Soapbox time.

Regardless of papers or performance, I hate to think of anyone breeding horses when thousands are being neglected and starved to death across the country because there are so many unwanted, or in many cases, well-loved but owners are simply unable to afford their care.

Why roll the genetic dice when you can pick up a great prospect -- in any breed, for any discipline, any age or color -- for pennies on the dollar compared to what they were valued at just a few years ago?

America's horse population has nearly doubled in 10 years to over 9 million and now with fuel and feed prices high and incomes low, there is a huge *need* for horse lovers to rescue and rehab rather than breed.

I'm XP, and I approve this message.

Michigan: Malnourished horse abandoned.

Too close for comfort, this story begins within an hour away, and ends just a few miles from home.

This story broke with a frantic plea for help on Craigslist:

I am in need of a caring person to give this horse a forever home. This is the story:

Two nights ago in the middle of the night I was woke up by my dogs barking and my little filly hollering. I ran outside to check on all my animals to make sure everything was ok, i just had a bad feeling ... what I found was disturbing.



It was a VERY, VERY skinny TB mare standing on the edge of the road eating grass, quiet as can be—just enjoying the food presented to her. After brain-storming and looking around the road, putting everything together I figured out she had just been dropped off like a stray dog and then when I found the halter laying on the edge of the road I really knew that she was literally just dropped off.



She is the most gentle, loving mare ever and seems to be sound and healthy, besides being very underweight. I am guessing she is in her mid to upper teens. She is great with one strand of hot wire and the other horses.



I would really love to keep her but I just don't feel like I can truly give her what she needs. She needs special grain and lots of groceries. Her feet are good and she has a upbeat personality. She is around 15.3 HH.

I am hoping I can find someone with the time and funding to bring her back and give her a chance ... if you're that special someone PLEASE contact me!!

Thanks you so much for taking the time to read this! Hope to hear from you ...

A fellow horse lover on a message board copied the post, and the ad submitter joined the board and shared additional information.

Over the course of several posts and replies, it was revealed that months earlier the horse had been rescued by the farm it was returned to, after having been adopted out to a "forever" home.

This is a picture of her before I re-homed her in June. I had her for 2-3 weeks. She has lost a lot of weight since then. I feel even worse for her now ... I originally obtained her because people couldn't feed her anymore; they were losing their house. I took her in, and re-homed her to ****. She was starved and dropped off at my house this weekend ...

It is assumed that the adopter could no longer care for the horse, and—not wishing her to die slowly of starvation or be dumped at auction with a good chance of leaving on a one-way trip to Canada—chose to leave her with the former owner under cover of night.

Another message board regular, after responding to the Craigslist ad along with dozens of other concerned horse lovers, stepped forward to take on the rehabilitation of this skinny mare. This story will most likely have a happy ending.


Now, what should happen next?

Some say the law should be alerted, that animal cruelty charges should be filed.

The horse could have been killed, or even worse, caused a fatal car accident involving innocent human lives as well.

However, I see another side to the issue.

I imagine these are the actions of someone desperate, rather than criminal-minded.

Dumping a horse by the road is a bad choice—no two ways about it—but there are worse fates awaiting horses that cannot be adequately cared for by their well-meaning owners or adopters.

I put it this way:
Better a baby in a basket on the porch,
than a baby in a dumpster.

I would hesitate to further punish the person who could no longer care for the horse and likely saw their actions as saving her life, because the next person who could no longer feed their horse could be scared away from leaving it somewhere it could be saved and may instead dump it at auction, in a remote area where it could be days or weeks before the horse gets care, or even keep it in a barn or remote field for weeks while it slowly starves, out of sight of those who could help.

But I see things differently than many.

Illinois: Doctor found guilty.

Anyone have details on this case? I find it hard to believe that horses walking through mud constitutes animal cruelty ... muddy spots can be found on most equestrian trails at state parks, and if that is cruelty we're all guilty.

Also, many horse owners feed large round bales of hay, and the outer layer of those not stored indoors may be moldy, but inside that "crust" of wasted hay is hundreds of pounds of good quality hay just like those who feed square bales give their horses.

Surely there is more to this story.

Doctor guilty of dozens of animal cruelty charges [link]
Associated Press | Sept. 21, 2008

CHARLESTON, IL—A Coles County judge has found a doctor guilty of dozens of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges stemming from the mistreatment of horses.

County animal officials testified the underfed horses on Ernest Rose's farm near Charleston had to slog through mud to find water and were fed only moldy hay.

Rose was charged in 2007 with nearly 200 misdemeanor offenses including violation of owner's duties, cruelty to animals and the improper disposal of dead animals.

Circuit Judge Mitchell Shick found Rose guilty of most of the charges. The judge said the 72 horses found on Rose's farm "were in distress for a number of weeks, if not months."

Defense attorney Michael Tague says he and Rose are disappointed in the ruling. Rose's sentencing is slated for November 21.

Will be watching for that outcome.

Oklahoma: Horses seized, 'appeared' malnourished.

Another reason to keep your horses where they can't be seen from the road? My horse could "appear" to be malnourished, the way he will reach as far as he can under the fence for the greener grass on the other side. I mean, if authorities don't have equine training, how do they know it doesn't mean he's starving?!

Horses seized in northeast Norman [link]
Tom Blakey | Sep. 19, 2008

Norman animal welfare officers, with the assistance of Norman police, Friday served a search warrant at 14400 E. Bethel Road in far northeast Norman, and seized eight horses and one dog from a man already facing six felony counts of animal cruelty.

Norman Police Capt. Leonard Judy said animal welfare officers earlier in the week observed and photographed from the road horses that "appeared to them to be malnourished" and contacted investigators.

To better evaluate the horses and look for other animals in possible need of care, officials drafted and presented a search warrant to court officials, and a district court judge Thursday signed the warrant, Judy said.

"Police and animal welfare officers served the search warrant Friday morning, and in the course of serving the warrant, seized eight horses and one dog that, in the opinion of animal control officers, appeared to be in poor condition or were being kept in poor conditions and without what they needed for their health and welfare," Judy said.

A return on the warrant will be filed in Cleveland County District Court, citing what was found on the property, and it will be up to the district attorney to decide whether to file animal cruelty charges, Judy said.

"The welfare of the animals is our main concern," he said.

No arrests were made at the scene, Judy said.

Norman resident Leslie Paul Lambeth, 71, is facing six counts of cruelty to animals, after police and animal welfare officers went to the same property March 25 and reported finding 27 horses in various stages of malnutrition. Four dogs also were taken into custody at the time, officials said.

The animals were returned to Lambeth in April, following a motion filed in civil court and subsequent hearing. The court ruled it was proper for the animals to be returned under certain conditions, put in place to ensure their care and welfare, city officials said. The parties were required to agree on conditions pertaining to the animals' care and supervision.

According to the previously filed charges, Lambeth failed to provide necessary food and/or water and/or veterinary care for a 21-year-old mare, a 1-year-old mare, a 4-year-old mare, a 2-year-old paint horse, a 15-year-old Arab horse and a 2-year-old Rottweiler dog.

The animals seized Friday were being kept at a secure location where they were receiving veterinary evaluation and care, police said.

Lambeth's preliminary hearing on the previously filed charges has been continued to 9 a.m. Oct. 27 before Special Judge Rod Ring. Lambeth is being represented by attorney Fred Shaeffer. Prosecuting the case is City Attorney Brian D. Hall.

Will see if I can find something on the March charges involving 5 horses out of 27.

Oregon: Rescued horse finds home.

Anyone from Oregon want to comment with the going price for a bale of hay?

Abused Horse Adopted [link]
Carolyn Carver | Sep. 19, 2008

One of four severely malnourished horses rescued about a month ago is now recovering with a new adopted family.

Five horses were originally rescued from a Central Point home by animal control toward the end of August.

One died of starvation almost immediately.

The Equamore Foundation in Ashland took in the other four horses.

