By Alex Bridges -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER — The horse's ribs looked like ripples poking up under its tan-and-white hide.

But the animal's emaciated appearance likely came from illness and not from neglect or abuse, according to Deputy Megan Moreland, an animal control officer with the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.

Moreland, one of the agency's four animal control officers, responded recently following calls about the horse appearing sick or neglected.

The deputy spoke with the owner about the situation and why the horse looked malnourished. The horse — in its 20s and blind — possibly ate grass with "green tetanus" that made it sick and, within a matter of days, lost weight from diarrhea and dehydration.

"So then people started calling about it," Moreland said. "When horses get sick like that, it's sudden onset and it's pretty fast and they look really bad."

But the owner already knew how to help the sick horse by moving it out of its original pasture, taking it to his house and starting to feed it beet pulp, Moreland said. He even knew to keep a third, dominant horse away from the food supply. The deputy continued to ask the owner questions and then gave him tips on how to care for the horse.

"He was very cooperative," Moreland said.

Much of the deputy's days involve teaching pet owners and other residents how to better take care of their dogs, cats, horses, livestock or to handle creatures that wander on their property like the occasional snake, fox or skunk.

"It's a lot of education as far as the wildlife goes," Moreland said.

That approach, she noted, works better than if she pursued cases only to give out court summonses.

"Some people like to absorb the information that we give them, and they're OK with it and they're welcoming, and other people, not so much," she said. "They get really defensive."

Moreland takes extra steps to broaden her knowledge of animal control. She attended the Equine Investigators Academy to enhance her understanding of issues with horses, including how to spot abuse and neglect.

She said she has seen a rise in the number of calls to check on the health of horses and livestock.

"The cost of hay and the economy the way it is, we're starting to find now ... we're getting more calls about the welfare of horses," Moreland said. "It's the same thinking of the dogs running loose and other animals ... we get calls about dogs being left in houses that have been foreclosed on, so we have to go check on that."

"They'll leave them there or running loose," she added.

The same sometimes happens with horses, according to the deputy.

"It's a lot harder to get horses because they tend to run off quicker. ... Dogs are a little more trusting, I think, sometimes than horses are so perhaps it takes a little more time to get," Moreland said, recalling one incident in which it took her about four hours to round up four loose horses.

While she acknowledges being a dog lover, Moreland said she also likes horses and has learned more about them and other animals since joining the Sheriff's Office about two years ago.

Animal control officers not only work for local law enforcement; they also have to abide by guidelines set by the Virginia Department of Agriculture, Moreland said. Required equipment includes gloves, leashes, a catch pole, a pair of snake tongs, cat tongs, cages, water and bowls, and a bucket of grain.

Treats come in handy, Moreland said, especially when enticing a loose dog to come near enough for her to catch and hold it. Most of Moreland's calls come from people reporting dogs running at large. But driving cross-county means covering a lot of distance to make it to those calls.

"Some you can catch, some you can't," Moreland said.

* Contact Alex Bridges at abridges@nvdaily.com