The trial for a Parkland County woman accused of animal abuse resumed on Thursday with testimony from a veterinarian who examined a number of allegedly neglected horses. The trial started on Tuesday, but proceedings were cancelled on Wednesday because of a personal matter involving one of the lawyers. Patricia Moore, who is banned for life from owning horses after a previous animal abuse conviction, was charged with neglecting horses on her property last year. Several horses were seized from her property on April 14, 2025. Equine veterinarian Dr. Megan Moody testified that she was engaged by the SPCA to examine horses on Moore’s property on that date. She said that several of the horses were malnourished and nearly all of them had issues with their feet. Horses’ hooves are like human fingernails and require trimming every six to eight weeks. Moody testified that most of the horses had cracked hooves and some of their hooves were curling. She also testified that at least one horse was severely lame. In her report she recommended the seizure of eight of the horses, including one foal that was less than a week old and several pregnant mares, because of their condition. Moody testified that she did not see any hay on the property on April 14 and the grass in the pastures where the horses were kept had been grazed down to the ground. She noted that horses need to eat one-and-a-half to two per cent of their body weight or 15 to 20 pounds of hay or grass per day for an adult horse to maintain a healthy body weight. In addition to the live horses, Moody testified that she saw the remains of five horses on the property, noting that some of the remains were skeletal and others still had flesh on the bones that had been eaten away by animals. She testified that the remains ranged from a baby to older horses. During cross examination the defence asked Moody about a number of other scenarios that could have resulted in the emaciated body condition of the horses, from genetic issues to rat poison in the water. Moody responded that it was possible that other conditions could have contributed to the condition of the animals, but noted that many of the problems she witnessed in the horses that day could have been rectified by proper nutrition. Victoria Powell, a woman that lived with Moore from October to November 2024, also testified. She said she had only met Moore a month prior to moving into her home and said she believed Moore was the owner of the 20ish horses she saw on the property while she lived there. Powell testified Moore told her she didn’t provide hay for the horses and their main food source was grass in the pastures on the farm. Powell said Moore was away from the property visiting family for about 20 days while she was living there with her family. She testified that Moore asked her family to provide water to the horses during that time after an issue with the generator on the property, but said there was no request to give the horses food during the 20-day period. The trial is expected to continue on Friday.