The two mares and two stallions showed signs of starvation and their unkempt feet and manes showed long term neglect, the organizations volunteers said.

But with the costs of caring for horses going up, Sarah, the healthiest of the four horses was adopted by one of the organizations volunteers, Barbara Reel.

And taken home to finish the long road to recovery.

"She seemed to be so appreciative of the good care. it's hard to describe, I mean horses sometimes don't show a lot of emotion but she was definitely happy to be rescued," Reel said.

Now Sarah is living at an Eagle Point ranch with eight other horses.

But reel said she would like to know more about Sarah's history so that she help her recover the best she can.

Volunteers at the Equamore Foundation said the other three horses are still recovering and they are starting to feel more comfortable and confident around people.

I couldn't help but highlight how reporters think that an "unkempt mane" is a sign of neglect. I'd like to show one how I can have my horses' long, thick mane absolutely perfect one day, and he can have a mass of wind snarls (like dredlocks) the next. If they don't have bows and barrettes like a toy dog they're clearly abused?

Likewise, my horse is "definitely happy" to be covered from head to hoof in mud. I know this because if a drop of water from a hose touches him, he immediately goes and rolls in the only bare spot in the entire pasture.

New York: Seized horses returned.

SPCA cannot properly accommodate horses, but hold necessary paperwork hostage?

GRAND ISLAND: Sparks’ horses back at the Post [link]
After favorable ruling, Spark’s homecoming almost aborted

Niagara Gazette | September 19, 2008

In a matter of hours on Friday the Spark’s Trading Post gang went from uncertainty to exaltation interrupted by surprise followed by frustration back to the sheer joy of taking their seized horses and sheep home again.

“Nipper snickered as soon as he saw the trailer,” said Debbie Plumeri, who drove the big horse rig from Bedell Road on Grand Island to the SPCA facility on Ensminger Road to reclaim “their babies.”

“Our barn is complete again,” she said a few hours after the homecoming—that almost didn’t happen.

After easily loading the horses onto the trailer, SPCA officials said they would not release the results of blood tests/health screenings for the horses that are required before being transported.

“It could have delayed getting the horses to the ranch by days if not weeks,” said Patrick Wesp, attorney for Peter Sparks. “And we weren’t going to transport them illegally.”

A call to SPCA attorney Thomas Viksjo resolved the matter, however, advising the SPCA to release the results of the tests, which screen for an equine disease similar to HIV.

In addition to the return of his 12 horses and five sheep, Sparks is also off the hook for $10,000 in seizure and boarding costs accrued by the Erie County SPCA.

However, the criminal case against Sparks that he neglected the 17 animals — which were transported off his ranch Aug. 12 — continues.

Even so, Wesp expects the case to be dismissed because of what he said is the SPCA’s faulty search warrant. He says the violations listed on the warrant do not match what they cited to take the animals away.

According to Frentzel’s ruling, the horses were being returned to Sparks mainly because the Ensminger Road location “lacks the necessary facilities to accommodate 12 horses for an extended period of time.”

“Had the horses been stabled at other facilities or barns the courts’ opinion in this case may have been different,” he said.

Frentzel went on to authorize regular visits to Spark’s “to ascertain if the animals are receiving necessary food, water and shelter, including proper medical care.”

Most counties lack the facilities to accomodate horses ... animal control is primarily in the business of dogs, cats and other small household pets. Livestock should be governed by an agency familiar with agricultural norms and large animal husbandry practices. Most animal control officers have no experience with large animals, and in many cases of seizure—it shows.

POLL: Horses only for the rich?

I want you to view a brief YouTube video article from the Wall Street Journal, and then comment on this poll question:

Should horse ownership be a luxury limited to those persons with $100-400 a month in "expendable income" per horse?

Mississippi: Owner under attack.

Incredible. More ignorance. Hard luck, or hardened criminal? Watch the video.

Hungry Horses [link]
Cheryl Lasseter | Sep 17, 2008

Joseph Tucker of Church Road in Fannin admits his horses are hungry, but he says they're not starving. 3 On Your Side saw two of his horses Wednesday, and neither of them looked healthy.

"Any time they lose weight their ribs are gonna show," he told us.

Tucker says he doesn't have enough grass to keep them fat. He says he feeds them horse feed every day, but right now he can't provide enough grass because new development behind his property is eroding his land.

"There was a creek taking water all around me, now it's washing the property away," he says.

Tucker says an animal control officer came to his residence on Monday. He told the officer he was making plans to move the horses to a bigger pasture on Holly Bush Road next week. Tucker told the officer he had arranged for a veterinarian to visit his home Wednesday evening to assess the horses' health.

As we were talking, Tucker's son approached and advised his father not to speak to our news crew.

"They just want to show their side of the story," the son said. Tucker initially said he wanted to continue talking to us, then changed his mind.

We talked long enough to learn that Tucker has owned one of the horses for six months, long enough to breed a mare. Rankin County Animal Control tells us he owns three horses and one colt.

Animal Control says, while the horses may be eating, they shouldn't be as thin as they are. Animal Control is waiting to hear back from the veterinarian. If they don't hear back by Monday, September 22, the horses will probably be seized.

WHAT?! These horses are NOT malnourished, not even CLOSE to emaciated. Yes, they look to be a little underweight, but not in danger. Tucker's son was right to be concerned. The clearly horse-ignorant reporter was gunning for a sound byte, a slip, something to make the owner into a heartless abuser rather than the victim he seemed to be in this situation.

Cheryl, you made yourself look like a fool to all of us who know horses.

If Rankin County Animal Control chooses to seize these horses, there will be public outrage.





These two show a horse that is slightly under ideal weight, maybe. Hard to tell at this distance. But if it were malnourished, you would be able to see signs.




Another of the horses. Most of the video, he is in shadow, but you can see him walk and he also does not seem to be more than slightly underweight.

A third horse pictured, pinto or paint, was mainly obstructed by foliage and I didn't screencap the image, but you can see it in the video. Nothing said "malnourished" in any of the footage.



(Hey Cheryl, that's three horses, not two ... did you perhaps mistake one "dark colored" horse for another? I'd like to know what vet school you went to—what makes you qualified to deem a shiny, fed horse "unhealthy" from a distance?)

You bet I sent an email ... will keep you all posted on any responses.

Washington: update on Stevens County case.

re: Horse Slaughter Debate: Washington - malnourished horses.

Another article on the case. Once again, horses are finding new homes before the defendants have their day in court. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?

I'm still skeptical, maybe by nature or maybe from experience... one horse was for sure malnourished, but the other two seemed simply underweight and not in danger.

Abused horses are on the road to rehab [link]
KXLY.com | Sep 17, 2008

SPOKANE—Less than two weeks after being rescued from Stevens County, three malnourished horses are on the road to recovery.

After rescuers found three horses starving and underweight, they're starting new lives with new names.

"I couldn't believe I was seeing it in real life," said Dan Olson, who adopted one of the horses. "I don't know, I can't even explain it."

Two weeks ago, Rocky Stallion and Cinderella got a second chance. Both were severely malnourished after being rescued from Stevens County. The smallest of the two barely able to stand.

Now both horses have new outlooks and new names. Rocky now answers to "Chance" and Cinderella's new nickname is "C.C."

"We hemmed and hahhed and hemmed and hahhed, and we knew it was going to be a huge task," said Kim Olson.

C.C. was taken in by the Olson's, but the horse has a long way to go. She's about two years old, but is only half the size she should be.

"She's going to be pretty fragile, and not really out of the woods for about four months," said Kim.

Chance is a lot better off but still underweight.

"I have horses myself, and you can't see their ribs," said Joleen Williams who adopted Chance. "Looking at my mare the other day, I couldn't even feel some of the bones you see on him."

Williams' adopted Chance after hearing about the malnourished horses. She hopes he'll become her riding companion.

"He isn't halter broke, hopefully get some weight on him during the winter, send him to a trainer, so I can start riding him," she said.

And for C.C., those who've grown to love her say a happy ending is planned.

