Missouri: gross neglect.

Breaking news in Missouri. This isn't really horse slaughter related, but ...

Wow. Just, wow. 70 dogs and 35 cats is bad enough ... but that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Woman Charged in Connection with Animal Rescue [link]
Chris Grogan | Aug 12, 2008

Pleasant Hope, MO—It's the largest animal rescue this state has ever seen. Tonight, the Missouri Humane Society is in the process of transferring more than 300 animals from a filthy Polk County home, to shelters in the St. Louis area. Among the animals seized in the rescue today were more than 70 dogs, 51 rabbits, 40 exotic birds, more than 35 cats, 25 ducks, 25 chickens, 25 hamsters, 10 goats, 10 mice, 7 pigeons, 6 donkeys, 5 horses, 5 peafowl, 1 pig and an unknown number of koi fish and goldfish. "I've never seen so many different types of animals with so much neglect. There's dogs, cats, donkeys, horses, rabbits, goats, pigs, pigeons, parakeets...I mean they're everywhere down there." Officials say both the family and the animals lived in filthy conditions with trash, feces and animal carcusses everywhere. Neighbors first began complaining months ago... the Humane Society began investigating and issued warnings to the family to clean the property up and get the animals in better condition. But the conditions just got worse. This morning, armed with a court order, the sheriff's department and the Humane Society began removing these animals. Almost all of the animals are malnourished and suffering. "And they're not just hording animals down there. There's trash and junk and magazines just stacked up. They kept taking in every stray they found. But they didn't have the money or the resources to take care of them." The Division of Family Services removed six children from the house earlier this week. Those are said to be from various extended family living on the property. As for the animals, the Humane Society will be moving most of them to its headquarters in St. Louis. The horses and farm animals are headed to a rescue ranch in Union, Missouri and the fish are going to a hatchery in Carthage.

They were given warnings, and months to fix the problems. Incredible.

Hoarding is not rescuing.

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Neglected horses in the news daily.

Shelter rescues neglected horses

Detroit Free Press—Baker, 58, has brought the same tenacious spirit to running Horses' Haven, a horse rescue shelter she founded 13 years ago near Howell. ...

Meet the horse whisperer

Yakima Herald-Republic, WA—For the past four years, Regimbal has actively worked to rescue starved, abused and neglected horses and find them new homes. She's rescued more than 30 ...

Neglected Horses Roam South Florida Ranch

CBS 4 - Miami, FL—The South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which gets involved in rescuing horses, mentions that these animals also get neglected ...

Judge allows adoption of neglected horses

Brown County Democrat, IN—By Rodney Margison Brown Circuit Judge Judith A. Stewart approved a plan by prosecutors to find new permanent homes for six horses seized from a northern ...

Neglected horses seized and owner faces charges of inhumane care

Kankakee Daily Journal, IL—Three of those cases involved mistreated or neglected horses or ponies. Another case involved 10 horses that had broken loose into a beanfield. ...

Men Charged With Abusing, Neglecting Horses

Chicagoist,IL—Frank Lee, 67, is facing felony animal abuse charges after authorities found his four horses so severely neglected that two had to be euthanized. ...

Editorial: Horses in need thrive thanks to Horse North

Traverse City Record Eagle, MI—Some have been abused, abandoned or neglected; in other cases horses come from owners who have found their own circumstances change or can no longer care ...

No shortage of these stories, I'm afraid.

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Oregon: malnourished horses.

More neglected, malnourished horses.

A couple of stories about these horses follow.

Malnourished horses taken into custody [link] Aug-11

Three owners are under arrest for animal neglect after sheriff deputies find malnourished horses... Seven horses were on less than two acres of land, and four of the horses were healthy. Three, however, were not and taken into custody and transported to approved local foster care facilities. The three owners of the horses were arrested for animal neglect.... they were booked and released.

Interesting to note: in this case, it appears they only removed the horses pertaining to the neglect charges, and not the healthy ones as well.

I only point this out because of my research into the Turn 3 Ranch case where the county seized 69 horses plus the land, vehicles, tack and items it took from the off-site residences of the accused. Things seem to have been handled much differently in Oregon.

Sheriff Says Horses Were Neglected, Malnourished [link] Aug-11

... deputies there are investigating an animal neglect case involving several malnourished horses. "Three of seven horses on the property were examined by a local veterinarian. Two geldings and a mare were seized for malnourishment and neglect." Local volunteers assisted with transporting the horses to approved local foster care facilities. The three owners of the horses were arrested for Animal Neglect II.

Difficult to say at this point what factors may have contributed to the present condition of these horses, and why the other four seemed to be doing well in comparison.

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Hawaii: abandoned horse issue.

