Bay Area ranch manager charged after horse dies from neglect

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The manager of a popular horse riding ranch in the South Bay has been charged with animal cruelty after a horse she was supposed to care for died from malnutrition and heat stroke, authorities said.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The manager of a popular horse riding ranch in the South Bay has been charged with animal cruelty after a horse she was supposed to care for died from malnutrition and heat stroke, authorities said.

Reports of animal abuse

What we know:

Jennifer Bryant, 25, was a manager at Chaparral Ranch’s Bear Creek Stables in Los Gatos. Chaparral Ranch provides horseback rides and riding lessons at several locations.

Animal control officers had received complaints about abused horses at the property, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.  In March 2024, officers visited the site and found a horse named Honey that had lice and appeared sickly, prosecutors said.

Authorities said Honey was unable to stand, severely emaciated, and infested with intestinal worms, a condition experts said could have been averted with proper care.

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A veterinarian evaluated Honey the next day and recommended a special diet of alfalfa hay, along with a follow-up appointment. Prosecutors said Bryant failed to schedule the follow-up. Instead, Honey was moved to a different location and was not given the prescribed diet, according to authorities.

Honey died four months later

Dig deeper:

In July, animal control officers were notified of a downed horse at a Chaparral Ranch property on Weller Road in Milpitas. Officers found Honey still in poor condition. Bryant told them she had noticed the horse losing weight two weeks earlier and said the condition was due to allergies.

Honey was euthanized that day.

"Honey the horse didn’t have to die like this – emaciated and malnourished on a hot day in July," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. "Proper care in line with a veterinarian’s recommendations could have prevented this outcome, but Honey wasn’t given that chance. All animals deserve a life free of abuse and neglect."

Bryant is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on charges of animal cruelty.