"I'd really like her to pull a cart, and take her to kids camps and little junior parades because of her deformities and her Cinderella story," said Dan.

Many local businesses and individuals have been helping with the horse's rehabilitation. The third horse, IB Spotless, may soon be adopted by a new owner.

Um, if you can't feel your horses' ribs, the horse is OBESE. That's really not a good thing. That is no healthier than being somewhat underweight, and in some cases, it is far worse. (See the Obese Horse of the Day blog.)



"Rocky/Chance" is underweight. Does underweight mean, needs to be rescued? Not always. If being obese is worse than being somewhat underweight, should animal control also be seizing "fat" horses? If no, why not?

The trend of losing your horse because you can see ribs, regardless of other issues, is very disturbing. Facing felony charges and having horse-ignorant judges and juries determine your fate is alarming.





Look at "Cinderella/C.C." just two weeks after the original video and screencaps. See how much better she looks after just two weeks? Truth is, a horse can go downhill just as quickly, and we don't know why she was skinny when seized or even if the owner she was taken from is the party responsible for her scarred nose.

In addition, a two year old of a certain breed, or even a bloodline within a breed, is genetically predispositioned to be larger or smaller than a horse the same age with different lineage. You can't put a pair of horses the same age next to each other and expect them to be the same size. If you're going to try to make a point, at least make it a valid one.

I want to know more about this case. Why has there been no coverage of the previous owner and the situation that led to this "rescue"?

Oregon: 9 million horses in U.S., supply exceeds demand.

This is news because there is a solution to the problem, but no one wants to talk about it.

Economy puts horses in peril [link]
Elissa Harrington | Sep 18, 2008

JUNCTION CITY, Ore. - The horse industry has hit a low. Experts say horses are just too expensive to keep and supply exceeds demand.

"There's 9.2 million horses in the United States," says Bruce Anderson of the Eugene Livestock Auction. "The problem is there's not 9.2 million people who want them."

More horses than ever are being sold, auctioned for as cheap as $20, malnourished, and even abandoned.

"They're finding dead carcasses with shoes on which means it's people abandoning horses," says Anderson. "I guess people feel good sending them back to the wild. That's probably the saddest part. They think they're saving themselves money and doing something good for the horse by turning it loose but it's probably a far crueler demise for a horse than anything I've ever heard of."

So just how did it get this bad? Experts I talked to say three main reasons.

One, the price of fertilizer and hay have skyrocketed. Feed prices have doubled and it now costs around 100 dollars a month to feed just one horse.

Two, record high fuel prices. This affects farmers who grow the feed as well as horse owners who haul the animals to rodeos and shows. "It costs a lot of money to cone from Washington, Idaho, and California," says Dewey Hofar of H & E Feed in West Eugene. "So the numbers at shows are dwindling."

Three, the recent ban on U.S. horse slaughter. Explains Hofar, "If you have an older horse you have nothing you can do with it. Now you're flooding the market with horses."

So what's being done? There are some local horse rescue agencies but Anderson and Hofar tell me, unless the economy drastically improves, the future of these animals could be in jeopardy.

People agree on one and two. The emotion reaction to three keeps horses in danger of a slow, lingering death by neglect and malnutrition.

By the way, there is no federal ban on horse slaughter, however, a ban on transporting a horse to slaughter could effectively end that option.

New Mexico: neglected horses' owners sought.

How did the boarders not notice this sooner?

Sheriff's deputies looking for owners of neglected horses [link]
KVIA | Sep 18, 2008

SOCORRO -- The Animal Cruelty Heartline of El Paso (ACHE) has spent close to $3,000 caring for two horses seized from a Socorro property late August, according to court documents.

What was supposed to be an eviction notice in Socorro turned into an animal rescue operation. Sheriff officials were looking Norberto Roldan to serve an eviction notice at his property, which is located at 999 Rio Vista in Socorro.

When they arrived, Roldan was gone, detectives discovered he had left behind 21 horses and 3 goats at his property. Roldan was not the owner of the any of the horses, documents state.

Detectives with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office said the animals were all in need of food, water and a clean place. The area was infested with flies and covered in manure, they added.

Documents state two of the horses were severely neglected and awarded permanent custody of them to the ACHE. Authorities are still trying to track down the owners of those two horses.

Roldan was ordered to pay $82 dollars in court costs.

If you board your horses, you still need to check up on them. It is incredible that none of the owners of these 21 horses knew that the property manager was being evicted.

Brief on bill.

News tidbit.

House Judiciary Committee debates horse slaughter bill [link]
Drovers.com | Sep. 17, 2008

Many segments of the livestock industry oppose the ban on horse slaughter, citing implications for meat processing in other species, as well as the unintended consequences of the bill on horse welfare. NCBA sent a letter to House Judiciary leadership detailing the legislation’s flaws, saying, “This bill is the most recent attempt to eliminate a humane animal management option by banning the processing of horses for reasons other than safety or public health. The legislation was introduced to protect horse welfare, but the provisions of this bill will do more to harm horses than it will to protect them.”

Since state laws have banned horse processing, the number of abandoned, neglected and starving horses has increased, according to many reports.

XP

Kentucky: update on recent case.

More on a case reported earlier this week.

Animal cruelty case heads to grand jury [link]
Brad Hicks | Sep. 17, 2008

The Knox County couple facing multiple counts of cruelty to animals after dead and malnourished animals were found on their property was in Knox County District Court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing. Their case was sent to the grand jury.

Last week, officials from the Knox County Sheriff’s Department responded to a complaint of malnourished horses at the Jarvis-area residence of Earl Enlow, 24, and Melanie Rogers, 22. There, officials discovered at least one horse, a rabbit, five dogs, one cat and three roosters dead on the property. Only the cat had been buried, and the other animals had decomposed throughout the yard. Officials from the Knox-Whitley Animal Shelter also seized 13 living dogs and six horses.

Enlow and Rogers were arrested Wednesday and are now facing 19 counts of first-degree cruelty to animals each. Recently, laws were changed to make these charges felonies in the state of Kentucky.

A grand jury could possibly return indictments against Enlow and Rogers on Sept. 26 in Knox County Circuit Court.

XP

Unintended consequences indeed.

More...

Horse Industry Opposes Bill That Would Criminalize Sale Or Transport Of Horses For Processing [link]
Judiciary committee set to vote on horse legislation.

Jason Vance | Sep. 17, 2008

A vote that was originally scheduled for last week will be held by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Up for debate and vote is H.R. 6598, which would make it a felony to sell or transport a horse for the purpose of slaughter. The bill is not supported by the horse industry including the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners and other agricultural groups.

"In the last week the AAEP has been communicating to its membership about the pending vote in the Judiciary Committee and urging them to contact their representatives and share their opposition to the bill," says Sally Baker, AAEP director of public relations. "We've really been using grassroots efforts to let them know from a veterinarian's perspective what the negative impact is going to be on the unwanted horse population."

Since state laws were used to close the few remaining processing plants for horse, the number of unwanted and neglected horses has risen dramatically. Tom Lenz, a veterinarian and former president of the AAEP, says the bill doesn't really address the core issue which is what to do with these horses that are no longer wanted or needed.

"If we are going to prohibit people selling or transporting the horses to a processing plant, then who is going to provide funding or infrastructure to take care of them, because obviously the owners can't or they wouldn't be selling them," Lenz says. "I think that's why most of the horse industry opposes this legislation; it's not that they're pro-slaughter, but they don't have the funding to take care of the horses that would result from this legislation."

Several members of the Judiciary Committee have already signed on as co-sponsors of the legislation and Lenz expects the bill to likely be passed out of committee and go to the House floor. Baker says AAEP agrees with Lenz's assessment and is continuing to work to educate members of Congress.

"Veterinarians are the people that in this whole process are the voice and the individual that has the best concern for the welfare of the horse," Baker says. "We hope Congress will listen to the many members of not only our organization, but others who have similar credentials, and hear their concerns about the unintended consequences that we are already seeing to some degree because of the closure of the plants in the U.S."

