NEW ULM — A 44-year-old rural Sleepy Eye woman facing 20 misdemeanor counts of animal mistreatment went on trial Tuesday in Brown County District Court.

Candi J. Lemarr was charged after the Brown County Sheriff ‘s Office seized seven horses and three donkeys from her Sapphire Equestrian Farm in November 2020 because they were reported to be malnourished, according to court documents.

Seven underweight horses were found without adequate food or bedding at the farm, according to the complaint. The Brown County Sheriff ‘s Office brought a veterinarian to the farm after receiving a complaint from an individual who boarded horses at the farm.

The animals were held at the Minnesota Hooved Animal Reserve in Zimmerman.

Lemarr petitioned for the animals to be returned, claiming they were well cared for and she was coerced by law enforcement to turn over the animals. She testified in a civil case hearing that she needed the horses for her riding program.

In January 2021, Brown County District Court Judge Robert Docherty ruled that Lemarr voluntarily gave up the animals and denied her request for an evidentiary hearing.

Lemarr appealed the judge’s decision to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Her oral argument was heard by the Minnesota Court of Appeals Sept. 21, 2021 on Zoom. An opinion on the issue is not yet available.

In the trial Tuesday, Assistant Brown County Attorney Jill Jensen said the case is about 10 animals neglected by Lemarr and the State will prove that the animals were mistreated.

Lemarr’s attorney James J. Kuettner of Mankato said Lemarr was an executive vice president of an east coast-based, multi-national technological corporation who grew up in Brown County, is a life-long horse lover and chose to come home to become a youth riding coach and create riding programs for children with disabilities.

Kuettner said he has photographs of the horses from Lemarr’s farm with distinctive markings that don’t match those sent by others from Lemarr’s farm.

“I think mistakes were made here,” Kuettner said. “One witness will say that Lemarr went above and beyond caring for her horses.”

The first witness Jensen called was Stacey L. Meyer, of Fayetteville, Iowa. Meyer testified she has been around horses since age four, and that she and her husband at the time wanted to raise thoroughbreds. she was involved in every aspect of caring for horses including what they were fed.

“We (Lemarr and Meyer) were quite close friends in 2017 and 2018,” Meyer testified. “Initially, we gave her a couple horses to retrain for jumping (over fences), to sell them for more money.”

She testified she had seen photos of the horses Lemarr posted on Facebook and Instagram.

The jury trial continues at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Brown County District Court.