total of 36 rescued horses. Loyd said that the largest number of horses she’s had at one time was 44.

“I try to keep at 36 or less. Some are available for adoption. I keep a small crew of horses for lessons. And I don’t adopt out horses that are over 25 years old,” said Loyd. “I currently have a herd of 11 seniors. It seems we are super good at keeping things alive. The oldest horse is 34, though I think it exists on meanness and spite.”

For more information about the Storm Creek Horse Co. Farm and Rescue, visit their Facebook page.