The anti-slaughter crowd has the audacity to claim that these dozens, even hundreds of cases of abandoned horses are just "made up" to further the cause of reinstating slaughter. They claim their researchers have found every case to be unsubstantiated.

Expo will shed light on horse abuse [link]
Karin Stanton, AP | Aug 10, 2008

KAILUA, KONA, Hawai'i — The brown and white painter horse had been abandoned in a Hawi field for more than a year when the Humane Society got a call this summer. The horse had a weepy eye, but otherwise just seemed in need of some good care before he could be adopted... Organizers of the Hawai'i Horse Expo 2008 in Waimea hope to raise awareness about horses like Amigo, one of a growing number of horses that are being abandoned, abused, neglected and mistreated on the Big Island. Proceeds will establish an Equine Fund to care for abused and abandoned horses on the Big Island... Veterinarians diagnosed the 10-year-old with cancer, which started in his eye and spread throughout his head. He was euthanized on Wednesday. Jones said the cancer may not have spread as far and become terminal if Amigo had been properly cared for. [edited for brevity]

I'm pretty sure Amigo is pretty real to the people who cared for him in his final days.

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Nuisance, or symbol of freedom?

Better off as burger than wasted, left to rot in a pit or burned.

Seriously, give me a reason other than "horsies are pretty" that we can't sell them to France or Belgium for a ridiculous sum of money that can be used to fund the Wild Horse program for years to come...

Thousands of wild horses may be killed [link]
ROB HOTAKAINEN | Aug 10, 2008

Californian Jean Anderson says wild horses are smart and beautiful animals, symbols of the freedom and strength it took to build the United States. To the federal government, however, they're a costly and growing nuisance. The Bureau of Land Management... has a proposal to reduce their numbers: Kill a few thousand of them. Anderson and many of the nation's other horse lovers, including singers Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson, are out to kill the euthanasia plan. Federal officials and other supporters of the plan say it must be considered, however, because a birth-control program hasn't worked and adoptions are declining, mainly because of rising fuel and feed costs. While the agency hasn't decided on a method of euthanasia, BLM spokesman Tom Gorey said the top three possibilities would be shooting the horses, giving them a lethal dose of barbiturates or killing them with bolts to the head, a method commonly used in slaughtering cattle. Either by adopting them out or selling or killing them, the agency would like to reduce the size of its herd to 27,300.

Mustangs will continue to be at the heart of the slaughter debate because when it comes down to logistics, they are part of the unwanted, unbroke, grade horse overpopulation at the low end of the horse value spectrum. You do not OFTEN see a BLM wild horse competing at the national level in any equestrian event.

I say give 20,000 to Willie and 20,000 to Sheryl at going adoption rate of $125 each and let them figure it out.

Wow, are there ever a lot of articles on the subject these days.

Recap of this week's news:

Aug 2—Wild horses wait as fate is decided [link]

With holding costs approaching $30 million this year, the BLM's suggestion is to euthanize some of the more than 33,000 horses ... officials argue it's the humane way of dealing with the problem instead of letting them die of thirst or starvation on the range. Adoptions have been declining. Part of that could be because of rising costs in feed and fuel. At this time last year, grass and alfalfa feed was going for about $9 a bale... the price has doubled to about $18.

Aug 3—People Abandoning Animals, Blaming Economy [link]

...animal rescue groups say some people are abandoning or neglecting their pets and livestock. "The only thing wrong with these horses is malnutrition, and lack of care... The economy is tight and people don't have money. They're letting animals go out in the county. Not just dogs and cats, we've seen goats and llamas... We're going to see horses and cattle let loose in the county as well."

Aug 4—Starving horses seized near Mims [link]

...deputies seized eight malnourished horses Sunday... found the underweight horses, including a mare nursing a foal, without food and living in filthy conditions... The mare was so weak it could not stand.

Aug 5—Shelter rescues neglected horses [link]

Many of the 50 horses, ponies and other large animals come to Horses' Haven with serious injuries and the scars of neglect. ...the saddest day was when they had to put down 15 out of the 57 abused horses they rescued ...there are always more needy animals than they can accept on the 22-acre ranch... Baker has seen more abandoned horses than ever. "We see a lot of horses that have been turned loose in a field and are starving."

Aug. 6—High hay costs pose problems for horse rescue [link]

... the $100 a month it gets in donations isn’t enough to cover the cost of the 100 tons of hay it needs annually. Hay cost $90 a ton last year but now costs $225 a ton.

Aug. 6—Farm Bureau expresses serious concern on equine issues [link]

"We first need to address the growing problem of abandoned horses before causing more unintended consequences by further restricting how horse owners may dispose of unwanted animals."

