Neighbors complain after horses arrive at Detroit home

DETROIT (WJBK) - Neighbors living in one Southwest Detroit neighborhood say nay to ponies and the city agrees.

Two horses were spotted at a home on Lyon Street and were reported to FOX 2 by a neighbor who said they were being neglected. So we went knocking and found another neighbor who said they were being cared for.

But is someone even allowed to own these kinds of animals in the City limits? The answer is no. Horses - or any other farm animal - are not allowed to be owned in Detroit.

No one came to the door at the home on Lyon Street.

According to neighbors, they're new to the neighborhood and have only been there for about a month. One neighbor says they have to go.

"They're so much poop back there I bet, I can't imagine. I can't even sit in my yard because when the wind blows, it smells like I'm on a phone."

However, Shantanya Smith lives across the street from the home and says they're okay with her.

"They clean up after them and everything. They're nice ponies. I don't see why someone would say they're being neglected. They're out all day. They have water. They have everything they need," Smith said.

The other neighbor disagrees, saying they have to go.

"I just hope the horses get removed and take away. That white, you can go and touch it and your hands will be filthy. I fed them with my wife giving them carrots and stuff. You just touch that white one a few times, and your hands are filthy," the neighbor said.

A spokesperson for Detroit's Health Department tells FOX 2 an inspector went to the home after we made them aware. The animals are in good physical condition, but they don't have the proper shelter, and the owners are cooperating. The city is in the process of finding a horse rescue for the animals.