Abandoned Horse Found in Prunedale

A severely neglected horse was abandoned and found Saturday in  Prunedale and the SPCA for Monterey County is working to find the person  responsible for the animal abuse.
    The SPCA is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to  the arrest and conviction of the person or people who abandoned the horse, a  bay gelding believed to have been in his mid-20s, on Campagna Way off Elkhorn  Road.
    Due to the severe condition of the horse's injuries, a Monterey  County equine veterinarian euthanized the animal, who appeared to be in  severe pain, at the scene where he had been found.
    A witness told SPCA officials they had seen a pick-up truck with  an older, white, two-door trailer abandon the horse on Saturday night around  10 p.m.
    The horse, who was apparently emaciated, was suffering from  fistulous withers, which is a painful, chronic inflammatory skin disease  characterized by pus-filled wounds and swelling. The wound was infested with  maggots, according to SPCA officials.
    The horse was also suffering from a fungal infection all over his  body and had poorly maintained teeth. The veterinarian that evaluated the  horse gave him a grave prognosis, prompting officials to put him down,  officials said.
    The bay gelding was described as having a white star on the left  side of his face and one white "sock" on his left hind leg.
    Anyone with information about the abandoned horse is asked to call  the Monterey County Sheriff's Office at (831) 755-5111 or the SPCA at (831)  373-2631.