Aug 7—Local Horse Rescue Reaches Critical Need [link]

...never thought she'd need more than five stalls, but now she's in desperate need of help... with 40 horses in 33 spots, Jones is over capacity, saying she has had to turn away 300 horses. Jones has little money and lacks the know-how to build a barn. Last year, she doubled up on stalls and now, she needs a miracle. With only two barns and another damaged by a storm, the horses spend day and night outside.

Aug. 8—Surviving seized horses are improving, caregiver says [link]

The horses were underweight, and their hooves were overgrown and bleeding, officials said. They were kept in small stalls, which had doors nailed closed with openings where hay was likely thrown over...

Aug 8—Woman Gives Emaciated Horses TLC [link]

...the odds are now in the favor of a handful of horses found in deplorable conditions... Three mares and a yearling, four of eight horses found sick and starving are getting TLC.

Go to Google, click on News and enter the word "horse" along with your choice of buzz words surrounding the epidemic at hand (abandoned, neglect, abuse, slaughter, rescue) and you'll find plenty of current articles. I didn't even TRY to find one for each day ... I just limited my search to the past week, and cruised the first 5 pages of results. Horrifying.

Illinois: fatal neglect.

This is pretty nasty. This didn't happen overnight.



There is pretty much no excuse for this, ever. The horse is in a great deal of pain.

Former Chicago cop charged with animal abuse [link]
Matthew Walberg | Aug 7, 2008

Two of the four horses owned by Frank Lee, 67, of the 3500 block of West Adams Street in Chicago were so poorly kept that they were later euthanized by authorities, the Cook County sheriff's office said. Lee, a retired Chicago police officer, was charged Monday with four counts of felony aggravated animal abuse, as was the stable's manager, Donnie Edwards, 62. On July 28, members of the sheriff's special operations unit found the horses standing in stalls filled with more than 2 feet of manure, authorities said. The horses were underweight, and their hooves were overgrown and bleeding, authorities said. One of the animals euthanized had hooves so long that they curled upward, authorities said, and video of the raid showed the animal could barely walk. Eleven other horses boarded by their owners at the stables were in good condition, authorities said.

... and yet not one person reported this before the horses were so bad they had to be put down? It takes months upon months of neglect for hooves to grow so long that they curl ... wow.

Florida: several malnourished.

Malnourished, dead of starvation in Florida.

No decision yet on charges for malnourished horses [link]
FLORIDA TODAY | Aug 5, 2008

Authorities have not yet decided if criminal charges will be filed against the owners of a horse that died and seven others that were found malnourished. Ruiz-Garcia, who owned one of the horses, said he was aware one was sick but had not called a veterinarian.

Another one:

Owners mum about malnourished horses seized [link]
MARK I. JOHNSON | Aug 6, 2008

The owners of a rural pasture west of Mims where a herd of malnourished horses was seized weren't talking about how those animals got in that condition Tuesday. [Deputies] found the horses, including a mare who was nursing a 3-month-old foal but was too weak to stand, in a series of corrals and paddocks filled with mud, feces and urine, the sheriff's release said. A veterinarian was called in to care and feed the animals, before they were seized Sunday. The mare died before rescuers could move her to a new location, but the rest of the horses are being cared for at various volunteer farms throughout the county.

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Michigan: rescue turns away 100 horses a week.

Michigan's economy takes its toll on the livestock owners can't afford to feed.

Horse Shelter Forced To Turn Away Pets [link]
ClickOnDetroit | August 5, 2008

Horses are the latest victims of tough economic times in Michigan. Horses Haven, a not-for-profit horse rescue shelter in Howell has said the stables are filled to capacity and they have to turn away sick and abandoned horses. "They can't afford it. They can't afford to move the horse out of state, which is very expensive with the price of gas now," said Horses Haven President Barbara Baker. Baker said the owners who have to give their horses away come in tears thinking that they may have to euthanize their prized pets. Baker said she is forced to turn away 100 or more horses and miniature horses a week from desperate pet owners. Horses Haven is also struggling to make ends meet. "Right now we don't have the space to take them or the funds," said Baker. The price of hay has doubled in the past year and the shelter expects to pay over $30,000 in hay alone this year. Also, cash-strapped donors have cut back on donations and even the number of volunteers who operate the nonprofit shelter have dwindled, according to Baker. Shelters in other states are also seeing a spike in abandoned horses.

The video on the Web site is heartbreaking. They may need to resort to euthanasia, which for many would be the kindest thing to do anyway. I don't subscribe to the "keep alive at all costs" theory ... letting them go in peace is a long-deserved blessing for the aged (and young) horses in chronic pain.

Illinois: abandoned horses are a hazard to motorists.

