46 neglected horses seized from rural Iowa farm whose owner has faced previous scrutiny
Police seized 46 horses and charged the owner of a rural Dallas County horse farm who has long faced accusations of animal neglect.
The horses were seized from Linda Kay Kilbourne, 78, of Johnston, who faces one count of livestock neglect. A news release from the Dallas County Sheriff's Office said more charges are pending.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and the Animal Rescue League of Iowa assisted the Dallas County Sheriff's Office in the investigation and search warrant that was served Wednesday.
More: Sheriff investigates after new reports of horse deaths at Dallas County ranch
Kilbourne, who lives in Johnston but owns River Bend Ranch in rural Granger, has been investigated previously for similar charges. She pleaded guilty in 2020 to five counts of failure to dispose of a dead animal, a simple misdemeanor, after a photo of dead horses went viral on Facebook.
Four of the charges related to specific dead horses — one of them a colt and another that was partially burned — that a state inspector saw over the course of three visits to the property. The fifth charge related to “improper disposal for the bones of multiple, likely dozens, of horses that have died on the property over the years,” according to criminal complaints.
Complaints against Kilbourne continued in fall 2022, when Elaine Schellekens told the Des Moines Register she can count 17 horses that died on the horse ranch in the three years she worked for Kilbourne.
The animals, she said, weren’t getting enough food or vet care, and they were constantly getting injured. Aggressive studs would attack young horses and breed freely with young mares. Several horses were injured by broken fences and other obstacles on Kilbourne's land, she said.
More: Officials: Charges pending against owner of Dallas County farm where photo shows dead horses
Kelly Lorenzen, the owner of an equine therapy nonprofit in Dallas Center, also previously told the Register she had attempted to help Kilbourne sell some of her horses, but said Kilbourne raised the prices so high that potential buyers lost interest. She told the Dallas County Sheriff's Office the animals still in Kilbourne's care were being neglected.
"It's just ridiculous. They're getting no vet care, no dental, no vaccinations," Lorenzen said. "(A deputy) said these are considered livestock and not pets. But if livestock is being killed, that is a concern. … Horses don't just die like this."
At the time, Kilbourne told the Register there's nothing wrong with her horses and it was not uncommon for the animal, particularly foals, to look thin in the fall. The lawyer for her 2020 case did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The Dallas County Sheriff's Office said it will share more information as the investigation continues. The horses will remain with the ARL while the court case against Kilbourne proceeds.
Donations to the ARL to help the horses can be made online at arl-iowa.org, by mail with checks re: rescue horses sent to 5452 N.E. 22nd St., Des Moines, IA 50313, or via Venmo @ARL-Iowa.
Biong M. Biong is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at bbiong@dmreg.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 46 horses seized in Dallas County livestock neglect investigation
