Blanchard Couple Pleads Not Guilty In Horse Abuse Case

A couple from Blanchard, Oklahoma arrested for horse abuse has pleaded not guilty to animal abuse charges.

Mary Thompson, 54, and Darrell Thompson, 55, were arrested after deputies discovered their three horses are in poor health. Both Mary and Darrell Thompson bonded out of jail Friday for $3,000 each.

Preliminary hearing for the couple is set for 9 a.m. on March 28, 2012.

According to the Sheriff's Office, on November 9, 2011, deputies responded to a report of animal abuse at a house located in the 16000 block of 230th Street in Blanchard.

Deputies found three horses in poor condition in a small pasture as they arrived. The pasture was full of weeds and there was no grass, authorities said. Deputies then made contact with Darrell Thompson at the house, who said the horses belong to his wife, Mary Thompson. The couple agreed to sign the horses over to a local horse rescue operation.

A veterinarian determined one of the horses was not going to survive and had to be euthanized. The other two horses are now being nursed back to health at the horse rescue organization, authorities said.