Seized horses stay with county

WALTERBORO — Nearly four dozen undernourished horses seized from a Colleton County Bible camp earlier this month will remain in custody of the county, a magistrate ruled Thursday.

Animal-control officers took 47 horses on May 5 from Gift Horse Bible Camp near Cottageville after receiving reports they were being neglected and abused.

Eddy Ackerman, who runs the camp, argued that some of the horses weren't eating because they were sick, but said he never neglected them.

Magistrate Kenneth Campbell disagreed and ordered all the horses to remain with the county.

Ackerman said he will fight to get his animals back because he uses them to work with boys who don't have fathers.

"This is a David and Goliath issue," he said. "I'll definitely have a lawyer next time."

Ackerman relies on donations to feed the animals. He acknowledged that the horses were thin but said they were healthy until recently, and he thought the county was coming out to help him figure out how to heal them. He said the county took his horses because complaining neighbors pressured officials.

Now, it's the county that's looking for contributions to help pay for horse feed.

The county can't put the horses up for adoption until after Ackerman's appeal, Animal Control Director Tim Lynes said. Meanwhile, he expects to spend about $18,000 on food and medical care this first month.

"It wiped out my budget," he said. "We're looking for donations."

Livestock Equine Awareness and Rescue Network founder Elizabeth Steed, who has been caring for 30 of the horses, hailed the ruling.

"We're just ecstatic," she said. "We just feel like the horses won today."

Steed said she's been feeding the horses a special diet to get their weight back up, and they were so wild she doesn't see how anyone could have ridden them.

Officials are seeing more cases of owners neglecting horses as the economy makes it harder to feed them, Lynes said.

"Right now I'm working five other cases," he said. "I think the economy has egged this on quite a bit."

No charges have been filed against Ackerman.

In contrast, 54-year-old Glenn Chestnut of Dillon was charged with animal cruelty after authorities seized six emaciated horses and a pony from a filthy pen at his house, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

Reach Dave Munday at dmunday@postandcourier.com or 937-5553.