Investigation ongoing into alleged horse abuse in Cumberland County
During a virtual news conference Tuesday afternoon, Cumberland County Animal Services officials said the investigation is ongoing into allegations of abuse at a Cedar Creek horse farm.
On Monday, animal control officers seized two adult horses and five juvenile horses from Witts End Quarter Horses in the 4800 block of Enniskillen Road after a disturbing video surfaced online last week purportedly showing a foal being abused on the property.
The nearly 10 minutes video showed a small horse being whipped with a switch or stick as it lay on the ground, and being dragged — both on its feet and as it was on its side — by a Gator-type utility vehicle. Other allegations are that the handlers “waterboarded” the horse with a hose and ran it over with the vehicle.
Elaine Smith, director of the county’s Animal Services department, said in a prepared statement Tuesday that the investigation began Aug. 15 after receiving several allegations of abuse.
Related: Allegations of animal abuse result in horses being removed from Cumberland County property
“We obtained an administrative inspection warrant on Aug. 18, 2023, to observe the animals in question and collect further evidence,” Smith said. “After reviewing the evidence, animal services obtained a search and seizure warrant from the magistrates and on Aug. 21, 2023, impounded seven horses from the property.”
She said the investigation is being conducted by "trained and certified animal cruelty investigators" within Cumberland County Animal Services and that all of the seized horses are being housed at Animal Services. She also noted that an equine veterinarian has been brought in to evaluate the health and well-being of the animals "to determine whether any injuries were sustained by the horses as a result of the alleged abuse.”
She declined to provide further details about the horses' conditions, saying the examinations were not yet completed. She also declined to release photos of the animals.
Smith said that Animal Services officials were monitoring animals still at the farm.
"We removed the animals that were at highest risk of further injury," she said.
Social media shares
The brief news conference was attended by local media as well as a few animal activists and social media influencers.
"The horse community is a STRONG one. I have some REALLY big tiktok influencers with Millions of followers who are behind us," one person said in the chat.
Smith said her office had received an "overwhelming number of calls and emails" about the matter and would be unable to respond to them all.
Video of the small horse's abuse has been shared dozens of times on various social media platforms, garnering millions of views and comments in the past week. In the early stages, accounts using the name Witts End had responded to the criticism, claiming that the activity shown in the video was an attempt to "halter break" the animal.
"For any non horse persons on here talking about this baby was abused … animal control and the sheriffs department came out at 11:30 a.m., evaluated the baby. Saw no concerns with her or any horse here. We welcomed them with open arms and told them to come out here any time of the day and day of the week," one post in response to the criticism read. "They saw zero issues and proceeded on with their day. Please learn horsemanship and what it takes to halter break/lead a baby next time!"
By Monday evening, Witts End Quarter Horses had disabled all of its social media accounts and website.
Smith said that anyone who wishes to donate money to support the horses and other animals at the Cumberland County shelter could send a check payable to “CCAS Animal Medical Fund” to Cumberland County Animal Services, 4704 Corporation Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28306. She said a list of supplies that would be accepted by the shelter in support of the horses would be posted to the department's website and Facebook page by noon Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Investigation ongoing into alleged horse abuse in Cumberland County
