Reward offered in North Texas horse abuse case

A $2,500 reward was offered Monday for information leading to an arrest in the abuse of a mare who was found stumbling around on a county road last month, covered in fire ant bites.

The reward offered by the Murrell Foundation of Dallas is for leads that will result in the arrest and conviction of the person or people involved in the neglect of Stella, a 12-year-old bay mare.

Stella was in serious condition Monday at a Humane Society of North Texas facility in Decatur.

“There was no underlying illness that caused her to lose weight,” Humane Society spokeswoman Whitney Hanson said Monday. “So it was prolonged neglect.”

She was found on a county road a few counties south of Fort Worth, emaciated and covered in bites. Officials provided no further details about the location.

“She would fall on ant beds, and that’s when she was bitten,” Hanson said.

Stella was down when Humane Society members arrived to transport her. It took 10 people to lift her to her feet and load her into a horse trailer.

When she arrived in Decatur, Stella tumbled to the ground, unable to stand, officials said.

To get her up and keep her upright, Humane Society staff members and workers used a skid loader and a makeshift sling created from tie-down straps and blankets.

A veterinary team from the Outlaw Equine Veterinary Clinic administered fluids, medications and vitamins to Stella as part of her rehabilitation.

Stella still needs the sling to stand at times. She is receiving antibiotics, steroids, eye medication and wound cream for her scrapes and bites.

Humane Society officials estimate that they help more than 25,000 animals each year in North Texas that are suffering from abuse, neglect and cruelty.

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Reward offered in North Texas horse abuse case."