Florida Woman Faces Felony Animal Cruelty Charges After Horses Seized

A Florida woman is facing felony animal cruelty charges after three horses in extremely poor condition were seized from her care, authorities said.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation began back in December 2024 when they received a complaint about a thin horse at 6190 Winning Wood Trail in DeLeon Springs. The responding deputy arrived to find Kash, a 26-year-old Sorel horse, “in poor shape.”

Owner Twila Guzman, 57, told deputies she was in the process of getting medical care for Kash. Deputies later learned Guzman canceled a dentist appointment scheduled for Jan. 16, 2025, and said she didn’t think it was a good idea because Kash’s condition had declined.

The deputy, continuing to check on Kash’s care, met Guzman again on Jan. 29. On Jan. 30, the sheriff’s office’s Agriculture Crimes Unit seized Kash and a white pony named Candy from 1994 Cemetery Road in Seville, a property where they had been relocated. A horse named Marshmallow was also seized from a property in Pierson.

At a rescue facility, veterinarians found that Kashs spine, hip, and rib bones were visible through his skin and his hooves appeared to be overgrown. Kash had visible signs of thrush, a bacterial infection of the hoof, and had multiple abscesses through his hooves. The veterinarian said Kash’s life expectancy was “very grim.”

Candy’s spine, ribs, and hip bones were visible through the skin “even with an abundance of fur,” and she had an abnormally slow heart rate and abnormal breathing in her lungs. She was seen lying on the ground at the facility multiple times for “unknown reasons.”

Marshmallow had overgrown hooves and an abnormal breathing rhythm.

On Feb. 7, Guzman officially refused to surrender the animals to the sheriff’s office, and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She was taken into custody Feb. 27 and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on two counts of felony cruelty to animals and three counts of unlawful confinement/abandonment of animals without sufficient food or water.