25 Horses Rescued From Enumclaw Property

ENUMCLAW, WA — More than two dozen horses were rescued from an Enumclaw property over the weekend after several people reported the animals were left unsheltered and malnourished. The King County Sheriff's Office said a property owner was contacted by a woman back in August, who asked to temporarily keep the horses on a 4-acre parcel of his land while she worked to find them a permanent home.

Since then, several people contacted SAFE Equine Horse Rescue to report the animals were not being fed and had been left out in the cold. On Saturday, King County detectives served a search warrant on the property alongside a veterinarian and volunteers from several organizations. KIRO 7 reported some of the horses were infected with parasites and struggled to walk. The animals were transported from the property in a large horse trailer provided by Enumclaw Pavilion.

The sheriff's office said the woman responsible for the horses had an active warrant for her arrest stemming from a suspected animal cruelty case in Snohomish County. Investigators continue to search for her.

SAFE will care for the horses until they are put up for public adoption. According to the Seattle Times, the animals were brought to Enumclaw from around the country.