Emaciated horses rescued in Volusia County now ready for adoption

Two horses that were rescued after being found malnourished are ready to be adopted.

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Two malnourished horses that were rescued from their Edgewater home are thriving and ready for adoption.

The horses were seized from a home on Dec. 11, 2019 after being found emaciated. A veterinarian said they were the worst case of malnutrition she had seen, giving them a body condition score of 1 -- the lowest score possible.

"When they arrived, the pair were at least 400 pounds underweight from the 900 pounds they should weigh," the Volusia County Sheriff's Office wrote in a press release.

Their former owner, Anthony Cartrette, now faces two counts of cruelty to animals and two counts of confinement of animals without sufficient food and water.

Since December, each horse has gained 130 to 150 pounds and are recovering. They were also given new names in honor of Christmas – Merry, the black mare, and Holly, the brown mare.

“I can’t believe what a difference in six weeks,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said after his second visit to the mares and talking with Dr. Cindy Merrick about the horses. “These ladies are both ready to be adopted. With love and care and God’s grace, these wonderful people at the rescue have done everything they can to bring these horses back.”

The Sheriff’s Office would like to see the two adopted together.

If you are interested in adopting Merry and Holly, please contact Morgan Silver, executive director of Horse Protection Association of Florida at www.hpaf.org. Or contact Senior Deputy Clifton at dclifton@vcso.us at the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. Please include your contact information including name, address, phone number and an email address.