Overgrown Hoofs : County to Impound 33 Saugus Horses It Claims Are Neglected

Thirty-three horses penned in a remote canyon in Saugus will be impounded today because they have been neglected by their owner, Los Angeles County officials said.

The owner, Gerald Ingle, did not respond to orders by the county to trim the horses’ overgrown hoofs and clean their stalls, officials said.

About 45 Santa Clarita Valley residents have called the Valencia office of County Supervisor Mike Antonovich with complaints about the condition of the horses since their plight was described in the Newhall Signal on Sunday. A picture of a horse with overgrown hoofs standing atop a layer of manure was published on the newspaper’s front page.

“The foot growth is tremendous,” said JoAnne Darcy, an aide to Antonovich, who visited the site. “They look like they have little wooden shoes on.”

2nd Order in a Year

On Saturday, an officer with the county Department of Animal Control cited Ingle, owner of the 41 acres where the horses are corraled, ordering him to trim the hoofs of the animals and clean up a two-foot-high buildup of manure. It was the second time in a year that such an order has been issued, said Animal Control Director Brian Berger.

“It’s obvious that the horses have been all but abandoned,” Berger said, adding that the conditions at the site, though filthy, did not appear life-threatening.

“Looking at the hoofs alone, it’s definitely an inhumane condition,” said Samuel Morris, animal-control supervisor for the Santa Clarita Valley. “It’s cruel to let an animal’s hoofs grow out like that.”

Ingle, 67, agreed that his care of the animals has lapsed lately. But he said the animals always have been well-fed on hay that costs $140 a ton.

“I give them the best feed in the world,” Ingle said. “I just don’t have sick horses. A tangled mane is not life-threatening. I can stand the long feet and tangled manes, but I can’t stand a horse out of water.”

Ingle said his lack of money and time have affected his care of the animals.

County officials do not dispute Ingle’s contention that the animals have received ample food and water. The horses are generally in “reasonable physical condition,” Berger said.

“It’s just hard for anyone who has a number of horses,” Ingle said. “A horse is a big animal and requires a lot of food and care and drops a lot of stuff. They take a lot of attention, and I just don’t have the manpower. Still, it’s just nobody’s fault but my own.”

Ingle said not all the horses have overgrown hoofs. One of the mares was born with crooked feet, he said. Shoeing her hoofs would be tricky, he said, adding that he does not want to destroy the horse.

“We’ve kept the animals because we love them,” he said. “It just got too big for us, that’s all. I’m not begging off on this, but there’s not enough of me to go around. But, now that I’ve been given a deadline, I’m going to meet it. I don’t know how, but I am.”

Chisel and Hacksaw on Hoofs

Darcy said she had received a call Tuesday from a neighbor of Ingle who said she had seen him use a chisel and hacksaw on the hoofs of a pony. Ingle acknowledged using the tools on the pony but maintained that the animal felt no pain.

County veterinarians were dispatched Tuesday to the property in isolated Dry Canyon. They ordered that the horses not be moved from the site, Berger said, since they are not trained to be bridled.

Berger said Ingle was cited last year and vowed to immediately shoe the horses but did not follow through on his promise.

Ingle has owned the property where the horses are corraled since 1975. Eight months ago, he put it up for sale. He had once hoped to open a stable on the property, but the business never got off the ground, he said.