SEIZED HORSES BEING AUCTIONED : OWNER LOSES COURT CASE OFFICERS FOUND FOUR IN POOR CONDITIONS.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Four horses, taken from their owner a year ago on allegations they were neglected and undernourished, will go on the auction block this weekend to repay the animal shelter for the cost of their care.

Last week, Newhall Municipal Court Judge Floyd Baxter ruled that Johnny Clark, 52, had lost his rights of ownership to the two female horses and two males, said Lt. George Enriquez of the Castaic animal shelter.

The Department of Animal Care and Control seized the horses Oct. 21 from property in Val Verde, Enriquez said.

Prosecutors charged Clark with inhumane treatment and neglect. Enriquez said the animals had improper nutrition and stagnant water to drink. They were left unattended and uncared for, he said.

``They were in a corral that was made out of odds and ends,'' Enriquez added. ``There was a lot of debris in the area that could be injurious to the horses.''

Clark, who lives in Pacoima, and his lawyer could not be reached for comment.

Baxter sentenced Clark to three years' formal probation with several conditions, said Deputy District Attorney Dan Damon.

Clark must not own or possess any horses during that time, he must pay restitution to the animal shelter of $14,628.95, and he must serve 30 days of community service at the Los Angeles Police Department's mounted patrol stable performing animal husbandry chores, Damon said.

If Clark violates the terms of his probation, he will have to serve a 30-day jail sentence, Damon added.

Clark was convicted of five misdemeanor criminal counts, all of them violations of county ordinances relating to the care of horses. A jury found him guilty July 23 following a three-day trial in Newhall Municipal Court, and sentencing was delayed until Friday, Damon said.

``He wasn't close to the horses, but supposedly he had someone in the area taking care of them,'' Enriquez said. ``He was gone for long periods of time, and sometimes the horses didn't have anything to eat.''

The auction will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the shelter, 31044 N. Charlie Canyon Road. All bids must be paid in cash, Enriquez said.

``He had to sign the animals over to the county, so whatever we get out of the horses goes toward his bill.''

The breeds of the horses are: a 12-year-old Appaloosa gelding, a 6-year-old mixed-breed Morgan stallion, a 5-year-old quarter-horse mare and a 12-year-old mixed-breed Mustang mare, said Laurene Weste, a volunteer at the shelter.

Bidding will start at $500 for the Appaloosa and $300 for the others, Enriquez said.

The former owner has been billed for the animals' daily boarding fees and food. ``It costs a lot to feed a horse. You figure a bale of hay costs about $10,'' Enriquez said.

Also, the animal shelter had to pay a farrier to file the animals' teeth and trim their hoofs every few months. ``If horses don't have (their hoofs) trimmed, they start turning up. They can start having leg problems and they can go lame on you,'' Enriquez said.

The county also had to pay a veterinarian to de-worm the horses. Intestinal worms are a not uncommon equine malady, one that wreaks havoc with a horse's digestive tract, Enriquez noted.

Some of the horses were 100 pounds underweight. Normal weight for the Appaloosa is about 1,000 pounds, and the other three weigh 700 to 800 pounds now that they are healthy, Enriquez said.

Weste said shelter workers have nicknamed the stallion Midnight because of his black coat, and the Appaloosa is called King Arthur for his regal manner. ``He looks like he should have a knight on him. He's a big guy,'' Weste said.

Unlike the other three, Midnight is considered too lively to be a saddle horse suitable for riding. But the stallion can prance and jump, Weste said.

Midnight's mother is the black-and-white Mustang, and the other horse is a chestnut-colored mare who likes to be groomed, Weste said.

``They all want to go home to green pastures,'' she said. ``It takes some knowledge and some work to manage a horse, so we prefer people who know what they're getting into.''

One final stipulation is that the animals, nursed back to health the past year, not be bought for eventual slaughter. `` They're not to go for food consumption - they're for pets,'' Weste emphasized. ``They've been well fed and cared for.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo: (1--ran in AV and SAC--color in SAC) Kathy Baxter and the sta ff at the Castaic animal shelter have nursed the underweight and diseased horses back to health.

(2--ran in AV and SAC--color in SAC) The chestnut mare, seen nuzzling Baxter's hand, likes to be groomed and can be saddled.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News