Agency to probe deaths of horses
Corman Park RM already has concluded it can’t determine what led to demise
Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan is investigating the deaths of four horses in the RM of Corman Park, where an RM investigation into the deaths was unable to conclude how the animals died.
Executive director Don Ferguson confirmed the animal welfare investigation. He said APSS was made aware of the situation on Dec. 21 and received information from the RCMP on Jan. 2.
The horses belonged to Ron and Arla Delver, who told the Starphoenix earlier this month that two horses were found dead on Dec. 14 and two more were found on Dec. 21 on summer pasture land. Their remains had been scavenged and the couple reported the deaths to local police and RCMP, but did not seek an autopsy.
Based on a deep wound on the leg of one horse, the Delvers believe the animals were shot. Corman Park police found no information that would substantiate claims the horses had been shot, however.
Shauna Dickhoff, who owns the property where the horses were found, said she allowed the Delvers to move about 30 of their Arabian horses onto her pasture land late last summer, after their own pasture had been grazed down.
Dickhoff said she had been ill for a while and was hospitalized in October, so was unable to go out on the land herself. She said her pasture is located close to an area used by hunters.
Dickhoff said the Delvers’ horses remained on her land for a longer period of time than she expected. One day in December, she asked her children to walk the perimeter of her pasture and let her know if everything was OK with the horses staying there. They were the ones to find the remains of the first deceased horse, she said.
She told the Delvers about the discovery, but didn’t fill out a statement for the police, she said, adding that she’s not a horse expert or veterinarian, and doesn’t want to speculate about how they died. No veterinarian was brought out.
“The Delvers are good people and they are horse lovers,” Dickhoff said.
In an email, Ron Delver said the couple estimated Dickhoff’s pasture would be good for three months, and by mid-december they decided it was time to move them “even though there was probably a couple of weeks of forage remaining.”