""I believe all the horses that we took went to adopters, so they're living on and they have a purpose," Fazio said. "Maverick probably has the best purpose of all of them.""
""Myself, my lieutenant and one of our animal control officers had gone out. We were allowed on the property at first, and we kind of saw the condition of the animals," he said. "We quickly realized how poor the conditions were. They were not treated well, they were not fed adequately, they didn't have clean water.""
Maverick, a 9-year-old Andalusian horse, was found emaciated on Aug. 14, 2024, with so little body fat that his hip bone protruded through his skin and made lying on his side painful. Multiple animal welfare complaints about the Cabazon property dated to 2023 prompted visits and months of back-and-forth with the owner, 59-year-old Rafael Leal. Authorities rescued several dozen animals from the 5000 block of Esperanza Road, including five horses, four dogs, six puppies, and 45 hens and roosters. Several animals were adopted by Riverside County rescue partners or private adopters. Maverick underwent lengthy rehabilitation and now serves with the Riverside County Sheriff's Mounted Enforcement Detail, which searches for missing people and patrols shopping centers, riverbeds, and mountainous areas. Leal was issued a notice of violation.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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