XP

Montana: slaughter bill questioned.

More than just a few vets are concerned.

Horse slaughter bill concerns some veterinarians [link]
Billings Gazette/Associated Press | Sep. 17, 2008

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Some veterinarians worry that a bill banning horse owners from knowingly sending the animals to slaughter would increase abuse and neglect.

The House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on a bill today that would send horse owners, dealers or veterinarians to prison if they send a horse to slaughter knowing that the meat may be consumed by humans. Horse meat is considered a delicacy by some in Europe and Asia.

A first offense would be a misdemeanor, but a second could mean prison time. The bill would be subject to approval by the U.S. House and Senate if it passes through the judiciary committee.

Court rulings and pressure from such groups as The Humane Society have closed the final three U.S. slaughter plants. That forced owners to ship unwanted horses to Canada or Mexico.

Doug Corey is an Oregon horse veterinarian and a former president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. He says making slaughter a crime would force some people to turn their domestic horses loose to face death on the roads or starvation. He also says increased hay costs and lower horse resale prices are making it harder to care for the animals.

Don't let extremist groups force sweeping legislation.

HR 6598 updates today.

Updating on H.R. 6598

Some Committee Members Puzzled By Horse Trafficking Bill [link]
CattleNetwork.com | Sep. 17, 2008

Readers have been asking us about the results of the Judiciary Committee's vote on H.R. 6598, the Equine Cruelty bill. We had alerted readers that the Committee had scheduled a vote for last Wednesday, Sept. 10.

The bill would criminalize the knowing possession, sale, delivery or transport of horses for slaughter for human consumption across state lines or international borders, punishable with fines and prison terms from one to three years.

The committee conducted only a little discussion of the bill during their session but did not vote. Several days later the committee had still not published any transcripts. Sources on Capitol Hill tell us the discussion the committee did conduct raised some of the same questions we asked in our last Sentinel. Committee members asked why this issue was coming up in front of the Judiciary Committee, instead of some more germane committee and why Congress was considering at all the criminalizing of selling horses that might be consumed by humans.

Of course, part of the reason for this strange route for a bill affecting farmers, ranchers and horse owners is the subject matter. When Humane Society of the U.S. CEO Wayne Pacelle appeared last year before a House subcommittee with some knowledge and appropriate jurisdiction over animal agriculture, he did not get the reception he wanted.

The hearing regarding the welfare of animals in agriculture was held in May 2007 by the Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry. Afterwards, Pacelle called the hearing "sophomoric," and said, "the Agriculture Committee's knee-jerk hostility to modest animal welfare measures simply means we will have to do an end [run] around the committees or do it on the floor," according to agricultural political correspondent Jerry Hagstrom ("Farm, Animal Welfare Groups Clash Over Animal Protection" Congress Daily, 5/9/07).

So, apparently, this route for H.R. 6598 is one of Pacelle's end runs. His testimony last year covered production animal agriculture, like laying hens, gestation crates, veal calves, foie gras and downer animals, as well as poultry slaughter and dog and cat issues.

Pacelle was promoting legislation even then that used the power of the federal government's food purchasing, for programs like the school lunch program, to force back door changes in animal production practices. The bill would have required producers to not use certain production practices if it wished to sell to the federal government (H.R. 1726- Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act). The bill did not make it out of committee.

The Judiciary Committee has not indicated when it will re-schedule a vote on H.R. 6598.

Latest news is the committee would vote today ... will be watching for results.

Oregon: expect more horses to be turned loose.

Anticipated abandonment increase due to costs of feeding horses skyrocketing out of many owners' reach.

Officials expect more abandoned horses [link]

ED MERRIMAN | Sep. 15, 2008

As fall approaches, Oregon officials expect more horses will be abandoned as a result of record-high hay prices, higher transportation costs, and the closure of the nation's last horse slaughtering plants.

Don Hansen, state veterinarian, said horse abandonment cases rose last year after hay prices shot up to $200 a ton.

Most such cases occur during the fall and winter, Hansen said, when pasture grasses go brown and owners have to feed hay to sustain their horses.

He said horses have been abandoned across the state, including Northeastern Oregon, where he said horses "tend to be abandoned on public lands."

Matt Shirtcliff, Baker County district attorney, warned anyone considering abandoning a horse that if they are convicted of animal neglect they could face penalties of up to a year in jail and a $6,250 fine.

"We had a couple of animal neglect cases recently," Shirtcliff said. "We are starting to get a few additional complaints."

"It's not the big ranches that are doing this. It's the people with a few horses," Shirtcliff said. "We had one lady last year who wasn't feeding her horses. She couldn't afford the feed."

Rodger Huffman, the state brand inspector with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said he is aware of several horse abandonment cases that occurred last fall and winter across the state, including some cases in Baker County and other parts of Northeastern Oregon.

As with some other crops, Huffman said hay prices have been driven to record highs due in part to soaring costs for fuel, petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides, equipment and labor, and other factors.

So far, most of the horse abandonment cases in Northeastern Oregon have occurred in Malheur County, Huffman said.

"It is not as much of an issue in Baker County at this point, but I anticipate that as fall turns into winter, this is going to be a growing problem," Huffman said.

"These horses just show up on public lands. Because they are not marked, we have not been able to find the owners," Huffman said.

He said ODA officials have met with BLM employees to discuss the problem, because many of the horses abandoned in Northeastern Oregon were turned out on public land BLM manages.

"Hay is even higher this year at $150 to $200 a ton, compared to $120 to $175 last year," Huffman said, adding that a combination of higher hay prices and rising unemployment are likely to prompt more people to abandon horses in 2008.

The closure of the last three horse slaughtering plants in the United States — one in Illinois and two in Texas — due to stricter state and federal laws, essentially eliminated the last markets for horse meat within the United States, Huffman said.

Since those three plants closed, horse traders who used to buy horses for slaughter in the United States have had to ship them to Mexico and Canada; however, that is only economically feasible for horses with plenty of meat on their bones, Huffman said.

"With no more slaughter of horses in the United States, that took away a market that gave horses value at an auction. That has been a big problem," Hansen said.

There's no market left anywhere in the United States, or at export markets, for young and thin or old and thin horse, Huffman said.

The thin horses have traditionally been used in the pet food industry (labeled animal parts or animal by-products) because the whole carcass can be used in pet food products.

"The problem is there's no market for real thin or real old horses because they don't carry enough flesh for human consumption, and the other parts have no value because transportation costs are more than the carcass of a skinny old horse is worth for dog food," Huffman said.

XP

Kentucky - rescue gone wrong?

This is exactly what I fear will happen more and more with the glut of skinny horses being sold at auction for $5, $10, $25 a head.

Animal graveyard [link]
Knox couple charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty after starved, dead dogs and horses found

Samantha Swindler | Sep. 12, 2008

Animal Shelter Manager Amy Young pokes through a collections of teeth and bones and finds a small spinal column — still wearing a rusted choke collar around what was once the creature’s neck.

In a nearby barn on the same property, Young guessed that a mostly-decomposed horse — probably about five years old — died eight months ago, still wearing its harness. More than a dozen other animals, dogs and horses in poor health but still alive, were also removed from the property.

It’s the most grisly animal abuse scene Knox County officials say they’ve witnessed, and a young couple is now facing a total of 16 felony animal abuse charges because of it.

Police were first called out to the Jarvis area home of 24-year-old Earl Enlow and 22-year-old Melanie Rogers Wednesday afternoon after receiving a call that several horses were starved on the property.

“Officer Chad Gregory with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department received a complaint on malnourished horses,” said Carl Bolton, Knox County constable and animal control officer. “He came out here, could not find anybody home, actually found the horses, looked at them, and contacted me. I came out and looked, and we found approximately 15-16 dogs that, some of them were in real, real bad shape. They were being fed but not fed enough. They had sores and stuff like that on them.”

Bolton also discovered the dead horse, left where it had died in a nailed-shut stall. Officials weren’t sure if the stall had been sealed before or after the animal died.

