Thumbnail photo courtesy of dnfair.org. The discovery of a dead horse at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds has led to a California Highway Patrol investigation, authorities confirmed last week. Officers responded to the fairgrounds, a state facility, at about 4:14 p.m. on March 21 and found the deceased animal in the horse stalls, the CHP reported on March 25. According to a statement posted to the fairgrounds website, the deceased animal was in a stall its owner had rented prompting fairgrounds management to alert law enforcement. “We recognize the concern this has caused and appreciate the public’s patience and understanding,” officials stated. Officials were unable to provide further information, however Cadance Salas, a local farrier who cared for the horse’s hooves, said a youth and a parent who participates in her 4H group had found the deceased animal during the DNATL Seed & Plant Exchange and notified fairgrounds manager Kimberly Floyd. Salas said she also went to the stables to investigate. “She was obviously emaciated,” Salas told Redwood Voice Community News, adding that the animal is an 11-year-old mare. “She had probably been a body condition 2 at best before passing.” Salas said she knows the horse’s owner. She posted photos of the animal and the conditions it was in to Facebook on March 24, stating that it was already decomposing. Salas’ Facebook post has since been removed, however. On Thursday, Salas told Redwood Voice that she had been trimming the horse’s hooves about every six weeks, though the last time she had seen the animal was in November. When she last saw the horse, Salas said it appeared that she had lost a bit of muscle, which isn’t unusual for an animal that is being boarded at the fairgrounds. Salas said she hadn’t seen anything she felt was alarming enough to be reported to fairgrounds management. “As a farrier, legally we can’t make any diagnoses or any of that,” she said. “Diagnostics is out of our licensing or certifications, but we can make recommendations to see the vet or (say), ‘Hey, you know I’m starting to notice this, you might want to bring it up at a vet appointment.’” However, Salas said, while the horse’s stall wasn’t clean, she was healthy and she had water. Though Floyd declined to comment on the situation further, beyond the fairgrounds’ official statement, Salas told Redwood Voice that its horse stalls are rented on a month-to-month basis. It’s a self-care facility, she said, meaning it’s up to the owner to see to the animals’ needs. “You come twice-a-day,” she said. “There’s a time limit — you have to be there before 9 a.m. for the horse’s sake and before 6 p.m. to feed. Your monthly payment goes toward a key card that opens the gate and you have full access to ride there. There is water provided and each kid or adult has a tack room where they can store hay, grain, their tack, anything.” Both single and double stalls are available, Salas said. The horse’s owner declined to comment.