$2,500 Reward Offered for Wisconsin Shooter

Link

In most cases, they didn’t hear any shots fired. In others, it was several days before the owners of a horse and a number of cattle had been shot at.

It all started when the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department received three different reports of horses that were shot and killed on Sunday, Nov. 29, between 3 and 5 a.m. in an area near Prairie Farm.

According to Rhonda Abbuehl, she and her roommate were awakened by a gunshot. It was later discovered that her 9-year-old horse “Rex” was wounded in the rear quarter after someone apparently shot him from the road near her home on 1450th Avenue in the Town of Sheridan. Although his wounds were treated, Rex died Monday morning.

Nearby, fellow Sheridan resident Denise Stuber found her horse dead from a gunshot wound in its front quarter. And in a field just a few miles away on County Road V in the Town of New Haven, Rose Ellsworth reported that a horse in her care was shot in the head and killed.

On Friday morning, Capt. Mike Tietz of the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department said that although the investigation was progressing, no arrests were imminent.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) announced on Friday afternoon that it is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information “leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible” for the shootings.

“These helpless animals were shot to death, and the killer needs to be held accountable,” said HSUS’ Wisconsin State Director Alyson Bodai. “This kind of intentional cruelty to animals is unacceptable to the people of Wisconsin, and those responsible for these senseless deaths need to face a stern penalty.”

The perpetrator(s) would be charged with felony animal cruelty and if convicted, could face more than three years in prison.

I believe the shootings span over three counties now.

Only three years??? You know what this reminds me of? The Washington D.C. sniper. You know what he got? Death penalty. I'm not saying we need to go that extreme, but we need to be a heckuva lot harder than this. Whoever's shooting these animals could easily turn to choosing children as his targets next.

Woman Off the Hook After Killing Horse

Short rant. Sorry. I was going to talk about the mustangs, but I'm not sure if I can do that without getting fully ticked off anymore.

The Fairbanks district attorney has dropped charges against a Two Rivers woman accused of killing her neighbor's horse.

The neighbor did not respond to the district attorney's phone calls and letters about the case.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported 48-year-old Jamie Rogers had been charged with misdemeanor weapons misconduct for the shooting in October 2008.

She said she fired a warning shot to scare off horses and was unaware she hit one. She said she was protecting her property and should not have been charged.

The criminal complaint said the neighbor's horses had escaped a wire fence and had been in the area previously, biting and kicking Rogers' horse, and she was afraid for the lives of her animals.

You do not shoot a horse to scare it off. How can you possibly kill a horse and be unaware that you shot it?

Barn Fire at Ohio Harness Track

Today we need a moment of silence for the two people and 55 horses killed in a barn fire at Lebanon Raceway in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Link

Two people and at least 55 horses were killed in a fire that swept through a barn at the Lebanon Raceway near Cincinnati, Ohio.

The fire occurred early Saturday morning. It was reported at around 5:30 a.m., but by the time firefighters reached the scene, the barn was engulfed in flames. CBS affiliate WHIO said the fire caused the roof to collapse.

The station also reported that the barn housing was made of wood, but wrapped in sheet metal, essentially creating an oven-like environment.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but authorities do not suspect criminal intent.

Keum H. Lee Update

Case continues. Next court date is December 14th. Wish I had more news than that, but I don't. :(

Case Updates

Wow. It's been almost a month since I posted last... I'm sorry guys! Life hit me and then the laptop broke and I'm just now getting back into the swing of things. Though until I get the laptop back in two weeks, I can't guarantee my posting being very reliable. I just thought I'd drop in and update all the cases.

But before I begin, I'd like to congratulate ZENYATTA and all those involved with the training and care of this world-class mare. She's truly one of a kind and I'll be the first to cheer if she wins Horse of the Year. She's earned it. (if you know nothing about horse racing, Zenyatta is probably the greatest filly in history. A few weeks ago she became the first filly in history to win the Breeders' Cup Classic and did it in an incredible fashion, overcoming issues that would've defeated a great many colt.) We'll miss you Zen. The only thing I wish you could've done was a match race between Rachel. Now that would be the race of the decade.

Now let's move onto the horses that aren't as lucky.

