Officials Euthanize Injured Horse Found in Whittier Area

A horse with a broken leg was euthanized Friday after a bicyclist found it along the riverbank near the Whittier Narrows Dam, the fourth abused and abandoned horse found in the area since April.

The 900-pound horse showed signs of having been walking on exposed bone just above its hoof for at least several hours when it was discovered about 4:15 p.m., said Cpl. Charles Miller of the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority.

A veterinarian determined that the horse would have to be destroyed, he said.

“Unfortunately, you can’t put a cast on a horse and expect it to heal. They have to bear their weight, they have to walk,” Miller said. “It’s not like you can put them on a mattress and expect them to lie there and heal.”

In April, authorities found a horse along the riverbed in Norwalk that had what looked like rope burns on its body and open wounds on its front legs.

“That horse had wounds that appear to be similar to those obtained from horse tripping in Mexican rodeos,” Miller said.

Horse tripping is an illegal practice in which horses are lassoed on the run and brought down, he said.

In October, two horses were found along the riverbed about two miles from the most recent find in unincorporated Whittier, Miller said. They were emaciated, and one of them had scars, he said.

Those horses now live on a ranch in Twentynine Palms, Miller said.

“They’re doing great. They still have some wounds, and there’s some treatment they need, but they’re 100% better than they were before,” Miller said.

The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to whoever abused the three earlier abandoned horses.

Miller said authorities are trying to learn who owned the horses.