Nearly 30 horses were sickened this week in Rancho Santa Fe after they ate poisonous oleander leaves.
Bill Tomin, who has worked at the Rockridge Ranch since the 1980s, said the animals were poisoned in the middle of Wednesday night. Three of the horses were so ill they had to leave the ranch for treatment, while 26 others were cared for at the ranch and are being monitored.
It's not known who fed the horses the leaves, which Tomin said he had been keeping in his refrigerator. He said the animals had been tricked into eating the plant by someone who mixed the leaves with apples and carrots.
The sheriff's office was called out to the ranch to investigate the incident.
Many San Diego commuters see oleander every day -- the flowering plant is used to beautify the central dividers on freeways around the county.