While officers were searching the property, Enlow and Rogers returned to the trailer they were renting and were arrested at approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday. Enlow was charged with 11 counts of animal cruelty and Rogers with five. Recently changed legislation now makes each of these counts a felony in the state of Kentucky.

“We’ve impounded the dogs, we’re in the process of moving the horses to another farm,” Bolton said. “All we could find for the horses to eat was two bales of hay. What field they’ve got out here is not adequate. It’s just a real bad situation. And we’re getting more and more complaints from people in the county about situations like this.”

Bolton noted that a single horse could go through a bale of hay in one day.

Five of the most severely malnourished dogs were seized Wednesday. Eight more dogs, five horses and one pony were retrieved by members of the Knox-Whitley Animal Shelter Thursday morning.

“It’s on the verge of death,” Young said of one of the horses, adding that the dogs had mange, were dehydrated, and some had kennel cough.

In addition to the horse, officials discovered at least five dogs, one rabbit, one cat and three fighting roosters dead on the property. The rabbit and roosters were found dead, still in their cages. Only the cat was given a shallow grave. Young said she just couldn’t understand how the couple could live in the home so close to where the animals were dying.

“You’d have to hear the cries, you’d have to live with it, you’d have to smell it,” she said.

James Earl Smith, an uncle to Enlow who lives nearby, was on scene Thursday morning and had offered to care for some of the horses. Smith said Enlow “has a good job” but has been off work lately due to an injury. Smith claimed he didn’t know about the horses’ condition, but said Enlow had bought them roughly a year ago for about $25 each because they were already malnourished.

“He (Enlow) just basically said he was trying to take care of them and really didn’t have the money to take them to the vet,” Bolton said.

Young said it would take months for the animals to fully recover, but once they do — and after criminal proceedings are completed — the dogs would be available for adoption. The horses will be staying with a foster caregiver, but the shelter is asking for donations of hay and feed to help with their care.

“This is probably one of the worst scenes I’ve seen since I’ve been an animal control officer,” Bolton said.

Enlow and Rogers have been released from the Knox County Detention Center after posting 10 percent of their $2,500 bonds. A phone number listed for Earl Enlow was disconnected.

Photo shows what is reported to be the worst-off horse taken from the property.

Simply put, a huge overpopulation of horses—caused by many varying factors—is at the very core of this problem.

What will solve it?

* UPDATE can be found here

Update: New York horse owner supported.

Interesting article.

Lots of support for Sparks [link]
Rick Pfeiffer | Sep. 11, 2008

A hearing on whether a Grand Island businessman is on the hook to pay the Erie County SPCA for caring for a dozen horses and five sheep they seized from him stretched into the night Thursday.

At press time, an SPCA veterinarian was testifying about what she believes was the “poor condition” of the animals seized on Aug. 12 from Sparks Trading Post on Bedell Road. Peter Sparks, the owner of the trading post, has pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of animal cruelty.

He’ll return to Grand Island Town Court for a hearing on the criminal charges on Oct. 8. The hearing, which had run for seven hours Thursday was in response to an SPCA request that Sparks pony up a bond of more than $9,000 to cover medical care and boarding costs for his horses and five sheep which are now being housed at a barn in the Town of Tonawanda.

The SPCA is billing Sparks at a rate of $164 a day for boarding swith medical costs added on.

In testimony from SPCA agents who participated in the raid and the veterinarian who examined Sparks’ animals, the case appeared to be boiling down to the agency’s claim that the animals were not being properly taken care of and Sparks contentions that, the horses in particular, were not ill cared for, but just old.

It’s a position those who know Sparks support. As they had at his last hearing, some 30 to 40 supporters showed up at the courthouse to watch the proceedings.

“Every Sunday, after church, we would take our kids out riding (at Sparks),” said Jim Gleeson, who said he had come out to support a man he’s known for at least 20 years. “My dad had a farm and I know little about horses. Pete has some old horses. It’s like a nursing home there. But to Pete, they’re beautiful.”

Sparks’ defense attorney Patrick Wesp repeatedly tried to question SPCA witnesses about their care of the animals since they were seized. Wesp took issue with how the horses were transported, as well as how they’ve been housed and cared for by the SPCA.

“The SPCA is seizing someone’s property,” Wesp said. “When they do that, they have a standard of care they have to meet.”

When SPCA lawyer Thomas Viksjo told Town Justice Mark Frentzel it was Sparks’ care of the animals that was the issue, Wesp shot back, “They are asking to keep these animals. It’s relevant that they are not taking care of these animals.”

SPCA investigators and the State Police raided Sparks’ stables after receiving a complaint from someone who had visited there. The investigators said Sparks appeared to have about 50 horses, a herd of sheep, some llamas, chickens and geese on his property.

The investigators described the horses and sheep that were seized as “emaciated” and said the horses had various other conditions and ailments that were effecting their health.

In a testy exchange, Wesp and SPCA assistant barn manager Patricia Burg, argued over the conditions that animals were living in, specifically the cleanliness of their stalls and whether they had a enough food.

“The (cleanliness of the) stables was not why we were called there,” Burg said. “It was the skinny condition of the animals. Having feed on your property doesn’t mean you’re using it.”

Dr. Jean Feldman, a veterinarian specializing in the treatment of large animals, who was called in to assist the SPCA testified that the both the sheep and horses were seized based on a preliminary exam at the trading.

“We went through all the barns and did a preliminary examination looking for animals that were (unusually thin),” Feldman said. “I noticed there were sheep that I could see were critically thin, I could see their ribs through their wool, and need to be taken somewhere else.”

Feldman estimated that the seized horses were between 17 to 25 years old. Wesp has said at least one horse is 35 years old.

Veterinarians expected to take the stand late Thursday night or early Friday morning indicated that they would testify the horses were in good shape for their age.

Though the raid was not the SPCA’s first visit to Sparks’ business, he has no prior animal cruelty arrests.

What do you think?

Oregon: update on abandoned horses.

So, are they better off now?

Abandoned horses sold at auction [link]
The Oregonian | Sep. 11, 2008

Eleven horses abandoned in south Clackamas County last month were auctioned at rock-bottom prices this week.

The horses sold—one for $5 and none for more than $45—at the Woodburn Livestock Exchange on Wednesday.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture sold the horses. The cash will help cover the cost of boarding and transporting the animals, which were found Aug. 31 on South Sawtell Road.

The agriculture department and Clackamas County Sheriff's Office still don't know who dumped the animals. Several horses had small green rectangular tags with four black numbers attached to their rumps, but investigators aren't sure what the tags signify.

You tell me.

Illinois: case update.

Not much known on this one, but could definitely be a landmark case if they propose to define cruelty.

Trial near for man accused of neglecting horses [link]
Judge, attorneys wrestle with defining 'cruelty'

DAVE FOPAY | Sep. 10, 2008

CHARLESTON — A judge and attorneys worked Tuesday to try to help a jury save time when it comes to their consideration of nearly 200 counts of charges against the man accused of neglecting his horses at a Charleston farm last year.

Every indication at the hearing in the case against Ernest C. Rose was that his trial will begin Monday as scheduled.

Circuit Judge Mitchell Shick termed Tuesday’s court session as Rose’s final pretrial hearing. While Rose was allowed to skip the hearing, Shick and the attorneys began working on the instructions jurors will receive to guide them in deciding if Rose is guilty.

Rose is scheduled for trial on misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals, violation of owner’s duties and unlawful disposal of dead animals. Coles County authorities discovered 72 horses that allegedly hadn’t been fed or watered or that were suffering from various afflictions at Rose’s farm at 1050 Coolidge Ave. in August of last year.

With many of the charges against Rose being counts of cruelty to animals, much of Tuesday’s hearing went to addressing the problem that there is no legal definition of “cruelty.”

Shick said he thought he would have to acquit Rose of the charges without the case going to the jury unless the prosecution could say specific acts amounted to cruelty. Assistant State’s Attorney Eric Neumann replied by saying what’s cruel is a “factual matter” that the jury has to decide, leading Shick to ultimately ask for more specifics if possible.

