The Humane Society of Ventura County is asking for the public’s help in order to care for and feed six neglected horses – four of which were brought into protective custody in the past two weeks.

On Wednesday, Humane Officers brought in a horse, a mare, from a ranch in Fillmore. Dr. MartaGranstedt, DVM,estimated the horse to be close to 400 pounds underweight.

“The condition of the horse is extremely poor. She is very weak and it will take several weeks of ongoing veterinary care before we know if she will survive,” said HSVC Shelter Director Jolene Hoffman. “Humane groups use the Henneke Scale of 1 to 9 to rate a horse’s condition and this horse is a 1, which is extremely emaciated.”

Hoffman said it can take up to nine months of long-term,ongoing care to get the horses back to full weight and that the Humane Society is in need of funds to cover the extreme cost of medical and general care.

“Just to feed them is going to be a great financial burden for us, with the rising cost of hay, due to the drought,” Hoffman said.

The Ojai-based nonprofit also is accepting gift cards to feed stores, alfalfa grade 1 & 2, fly masks of all sizes and fly repellent.

“One of the horses from a previous neglect case is at full weight and available for adoption,while the other five are in protective custody waiting for court proceedings to be finalized,” Hoffmann said.

Donations may be brought to the Humane Society shelter at 402 Bryant Street in Ojai or sent to PO Box 297, Ojai, CA. 93024. For more information, call (805) 656-5031, or visit www.hsvc.org.

The Humane Society of Ventura County is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1932. It does not receive federal, state or local tax dollars to operate and relies solely on private donations.