Woman Arrested After 12 Horses Found Neglected, 1 Dead

A 67-year-old Fulton County woman has been arrested on 13 counts of failure to provide proper sustenance, one for each of the horses that were under her care.

Deanna Larochelle of Palatine Bridge owned 12 horses that were found neglected on her property. One other six-month-old foal had died, police said.

The horses were examined by a local veterinarian from the Midvale Veterinary Clinic of Nelliston, NY and determined to be severely neglected.

Police describe the horses as thin to very thin, and their coats filthy and matted with manure and burrs.

The horses were also underfed and living in squalid conditions -- the stalls had not been cleaned in months and broken windows left the horses exposed to the elements, said police.

The dead foal is believed to have died from the extreme cold, when temperatures fell below zero between Jan. 2 through Jan. 4.

Police say Larochelle has cooperated fully with the investigation and has voluntarily surrendered the animals to the Montgomery County SPCA, who said the horses have already been adopted.

SPCA workers said word of the case spread quickly and local horse farmers quickly stepped up to give the animals a good home.

Larochelle is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 21.