“Do your best,” the judge said. “We’re likely entering new territory.”

Other discussion of what the trial is expected to bring included Neumann’s saying the prosecution plans to show that Rose, who lives in the Chicago area, knew about conditions at the farm though he wasn’t there all the time.

Defense attorney Michael Tague said his evidence would include bills for food and water that Rose purchased at the time the horses were reportedly discovered, with both sides indicating that there would also be evidence that employees were at least partly responsible for the conditions at the farm, either with or without Rose’s knowledge or approval.

According to evidence at earlier hearings in the case, county animal control officers went to the farm on Aug. 1 of last year after a neighbor reported smelling an odor and then finding dead horses on the property.

Rose and authorities then agreed on a plan to remedy the situation, but the last of the horses were removed and charges against Rose were filed after a visit to the farm on Sept. 10, 2007, that allegedly led to the discovery of continued poor conditions.

Each of the allegedly neglected horses in the case have at least one charge referring specifically to that horse, which Neumann said on Tuesday was needed for Rose to forfeit a horse listed in a charge of which he’s convicted.

XP

Farm Bureau urges horse owners to act.

Call and write to oppose H.R. 6598

Horse owners urged to oppose flawed equine welfare bill [link]
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:22 PM MDT

BOZEMAN, Mont.—The Montana Farm Bureau is urging Montanans to contact the House Judiciary Committee in opposition of H.R. 6598, deceptively named the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.

“Now is the time to get off your hands and let all of the congressmen on the House Judiciary Committee know you oppose H.R. 6598,” said Renee Daniels-Mantle, chair of the Montana Farm Bureau Equine Committee. “If enacted into law, this bill would make it a federal crime to buy, sell, own, or transport a horse, alive or dead, with the intent to use it for human consumption. The crime would be punishable with a fine and up to three years in prison. This bill is moving fast."

The bill is moving fast.

"It came up only six weeks ago and is already going to be voted on by a committee Wednesday, Sept. 10," said Daniels-Mantle.

This bill is being driven by animal rights activits. Passing this bill is their way of attempting to permanently ban horse slaughter, said Daniels-Mantle.

“This bill would affect the property rights of horse owners by taking away the value of their property with no compensation," she said. "It will flood the country with unwanted horses and offers no solution to the immediately necessary food, shelter, and care of 100,000 horses a year at a low estimate. This bill will ultimately take away a functioning system, based in an agricultural market, and replace it with a publicly funded welfare program with no solution and no existing funding or bureaucratic monitoring. Most importantly, it will immediately sentence thousands of horses to a long and slow death by starvation and neglect at a time when horse owners and range lands are least able to cope with the rising costs of fuel and feed.”

Even the animal rights movement acknowledges there are too few “sanctuaries” to assimilate these animals. This means in the first year alone, the U.S. would need a minimum additional 2,700 such facilities, according to the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

At the same time, care standards at existing facilities are not set by USDA, and are lower than those at dog and cat shelters. Plus, it is estimated to cost over $2,000 per year to house and feed each abandoned horse, not including veterinary or farrier services. It will cost $127 million in just the first year to properly care for these animals if this legislation is enacted.

"The people who care the most and know the most about horses and their management should have the greatest influence on the laws that impact our industry and the animals we are devoted to," said Daniels-Mantle. "The animal rights movement has a well established and well-funded political machine already in place. Its voice is drowning out the voice of the horse industry. The time for horse owners to act is now.”

It is time to act. Our representatives need to know that we are horse lovers and we oppose (practically unenforceable) restrictions on transporting them. Criminalizing the act of hauling a horse—when the real issue was and is those who are already breaking humane transport laws in place—will not benefit horses or humans.

The bill was not voted on 9/10 but may come up for vote at any time. Be sure that YOUR legislator knows YOUR view on the issue and not just the very loud, very powerful and very well-funded activist view.

New York: update on Norcrest seizure.

Not exactly about the seizure itself, but how it is affecting one of the owners involved.

Horse Owner Searches for Mare Seized in Breeding Barn Welfare
Case [link]
Pat Raia | Sep. 9, 2008

When horse owner Anne Maria Cray of Grantville, Pa., started spreading the word that her 5-year-old Thoroughbred mare, WeWe C, was available for a breeding lease, she never imagined that the horse would end up in the middle of a welfare case.

WeWe C is one of the 82 allegedly malnourished horses removed from Norcrest (also called Middle Creek) Farm in Troupsburg, N.Y., by the Finger Lakes Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) on Aug. 29 and 30. After investigators moved in, 78 of the horses were placed in foster homes. Another four were euthanized at the scene.

Cray does not know the mare's current location or whether she's alive. "I'd be happy to at least know that she was not one of the mares euthanized," Cray said.

Steuben County Assistant District Attorney Patricio Jimenez said Sept. 8 no charges have been filed in the case. He declined to confirm or deny who might be charged.

Gerry Trupia has been named as the farm's operator in published reports. Her attorney, J. Timothy Embser, was unavailable for comment.

Meanwhile, Cray is questioning her decision to send her horse so far from home. She had placed WeWe C at Norcrest/Middle Creek on the recommendation of members of an online forum who had previously done business with the farm. According to Cray, Trupia picked the mare up in June and transported her to Norcrest/Middle Creek for a six-month stay. The women stayed in touch by telephone and e-mail, and Cray was assured her horse was well.

She learned about the seizure while perusing online forum postings.

According to New York-based Thoroughbred trainer Laurie McDowell, Cray's experience is not the norm for owners who send their mares out-of-state on long-term breeding leases.

"Most owners never see the farms or even meet the breeders face-to-face," McDowell said. "Most of the time the arrangement works out fine."

Cray is unconvinced.

"We've learned a very hard lesson about trusting people," she said.

Hope she finds good news. Too many of these stories end badly.

California: recovered mare to be sold.

Horse to find a new home, but in this economy, no one can guarantee she won't be back in poor condition again soon.

Neglected Horse Now Healthy, Ready For Adoption [link]
Horse Rescued by County Animal Control Officers in June; Owner Faces Charges
10news.com | Sep. 8, 2008

SAN DIEGO -- A mare found nearly starved to dead in Campo has been nursed back to health in the care of the County of San Diego Department of Animal Services and
is available for adoption.

“The ‘before and after’ pictures of the horse are extremely dramatic. All she needed was someone to care enough to feed her,” said John Carlson, Deputy Director for County Animal Services. “She is just a sweetheart, and there is no excuse for the treatment she received.”

Animal Control Officers went to a corral in Campo in June after receiving a report from the U.S. Border Patrol about a severely neglected horse and dead foal. The mare’s foal appeared to have been dead for some time. The horse had no water available and the hay in the corral was just out of the reach of the horse, according to officials with the San Diego County Department of Animal Services.

Department officials said criminal charges have been filed by the District Attorney’s Office against the owner, Derek Boyd, for animal neglect. He has been arraigned and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 21.

The horse was forfeited under the law. Animal Services is looking to place her into a loving home with someone who knows how to care for horses.

Applications and Sealed Bid forms are available at any County animal shelter or on the Animal Services website. Forms must be received by September 18.

The winning qualified bidder will be notified the following day.

So, once again, charges have been filed but this suspect has been found guilty until proven innocent as is so often the case in these stories. I'm not saying that the horse doesn't look 200% better now, just that it doesn't seem right to sell seized property before the judicial system we take so much pride in has a chance to be put into play.

Horses abandoned, sale barns full of thin animals.

When is an animal a pet, and when is it livestock? One can have a pet cow, but that doesn't mean that cattle are not livestock.

Horse owners increasingly abandoning their animals
KEVIN MURPHY | Sep 07, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Unwanted horses are being left at auction barns, let go in the wild or tied to trees and fences in hopes someone will take them in.

It's a growing problem in the wake of rising feed prices and new laws that bar the slaughter of horses for meat.

