MELITA, Man. — Mounties in southwestern Manitoba have laid animal cruelty charges against the owners of a horse that was so emaciated it had to be killed.
An officer spotted the horse last month as she was driving by a pasture near Melita and stopped to check on it.
Const. Kristin Foreman says the mare was small and obviously sick, with bones protruding under its skin.
The officer seized the horse, named Foxy Lady, and had it transported to a veterinarian.
RCMP say the 35-year-old Appaloosa was put down to prevent further suffering.
The owners face charges under the province's Animal Care Act of failing to provide an animal with adequate food and water and medical care.
Foreman says she did what she needed to do to help the horse.
"My duty is to assist anyone in distress, so that's what I did," the officer said in a news release..