Illinois

Horses may become highway hazards [link]
Charles Stanley | Aug 1, 2008

Worried about hitting a deer with your vehicle? In the future, you may have to expand that fear to include horses. Throughout Illinois, including La Salle County, equines left to run at large or abandoned are increasing as owners find them too costly to care for. One day, that is going to result in a collision with a vehicle, says Dr. Colleen O'Keefe, the Illinois Department of Agriculture's division manager of Food Safety and Animal Protection. "It's bad enough when you hit a dog or a deer, but hitting a horse, that's the fear I think everybody is holding their breath hoping wont happen," she said. The impact could be devastating. While a typical whitetail deer weighs between 125 to 150 pounds, for a riding horse it's more like 1,000 to 1,200 pounds. "I have a hunch that someplace here it's ultimately going to happen if we get enough horses running loose," O'Keefe said. "That's the reality of what's eventually going to happen with these quote-unquote 'back to nature' horses. If a minivan with a family hits one of those horses, it's going to kill a bunch of the family." The move to smaller cars many drivers are making to save gasoline could make a vehicle and horse collision even worse, she said. "I'd rather hit a horse in a Delta '88 than a little Precis."

At the La Salle County Board's Animal Control committee's meeting Thursday, Dr. Dell Brodd, the veterinarian who is La Salle County's animal control administrator, and La Salle County Animal Control Officer Gary Wind said in recent weeks Wind has taken in four horses, two burros and a pony. Indications were the equines simply were turned loose to fend for themselves, Wind said. "There was one on the loose in Grand Ridge that the Walters boys over there took care of for over a year and a half." Wind ended up with it last month and tracked down the owner. Since La Salle County does not have a dog pound, much less a facility for large animals, Wind has been keeping the equines at his home. It's something he is uneasy about, since he has horses of his own he is putting at risk. "I'm taking in strange horse with no shots, no blood work, no nothing -- and hoping I find the owners or an outlet for them."

When Arratta Znaniecki, R-Ottawa, who chaired the meeting, repeatedly asked for solutions, committee members had none to offer -- except to agree Wind should be reimbursed for his out-of-pocket expenses. O'Keefe was not surprised to hear the news from La Salle County. "To tell you the truth, we've been expecting it," she said. "I've also heard from my compadres out in the Western states that they're seeing more of it there on the wide open prairies." O'Keefe said there are a number of reasons for the abandoned horses. "All during the winter grain prices were very high and hay was in very short supply." Gas prices and the general condition of the economy are other reasons, she said. "Horses are often a luxury that become harder and harder to maintain."

Although the state does not have statistics on abandoned horses, there are statistics, she said, "that show a very significant rise in complaints about the mistreatment of horses." Typically, she said, those are reports of horses that do not appear to have enough food and water. Brodd told the committee another contributing factor is the closure of the Cavel International horse slaughtering plant in DeKalb County. That action followed the passage last year of an Illinois law prohibiting the killing of horses for human consumption. "They thought that would make better horse owners," said Brodd. "But they have absolutely no idea what pain and suffering they're going to cause." In simple economic terms, he said, a horse owner who in the past could have sold a horse for slaughter instead has to pay to have it put down and then buried or otherwise disposed of. Sometimes, having a horse put down makes sense, Brodd said. "It was brought up to me by a well-known trainer that we have these horses that are just factious -- they're not dependable, they're not rideable. They used to go from sale to sale to sale until finally somebody said, 'This horse is not safe, its going to hurt somebody.' " In those cases, the slaughterhouse made sense, he said. But without that option, said Brodd, "I think some people just turn them loose instead."

O'Keefe noted that even with the new legislation it is not totally illegal to slaughter horses. "You can still slaughter them for pet food, or to feed zoo animals. It's only slaughter for human consumption that's been restricted." She said horses can be slaughtered in Canada for human consumption. "There are people who are buying horses here but paying next to nothing for them and then they take them up to Canada." State Sen. Jim Facia, R-Freeport, is proposing legislation to lift the ban, O'Keefe said. In any event, she said, the decision to abandon a horse could come to a matter of personal priorities for owners. "It might be a matter of feed your kids and keep your house or you feed your horse."

VanKavage is less sympathetic. "Under the state's Humane Care for Animals Act, horses are considered companion animals, so you still have to provide food, water, shelter and veterinary care to prevent suffering. The first offense is a class B misdemeanor and the second time is a Class 4 felony." The county state's attorney should prosecute these violations, she said. Edeltraud Crabb of the Hooved Animal Humane Society of Woodstock agreed. "It's the irresponsible horse owners that don't feed their animals and that don't know where to get the feed or claim there is none around. It's just like anything else in life, the people that are responsible, they know where to get their stuff." The one thing all agree on is that horse ownership is not a casual responsibility. "They're a lot of work and they're expensive," said VanKavage. And having the cost of taking care of them the right way is a nice chunk of change."

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