Horses' plight cause for concern among enthusiasts since last year

View larger image A group of horses seized more than a week ago roams property in Star Tannery. Dennis Grundman/Daily

By Alex Bridges - abridges@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- The seizure of 18 horses by authorities a week ago came months after enthusiasts expressed concerns for the animals' welfare.

Dr. Gwendolyn Pfouts kept the horses at 2121 S. Pifer Road, Star Tannery, according to documents filed with the Frederick County General District Court. A bank in South Carolina recently foreclosed on the property but the horses remained stabled. Pfouts' attorney, David Bean, has stated that his client found a new home for the horses but not before authorities seized the animals.

Animal control officers seized the horses more than a week ago after receiving calls from residents concerned for the health of the animals, authorities said this week. Many of the horses on Friday remained at the Star Tannery residence while still in the custody of the Sheriff's Office. Foals and a pregnant horse were taken from the home by an animal control officer and an official with the county shelter.

A hearing on a new seizure order has been scheduled in the court Thursday.

No criminal charges have been filed against Pfouts.

Pfouts, who owns the Berryville Avenue Veterinary Clinic, 370 Battle Ave., Winchester, was not available for comment Friday afternoon. Pfouts has a doctorate from Virginia Tech with a focus in equine medicine, according to the clinic's website.

Cheryl Anderson, owner of DeLaurel Farm in Stephenson, said Friday she began speaking to Pfouts about the horses in early November.

E-mails from Pfouts to other horse owners and circulated among equine enthusiasts show the veterinarian's problems with keeping the horses began more than nine months ago. A notice by Pfouts dated Nov. 5 and circulated in the local equestrian community stated, "Hello, due to circumstances beyond my control, our entire herd of 20+ purebred Arabians has to be dispersed. ... We will be losing our farm in the next month, so please contact us ASAP for a good horse."

The newly formed Shenandoah Valley Equine Rescue Network recently stepped in to help animal control and the Sheriff's Office with the case, the group's president, Claudia Swisher, said Friday.

"We want to help horses and we want to help people who love horses, too," she added.

While the horses remain in custody, the group cannot take them from the property, she said. Animal control contacted her to assess the health of the horses.

"They were in a terrible condition and surroundings," Swisher said. "It was not an appropriate place to have horses."

Stallions and mares were mixed. One horse had cancer and should have been separated from the rest, she said.

Swisher said she advised Pfouts several years ago to stop her breeding program because horses were not selling, but the owner "did not take heed to that."

"It's a sad situation 'cause I hate to see somebody get into that shape and she did have people in the community that was helping her out with hay and feeding for the last several years," Swisher said. "I think she had the opportunity to have done something. ... But it went way too long before something was done, and I feel sorry for her. But I feel more sorry for the animals' suffering because she wasn't able to tend to their needs properly."