PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A 73-year-old woman was arrested after a sick horse died and six horses and a pony were found "severely malnourished," the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said.
According to an arrest report, PBSO received a complaint of animal cruelty on March 1, 2024, from Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control regarding sick and emaciated horses at a property on the 10000 block of 89th Street North in West Palm Beach.
The horses were seen by a licensed veterinarian on February 23, 2024, because one of the sick, emaciated horses was lying down in its stall and unable to get up, the arrest report said.
The vet met with Pamela Howell Beres, the horse's owner, to examine the sick horse, the report said. The vet said the horse was "covered in feces and urine" and had "superficial abrasions" on its head, possibly due to "hitting the walls while thrashing around" in an effort to get up. The vet added that the horse had "very pale gums," which is an indicator of dehydration. Its abdomen was "distended," and the horse’s breathing was "labored and shallow with audible grunting between each breath," the report said. The horse's hooves were overgrown and cracked. It was also "hemodynamic" and in some degree of shock.
The vet told Beres that he did not feel the horse would make it through the night and recommended euthanasia.
According to the arrest report, that's when Beres started yelling, “This horse is living, and it will live because I say it will." She then sat down next to the horse and started "lovingly caressing the horse's head" and proceeded to "open the horse’s eyes and lick them with her tongue and mouth" and "licked away the mucus and spit it out in the stall."
Since Beres did not want to euthanize the horse, the vet gave the horse some steroids to make it comfortable, the report said.
On March 1, 2024, a PBSO deputy went to the property and saw several horses that were "in various stages of emaciation." The deputy said two brown horses and two white horses appeared emaciated "with their ribs, hip bones, and spine prominent." The deputy noted another darker brown horse that was in poor condition, with "its hip bones visible," the report said.
The following day, deputies executed a lawful search of the property and found six horses and a pony, the report said. None of the horses had access to grain or fresh water and were "underweight in various degrees, ranging from emaciated to severely thin," and the pony was "moderately underweight." On this day, deputies learned that the horse seen by the vet back in February had died.
The horses and pony were taken to Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control to be examined by a vet who said all of the animals were "severely malnourished." The horses and pony were nursed back to health and within three months of proper care and nutrition, the animals gained weight and showed improvement, deputies said.
Beres was booked Tuesday at 7 a.m. on seven counts of felony animal cruelty and seven counts of confinement without food, water, or exercise.
She is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail.
