Three months ago, authorities say they found a herd of ill and underweight horses and a mule in such bad condition that they seized 10 animals from a Lehigh Valley owner and had to euthanize at least one horse.
Heidi von Liebenstein, of the 100 block of Crest Avenue in Bethlehem, is now facing criminal charges, accused of a level of neglect the Pennsylvania SPCA says rose to animal cruelty.
Two counts of felony aggravated cruelty to animals and eight counts of animal neglect were filed Tuesday against von Liebenstein in Northampton County district court.
Von Liebenstein has not yet been arraigned in the case. She told a lehighvalleylive.com reporter she was speaking with a vet about treating the horses and a mule, and believed she was doing what she needed to do to treat them.
Von Liebenstein maintained the horses that were taken were not underweight and were healthy, and that the horse that was euthanized came from a different rescue organization.
The SPCA said it received a complaint on Sept. 19 about “numerous horses” without proper shelter and potable water, living in unsanitary conditions and not receiving veterinary care at Von Liebenstein’s business, Horses Unplugged, at 4011 Wilson Avenue in Bethlehem Township, near the D&L Trail and Lehigh River.
The person reported a horse died of strangles, a highly contagious respiratory infection with symptoms including nasal discharge, abscesses and breathing problems that can lead to death, according to court papers.
Other horses on the property were exhibiting symptoms but not receiving vet care, and the horses were still being ridden, the tipster reported.
An SPCA officer and Bethlehem Township police went to the business on Sept. 19 and spoke to Von Liebenstein, who was preparing to take two horses on a trail ride at the time.
Von Liebenstein reportedly told the officers one of her horses contracted strangles, and she believed other horses also had it and they were being quarantined in the barn.
Three horses and a mule were in a barn on the property, with little to no water and bedding packed down with waste and urine, court records say.
The mule had an infected hoof that had split in half. Von Liebenstein reportedly told investigators the mule was under a vet’s care, but the vet later told officers while he had treated Von Liebenstein’s animals in the past, he was not currently treating any of her equines.
The SPCA officer reported finding remaining horses on the property standing in their own waste in a wet paddock. All of the horses in the paddock appeared underweight and with various health issues, with no access to potable water, authorities said.
Von Liebenstein was given a violation that day and told she had 24 hours to get vet care for all 19 horses at the property, that no horses were to be worked, and none were to leave the property because of the infectious disease.
The SPCA officer later learned a vet appointment was made for one horse, but that the vet office would not perform any additional appointments for Von Liebenstein unless she made a 50% payment up front.
At that time, the officer applied for a search warrant to remove the animals and it was granted.
On Sept. 21, SPCA officers, Bethlehem Township police and a vet went to the property, and the vet determined nine horses and a mule needed immediate care and they were taken from the property.
Two of the seized horses were so ill humane euthanasia was recommended for them: Milo, the mule with the split hoof, after x-rays showed a complete disintegration of the coffin bone; and Mr. Pisa, a Belgian draft horse that was underweight and had diarrhea, an upper respiratory infection and an abnormal gait with injury/arthritis/deformity on his right hind leg, court documents say.
The nine horses left at the property also needed examinations and care, but those cases were not as urgent, authorities said.
Von Liebenstein voluntarily surrendered six of the 10 horses. Three are in protective custody with the SPCA and one was euthanized with agreement of the owner, based on a veterinarian examination and results of x-rays/testing, Pennsylvania SPCA spokeswoman Gillian Kocher said.
The SPCA is raising funds for the horses care; more information can be found here.
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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.