Keum H. Lee -- Trial's in three days!

I'm starting to doubt that I'll ever find out what happened with most of these cases. A lot of them had court dates over a month ago, but without being able to check up on them directly it doesn't do me a lot of good to know that.

Harness Horse Scratched To Dismay of Owner

Story [Injury is shown.]

Champion harness racer, Changeover, was denied a start in a race Friday because of a larger, raw injury from a float mishap. I'd like to know what kind of mishap caused that injury, but... The issue her being that the owner was surprised that his horse was refused entry. Look at the injury! Apparently he raced a week ago with that same injury and I imagine a week ago it must've been worse than it is now. I can't imagine having that kind of injury at all, let alone being forced to race with it.

Look, horses are a lot like people. For example, they do a LOT better when they're healthy and NOT in pain.

Quick Suzi and Whisk Link

I'd like to pause this regularly scheduled week for this link. Scroll to the bottom to see pictures of what Suzi and Whisk looked like as of 9/1. The change is AMAZING. You wouldn't be able to tell that the horses on the top are the same as the ones on the bottom.

Link [Warning: there are, of course, before pictures at the top.]

Sunday Updates on Monday

Since my computer apparently had a stupid moment yesterday and decided to post the Sea of Stars post instead of scheduling it like I told it to, I'm going to have to do the updates today.

Before we start, I have another blog post I want to share. This one has a lot to do with our case updates.

Meet the owner of Beau, a previously neglected horse. The officer refuses to take Beau's previous owners to court. Does anyone know why these cases take so long and cost so much money? 'Cause I don't, and I'd like to know. Seems like we could sentence them a lot faster than we do.

Keum H. Lee - Eight more days until the next court date.

Ernie Paragallo - I have two stories for this one. Story So far homes have been found for 96 of the 177 horses rescued from his farm. Paragallo is being charged with 35 counts of animal cruelty punishable by up to 2 years in jail and a fine of $35,000 if found guilty. I am at a loss for words right now. It cost more than $35,000 to care for all those horses and the bills are still being racked up! I've got a better idea, how about he pays for the care of all the horses. And I mean everything. And how in the world do you get 35 counts of animal cruelty out of starving 177 horses? Maybe it should be 2 years in jail and a fine of $35,000 each. Moving on... And in a lot better news: Story The New York Racing Board is tightening its rules to ensure that all breeders receiving fund money provide proper food, water, and shelter for their horses.

Here's some more on the wild horse plan. Story

Dan Gralian, president of the Nevada Cattlemen's Association, said livestock overgrazing no longer is the problem it once was and cattle don't cause more damage to the range than horses.

Well of course he'd say that. I've finally figured out what the one of the biggest problems with America is. With every debate, we have two sides. Both sides has facts that they twist to their advantage. The problem with that being, one of them HAS TO BE WRONG. And there's no way for anyone to know which side is wrong because neither side will admit it and you never hear from the middle. So, honestly, how do we know horses cause more damage to rangeland than cattle or vice versa? Ranchers are always going to say its the mustangs and horse advocates are always going to say its the cattle.

Two Horses Shot in Rowan County

Story

Before I begin, just know that the two horses are doing fine. Now...

Montie Stirewalt Cline believes whoever shot the horses meant to kill them.

And I believe that it doesn't take a crime investigator to figure that out. Whoever it was shot them at point blank range between the eyes. What kind of person would do that?

The culprit has not yet been caught and no suspects were mentioned.

What's Next for the Wild Horses?

So here's another subject that gets me riled up. I'll try to keep this post less rant-ish than the thoughts running through my head right now.

Story

Wild horses are an icon of America. They're wild and free. Those of you that argue that being trapped in a pen is better than starving to death, please give me evidence that these horses really are starving to death and then I might listen to you.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost of the House action at up to $500 million. The agency said the cost of enacting all of the programs in the bill would be about $200 million over the next five years, if the Senate goes along with the plan.

$700 million is nothing compared to the billion and trillion dollar plans I've been hearing about lately. Anyone wanna tell me how those are working out?