"There is no room at the hotel, so to speak, for many of these horses," said Nat Messer, an equine veterinarian at the University of Missouri in Columbia. "Rescue centers and retirement facilities that usually take in these horses are at capacity."

Missouri has 281,000 horses and Kansas about 178,000, according to American Horse Council reports two to three years ago. About 70 percent of horses are for show or recreation, with others mostly for work or racing.

No one knows how many horses are unwanted, but the number is probably at its highest point in 20 or 30 years, said Tom Lenz, a retired Louisburg, Kan., veterinarian and past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

Every week, two or three people call the Northland Therapeutic Riding Center in Kearney hoping to give away a horse, said co-director Mary Jill Webber. The situation is dire, she said. "When you see the shape of a lot of horses, you can tell that people are not able to take care of them or don't take care of them," said Webber, who goes to sale barns sometimes. "They are nothing but skin and bones."

The River Bluff Rescue Ranch in Kansas City took in an abandoned horse two months ago. Last year, it took in a starved horse that a Cass County man said he couldn't afford to feed, ranch owner Elizabeth Hill said. The man, prosecuted for animal abuse, let two horses die, she said. "There are a lot of horses on the market at very reduced prices," she said. "People can't afford the board or hay or grain."

Corn and hay prices have risen sharply. The annual cost of feeding a horse is $2,000 to $2,500, Lenz said, and there are also veterinary bills. About one-third of horse owners have incomes of less than $50,000, according to the American Horse Council. "People are losing their houses and they don't have a place for themselves, let alone a horse," said Rhonda Stephens of the Shannon Foundation, a horse rescue center near St. Clair, Mo.

Unwanted horses are of various ages. Some are ailing, have behavioral issues and are no longer needed or used, according to the equine practitioners group. There are reports of horses being left at auction barns and let loose in public conservation areas, where Lenz said they can't survive for long. Stephens said horses have been found tied to trees, suffering from broken necks and starvation. "It's horrific," she said.

Certain horses still have value, but the prices have dropped sharply in the past two years, partly because people are getting out of the breeding and training business, observers said.

There is now a Web site called DonateMyHorse.com where people can give their animals away. "Two years ago you could not have convinced me there could be a Web site like that," said Sharon Marohl, president of the Missouri Equine Council. "A cow has a minimum value. Horses no longer now have a minimum value."

While the number of unwanted horses is unclear, Messer said that historically about 1 percent of all horses are sold at auctions for slaughter—the previous destiny for many unwanted horses. An average of 100,000 horses were slaughtered annually until last year, when Texas and Illinois became the last two states to prohibit it. "No one wanted to see horses go to slaughter, so the intention was good," Messer said. "It had unintended consequences that people were warned about."

Horses now have to be sent to Mexico or Canada for slaughter, but those more distant markets lowered the horses' value. Fewer horses are probably going there than went to Illinois and Texas, Lenz said. The long trips to Mexico and Canada are hard on horses. Plus, many unwanted horses who do not go to slaughter are suffering from neglect, which flies in the face of what animal rights groups wanted.

But Tori Perry of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said the slaughter of horses is inhumane. Many horses may have been sold off by the racing and rodeo industry because they weren't athletic enough, she said. People also may have been under the wrong impression that unwanted horses sold to auction barns by individuals were going to a new home instead of to slaughter. "You wouldn't take the family dog and sell it to a kill buyer for slaughter. The same (should go) for a horse," Perry said. Euthanasia is the best answer for horses that can't be given a new home, she said.

But, Lenz said, euthanasia and disposal of horses can also be cost prohibitive for horse owners. He said his advice to people in controlling the horse population is to euthanize rather than discard, adopt rather than buy, buy rather than breed. "People just need to think about this," Lenz said.

Horses aren't dogs. While some horses may be more like a family member to their owners, horses are still farm animals. One owner might clip, blanket and polish and have a barn floor you could eat off of, but that does not mean that the horse standing in a pasture grazing in the rain is neglected.

Oregon - horses dumped.

Another abandoned horses story that the anti-slaughter zealots will say is fabricated by bloodthirsty horse killers, no doubt.

Horses dumped near Molalla to be auctioned off [link]
Officals haven't been able to ID the owner of 11 malnourished animals
Steve Mayes | Sep 6, 2008

MOLALLA—Investigators still don't know who abandoned 11 malnourished horses Sunday in a rural area south of Molalla.

Efforts to identify the horses' owner have been unsuccessful, said Jack Noble, an Oregon Department of Agriculture brand inspector. The animals will be sold next week.

A property owner who lives near where the horses were found is caring for them, said Morgan Guthner, livestock deputy for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

"It looks to me like someone dumped the horses in the middle of the road," Guthner said.

Abandoning livestock is not illegal under Oregon law, but the owner could face animal neglect charges, Guthner said.

Most of the horses have small green rectangular tags with four black numbers attached to their rumps, but the purpose of the tags is unclear, Noble said.

The horses will be sold at auction Wednesday. The sale begins at 10 a.m. at the Woodburn Livestock Exchange, 597 S. Pacific Highway in Woodburn.

The horses can be viewed one hour before the sale.

Rump tags sound like standard auction stickers to me.

One can infer that if you buy a horse at auction that is malnourished, you may be subsequently charged with animal neglect for having that animal in your possession.

Interesting. What other reason to dump them might there be?

New York - nearly 80 horses seized.

If 30% of these horses belonged to boarders, and all 82 horses were malnourished, don't you think someone would have done something sooner? I know I'd be raising a ruckus.

78 Horses Removed from New York Farm [link]
Pat Raia | Sep 5, 2008

Seventy-eight allegedly malnourished horses are currently residing in foster homes after animal welfare authorities removed them from their former home last week.

According to Finger Lakes Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Investigator Scott Mazzo, these horses are among 82 that had resided a property in Troupsburg, N.Y. Four of the horses were euthanized at the scene, he said.

"The surviving horses are also in need of medical and other rehabilitative care," Mazzo said.

Charges in the case are pending.

The seizure was the result of an investigation that began when authorities received a complaint by the owner of a horse boarded at the property.

"It looks like about 30% of the horses were boarders," Mazzo said. "We're trying to match the horses with their owners now, and we will release the horses to their owners as soon as we possibly can."

This is the largest equine seizure in the Finger Lakes SPCA's history. The agency is seeking financial and material donations to defray the estimated $20,000 cost of the horses' first month of care.

It makes one wonder if all of the horses were indeed malnourished, or if the seizure occurred due to a small number of horses in poor condition.

Washington - malnourished horses.

Screencaps show one severely malnourished horse, and two others that are thin but not starving. One I would consider moderately underweight, and the other somewhat underweight (very little of this one on the video).

Neglected horses rescued from Fruitland [link] Tania Dall | Sep 5, 2008

SPOKANE—Three malnourished horses from Stevens County are being nursed back to health in Spokane after being rescued by Spokanimal.

Investigators say the horses were found neglected in Fruitland in southern Stevens County in what Spokanimal says is one of the saddest cases of animal cruelty its ever seen.

The horses were rescued Wednesday, one of them so malnourished it had to be carried on to a horse trailer by rescuers.

"I believe four of us were able to lift her up onto her feet, and that should never be the case," rescuer Denise Fairbank said.

Starved, underweight, and scared is how rescuers found the three horses Rocky Stallion, IB Spotless and Cinderella.

"It was the right thing to do," Fairbank said. "I couldn't not help."

Spokanimal Executive Director Gail Mackie feels this situation could have been much worse.

"This appeared to be a cruelty situation of great magnitude," Mackie said, adding that a fourth horse had been found dead.

The horses are slowly recovering at Spokane Sport Horse Farm after their rescue on Wednesday. All three were showing varying degrees of malnourishment with the worst off being Cinderella, who should be weighing about 900 pounds but weighs only 450.

With the price of hay going up and winter just around the corner, Spokanimal worries more horses will be abused or abandoned.

