County Seeks Charges in Neglect of Horses

County officials plan to seek criminal charges of animal cruelty today against the owner of 42 horses they claim were living in neglected conditions in a remote Saugus canyon.

Gerald Ingle, 67, had been cited by Los Angeles County animal control officers Saturday for allowing the hoofs of 24 of his horses to become badly overgrown and for unsanitary conditions on his Dry Canyon property, said Samuel Morris, animal control district supervisor. It was the second time in a year that Ingle had been ordered to improve conditions for his animals.

Officers impounded the horses Wednesday on Ingle’s 41-acre site. They at first thought that 33 animals were living on the property, but nine more animals were found behind a small house.

Bruce Richard, animal control assistant director, said the case involves the largest number of horses by a single owner in the county in nearly a decade. He said there are about a dozen cases of horse neglect in the county every year.

‘He Just Got in Over His Head’

“This is definitely a serious offense of animal neglect,” Richards said. “There’s no excuse for what he’s done. He just got in over his head.”

Richards said he has received up to 100 phone calls and letters from concerned people who learned of the horses’ plight in newspaper articles. JoAnne Darcy, an aide to County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, said she has received about 60 calls from Santa Clarita Valley residents. One caller offered to trim the horses’ hoofs, she said.

The county was to send two licensed farriers to trim the horses’ hoofs today, Richard said.

The horses were impounded on the site because county officials determined that it would not be safe to move them, Richards said. The animals are under county jurisdiction, and officials have ordered Ingle to clean the premises immediately, Richards said.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Ingle blamed his lack of money and time for the lapse in caring for the horses. “I feel really bad about this,” he said. “I felt bad for a long time, but I really have an exacting workload,” said Ingle, a maintenance worker at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge.

Animal control officers plan to submit a complaint to the district attorney’s office, which will determine if Ingle is to be charged, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Elliott L. Fisher. Misdemeanor animal-cruelty charges carry a maximum six months in County Jail and $500 fine, he said. It is unlikely that felony charges will be filed against Ingle, Fisher said.

Richards said a county veterinarian examined the animals and determined that their hoofs were overgrown. From eight to 12 inches of urine and manure had collected in their pens, he said, but the horses otherwise were in good health.

“There’s some basic cruelty, but as far as overall health, the vet did not find any disease or parasites or any abnormality,” said Morris. “They were very well-kept as far as food and water. Just the sanitary conditions and the hoofs are the problem.”

Richards said the horses with overgrown hoofs lose their balance and fall when they try to walk. He said horses that stand for long periods in urine and fecal matter can develop hoof disease.

“It surprised me he took such good care of the animals regarding food and shelter and grain and let the rest of the horse go,” Richards said. “It’s like the person that cleans the dishes but never cleans the floor.”

Ingle will continue to feed and water the horses, Richards said, and must pay for any work done by county health officials, who will visit the site daily.