When investigators arrived at the location, there were approximately 35 horses in the round pen. Little had changed since our last visit: The pen was still covered with thick mud and the horses still had insufficient access to shelter. There were two plastic water troughs visible in the pen, one was turned over and the other one was broken and only capable of holding very little water. Several horses were emaciated. A black thoroughbred caught the investigators attention: He was very thin and his front leg and sides were covered with sores and open wounds. Additionally, he had trouble putting weight on the right front leg, he tried to move as little as possible and was licking the sores. He was very skittish and would not let anyone approach him. A 
slaughter tag had already been attached. During the day, several trucks with stock trailers pulled into the lot and unloaded horses. Nickerson’s single deck and double deck trailer were parked at the barn on the other side. Investigators left when there appeared to be no more activity. However, when they returned the next morning, the majority of the horses were gone.