"With hay being $200 or more a ton, I'm afraid that this is going to be a more common occurrence as the winter goes on," Mackie said.

The Stevens County Sheriff's Office is investigating this case but had few details on the matter Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile all three horses are adoptable but it will take some time to nurse them back to health. It costs $30 a day to take care of each animal so if you can help with any donations or if you're interested in adopting any of these horses you can contact Gail Mackie at Spokanimal.

I'm waiting to hear more on this case ... I fully support prosecuting the guilty, but I hesitate to condemn without proper information. I did not get a chance yet to review the audio from the footage, just snagged some screencaps.






* UPDATE can be found here

Colorado - county returns wrongfully seized horses.

Horses shouldn't be seized without due process.

Owner gets horses but faces charges [link]
Bill Scanlon | Sep 4, 2008

The 28 horses allegedly neglected by a Jefferson County rancher have been returned to him, but he still faces charges at a trial slated to begin Sept. 25.

John McCulley is charged with 27 counts of animal cruelty arising from allegations that he neglected, but did not physically abuse, the horses on his property northwest of Arvada.

The horses were returned last week after the Jefferson County district attorney's office lost its appeals of a judge's decision that sheriff's deputies illegally entered a door to remove the horses.

County Judge Charles Hoppin "found that it had been an unlawful search and seizure," said Pam Russell, spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. "We were on the property legally, but it was illegal to go past the door to take the animals."

Meanwhile, Hildy Armour of Colorado Horse Rescue applauded McCulley for recently agreeing to let someone adopt one of the horses. "We're pleased," she said. "He did a very nice thing."

McCulley did not return telephone calls Thursday.

Russell said when deputies arrived at the ranch about a year ago, they found that there was no food for the horses.

A veterinarian testified that the horses all were thin.

Makes me wonder about the case of Turn 3 Ranch, where vets found 56 of the 69 animals seized in ideal or near-ideal condition, yet the county seized the farm with a warrant obtained based on false accusations. Adding to the insanity, a judge gave the animals to the county when the defendants (yet to be tried on the charges against them) could not come up with a $134,000 "ransom" for trumped-up maintenance costs, and the county later auctioned the "rescued" horses (many in worse condition than when seized) for pennies on the pound.
(Learn more about the Turn 3 Ranch case.)

Texas - abandoned horses.

Someone with no other options?

Who's Abandoning Horses In South Fort Worth? [link]
Mark Johnson | Sep 4, 2008

FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ― The Humane Society of North Texas says it's seeing a disturbing trend recently.

Somebody is abandoning neglected and malnourished horses at an empty lot in South Fort Worth.

During the last several weeks, five horses have been dumped at the lot, which is near Highway 287 and southeast Loop 820.

"Each horse that we've received has had some sort of problem," said Tammy Hawley, director of the local Humane Society. "Underweight, poor farrier care, injury or combination of all those together. They've all had problems, so we think it's somebody that's trying to stay out of trouble. They're dumping them, there trying not to get caught with them in their possession."

The most recent horse to be found, a mare, was spotted in the lot early Thursday morning. It was in the care of the Humane Society within an hour. The horse is badly malnourished and has several injuries, which Hawley says suggests a long period of neglect.

Of the five horses the Humane Society has recovered so far, one has died and two have been adopted. The other two are recovering and could be eligible for adoption soon.

Sad story, and not one we won't be seeing more of.

Another "out of control" county animal control case?

I've learned not to jump to conclusions, when it comes to the media reporting a story about animals—especially horses.

Couple face animal cruelty charges [link]
Jim Schultz | Sep 3, 2008

A Round Mountain couple have been charged with multiple felony counts of cruelty to animals after Shasta County animal control officials removed a herd of horses from their property earlier this year that they claimed were malnourished and neglected.

Brent and Kay Painter appeared in Shasta County Superior Court for arraignment late last week, but it was continued until Sept. 19 so they could hire a lawyer, a Shasta County prosecutor said Tuesday.

Shasta County animal control authorities rounded up 17 Arabian horses in February from the couple's Terry Mill Road property after receiving complaints that the horses were being neglected. Painter, 58, has been charged with nine felony counts, while his 56-year-old wife is charged with six felonies. Six of the nine criminal counts against Painter accuse him of depriving the horses of food and shelter while three also accuse him of unlawfully and intentionally killing three of his horses.

The couple could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

According to a lengthy report, the horses were seized in February, noting that workers with the county roads department had to plow deep snow from the roadway and driveway to remove them from the Round Mountain property.

"Most were too weak to make it through almost 2 feet of snow, up the steep driveway to get to the trailers," the report said.

The 87-page report said that nine of the horses were in an open range field that was covered with about 3 feet of snow and that several of the horses were "visibly shaking" and pawing in the snow trying to find feed. Eight others were found in snow-clogged pens, the report said.

"All of the horses in the pens were emaciated in varying degrees," the report detailed, adding that there was no visible feed in any of the pens.

There were plastic tubs in seven of the pens that were filled with snow and slushy water, it said, but noting that one pen had only snow and no drinkable water.

None of the pens, the report said, had any protective covering.

Shasta County Deputy District Attorney Mike Hemker said Tuesday that Painter faces about eight years in prison if convicted of the animal cruelty charges, while Painter's wife is looking at about five years in prison if convicted.

Eight years in prison ... more time than some child molesters ... because someone did not observe food and water in a horses' pen? What if they "observe" my horses in the winter, pawing at the snow between morning and evening feedings?



The photo shown did NOT impress upon me that these animals were at the brink of starvation. What manner of qualifications did the author of this "lengthy report" have? Many animal control officers have NO experience with horses and other livestock, and it isn't required of them. The majority of their work deals with dogs and cats.

So, I decided to read the many comments on the story.

Posted by mountainobserver on September 3, 2008 at 8:45 a.m.
The picture in the above story was shot the day after the Animal control (otherwise known as out of control idiots) seized these horses and any person with a brain at all can see the condition for an Arabian is excellent. Several local residents were present when Animal control came and objected to their fraud and deceit in this situation. If you beleive this story, then you don't have a clue about government nazis tactics and the TRUTH. The barn on site was full of good quality hay and all the horses were in sheltered areas so they were protected and had water. So get the facts from the locals that were there--not the district attorneys office who now is trying to blow a smoke screen to cover their out of control government butts.

Posted by nomeg15 on September 3, 2008 at 8:56 a.m.
I would like to know for sure if that picture was taken the day after they were seized. If it was, then that is not neglect. They are healthy size for Arabians. What you see there is a wooly winter coat and dirt. If this is neglect then my neighbors should lose all of theirs and be locked up indefinately but after numerous calls, they still have their horses. Neglecting horses or an animal is horrendous and offenders deserve to be punished but I would like all of the facts.

Posted by horseman1 on September 3, 2008 at 9:32 p.m.
I have read again the comments about this "story" and it appears there are lots of mixed up bits & parts that do not fit the "story". I would sure like to know the real facts involved here as it does not make good "horse sense". I get the distinct feeling that the "story" as reported to the public is hardly the tip of the iceburg and that there is a whole lot more to all of this than the Shasta County District Attorney would want known, ie, claims of good hay, good physical condition,bad conditions,a incompetant caretaker--Arabian horses are not a inexpensive item to aquire , let alone lose in the fashion described here. Something is not RIGHT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by mountainlover on September 4, 2008 at 11:50 a.m.
I went on a search about this Mr.Painter on the web and found that he's been involved with "Racing Arabians" since 1970's, has owned several top running horses that were in the "money',sold several horses to Patrick Swaze,Wayne Newton,and several other big name "race" breeders. One of his stallions was prominate in the race world and is on the "who's who" of race sires in the US since 1980, so I think there's a whole lot more to everything than I've seen so far in this story or the comments.I think someone with this kind of background would be very upset by the "caretaker" issue and "Animal Control" by what is stated here so far. I think the "tip of the iceburg" comment above is appropriate to say the least.

Another case that should be followed to see how much is media hype.