On Jan. 13, prosecutors filed criminal charges against a northwestern California owner of 35 horses seized by animal control officials in December 2005. The bony, malnourished horses ranged from weanlings to geriatrics.

Mendocino County Animal Care and Control officers raided James DeNoyer’s ranch in Westport on Dec. 27 and seized 22 horses. Thirteen more were removed from an adjacent Laytonville, Calif., pasture two days later. One additional mare was found dead; apparently she had tried to fight through deep mud to get to a small creek–the pasture’s only water source–and was too weak to extract herself from the muck.

The seizure followed a six-month welfare investigation and efforts to get DeNoyer to improve the animals’ living conditions, according to animal control officials. They said seizures are usually much smaller, involving only one or two animals. Most of DeNoyer’s horses were transported to a ranch near Willits, Calif., and officials contacted Roni McFadden, office manager for Michelsen and Witt Large Animal Practice in Redwood Valley, to request veterinary consultation. McFadden arranged for veterinary care and help from volunteers (Rescued Horses Volunteer Network), which has continued since the seizures.

Paul Michelsen, DVM, checked the horses, whose body condition scores he described as “appalling.” One mare had a score of 0.5, while most of the other horses had scores around 1.0