MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – An abused horse who was forced to travel 700 miles from South Carolina to Miami with its previous owner found a new home this week at the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Animal Farm, authorities said.
The horse,Trigger, was confiscated from its owner last November.
Authorities said the horse was emaciated, with saddle sores on his back that were so severe that he would not let anyone near him because of the pain. Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Becky Herrin said he also had "terrible sores in his mouth."
Herrin said the owner, Christopher Emerson, 36, told authorities that the horse was emaciated because he didn't have money to feed himself or the horse.
Emerson was arrested in southwest Miami-Dade on animal cruelty charges.
"He is blind in one eye, so we have to make sure we talk to him to let him know where we are when we are close by," farmer Jeanne Selander, who is now charged with caring for Trigger, said. "His wounds are all healed now. He has been eating well and all the loving care he has been given at the South Florida SPCA shows."
The South Florida SPCA delivered Trigger to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Animal Farm on Monday.
"We are happy to be able to give Trigger a home here in the Keys," Sheriff Rick Ramsay said. "He is a wonderful addition to our farm. The kids and families who visit will love him."
Herrin said Trigger's health has been restored from the care and treatment he received by the SPCA. She said he will now retire at his new home in the Florida Keys.