SPCA raid at local animal farm [link]
Al Vaughters | Aug 12, 2008
The SPCA raid at a local animal farm has the owner coming to his own defense Tuesday night. The SPCA hauled away 12 horses and five sheep, and charged the animals' owner with animal cruelty. Michael Armatys, SPCA Chief Investigator, said, "The nature of the complaint was emaciated and malnourished horses that were alleged by the complainants." Officials only seized animals owned by Peter Sparks. The Trading Post is a riding and boarding stable, but officials said the other animals seemed to be in better shape than Sparks'. Peter Sparks said he has saved horses and brought them back to his stables, and he will clear his name. "I have a lot of people that have been riding here, families upon families for a lot of years. I am just a good hard-working man. I don't know what else to say!" Sparks now faces 17 counts of animal cruelty. He is due in Grand Island Town Court in two weeks.
first screencap
second screencap
My first thought was, the horses in this video don't look TOO bad. Underweight, some more than moderately thin, but nothing that isn't fixable. The next article was found the following day, this time with still photos.
Five sheep, 12 horses seized at Grand Island trading post [link]
Janice L. Habuda | Aug 13, 2008
Owner charged with animal cruelty
A Grand Island stable owner was charged Tuesday with 17 counts of animal cruelty when authorities seized a dozen horses and five sheep said to be in poor physical condition. Peter L. Sparks, 56, owner of Sparks Trading Post on Bedell Road, is scheduled to appear Aug. 27 in Grand Island Town Court. "That was wrongfully done," Sparks said, when asked to comment about the seizures. "There's no reason for it." The misdemeanor charges stem from complaints made to the Erie County SPCA by nearby residents and a former stable employee. "I know what called their attention to this... wasn't so much the condition of the facility as the condition of the animals." A veterinarian was present Tuesday to evaluate the animals on site. "Some horses have horrible teeth," Browning said, which resulted in their condition being rated a "2" on a scale of 1 to 8. Malnourishment, dehydration and lack of hoof maintenance also were among the problems. Sparks Trading Post has been on the radar of animal welfare authorities for some time. "We had been out there sporadically over the past decade or so... just checking on the conditions of the animals every so often," Browning said. "It doesn't look like they had any signs of equine disease," Browning said of the horses seized Tuesday. "Malnourishment is the biggest issue at this point." An employee came to his defense in the late 1990s, saying Sparks had bought sick, starving and mistreated animals at auctions in order to give them another chance at life.
thin horse
thin and very thin horses
So, it remains to be seen... are these horses in this condition due to the owner's care (or lack of it) or in spite of it?
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