Some ranchers, American Indian groups and Western lawmakers -- including Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. -- want to reverse a decades-old ban on selling horses for slaughter. Such killing would be done humanely under federal guidelines, but Salazar -- who has heard plenty about wild horses in his few months on the job -- said the idea is a "nonstarter."

Uh, NO. Ya'll know already how I feel about slaughter in general. Learn to share the land. The horses have been there longer than the ranchers and from my knowledge, American Indians have managed to live beside mustangs for generations.

But adoption numbers have dwindled dramatically in the past few years, and now there are nearly 37,000 wild horses and burros roaming the West.

I wonder why. The adoption guidelines are...difficult for most people to achieve. How many people can afford another horse right now and want to have one? How many of those people can provide the care and training a mustang requires? How many of them have property of their own? Now how many have a six-foot fence on said property and everything else that's required? I understand why there have to be requirements, but...

The BLM estimates the current rangeland can support about only 26,600 of the animals.

Anyone know how they come up with these numbers? Can I get a second independent opinion?

I'll accept most of Salazar's plan. It seems to be ambitious, but how are they going to get the horses from the rangeland to a preserve in the East?

Lost Horse Found in NY

Story

GANSEVOORT — A bay gelding named "Equinox Paisley" was found Saturday afternoon outside the city of Saratoga, and Upstate Equine Medical Center is trying to spread the word to get the horse back to its rightful owner.

Tracy Bartick-Sedrish of Upstate Equine Medical Center said the clinic discovered the horse and, after calling the police, were unsure of how to best contact the horse's owners. Police referred her to Animal Control but Bartick-Sedrish said she just wanted to let the owners know Equinox Paisley is safe and sound.

"What ends up happening when a horse is lost is the owner ends up looking in the woods with a flashlight all hours of the night," Bartick-Sedrish said. "We just want to get him back to his owner."

Any information regarding the horse and its owners can be called into Upstate Equine Medical Center at 695-3744 any time. There is also an emergency beeper number available if no one answers at the center (number is provided on automated phone message).

Unfortunately, this horse might not be lost. With the economy so bad and people unable to sell or continue to care for their horses, they're just setting them loose thinking that the horse will be able to fend for themselves. Of course horses can't just fend for themselves since they're not used to finding their own water and food, and avoiding traffic. I hope this isn't the case for this boy and his owners will find him soon.

Sunday Case Updates and More

It's Sunday, the day I check up all the cases on my list. To date there are...12 of them. Let's see if there's anything new this weekend.

Gordon Dennis Key-- mentioned here The horses are still recovering well. Key is facing 77 counts of animal cruelty, each punishable with up to one year in prison and $4,000. That's 77 years and $308,000 total. How about life and $300,000 donated to the care of the horses and various rescues...

Ernie Paragallo - Story Updates on a few of the Paragallo horses as they recover and are trained for their future careers.

And in random news, Zenyatta tied Personal Ensign's winning steak of 13 for 13 with her victory in the Lady's Secret. She is now heading for the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. Rachel is officially out for the season which means the match race that we all -- okay, mostly me -- dreamed of will not be a reality. Dublin finished fifth, I believe, and Backtalk finished eighth in their separate races. Yes, I was sad. I haven't found anything really special to keep an eye on next year.

New Slaughter Plant in Montana?

Story

If you don't realize, I'm strongly anti-slaughter. I have nothing against pro-slaughter people -- my mother's pro in fact -- but never get into an argument with me over whether or not it should be legal.

So we FINALLY get the other three slaughter plants closed and now you guys want to run around and open another one?

Federal law effectively bars the U.S. Department of Agriculture from inspecting such a plant, and any meat shipped overseas for human consumption must be inspected by the USDA.

Is this a recent law? Because I don't remember anyone bringing this up when the slaughter plants were open before.

Because no horse slaughter plants exist in the United States, there is a national epidemic of abandoned horses, he said.

For the LAST time, there is NOT a national epidemic of abandoned horses because there are no slaughter plants. There is a national epidemic of abandoned horses because the economy sucks and most people can't afford their houses and cars, let alone a horse!

They're animals. Some of them are usable and some of them are not."

Someday I hope to meet someone that thinks animals are disposable. I have a lot of words for people like that.

SD Horse Thief Charged and Arrested

The thief that stole Dually, a barrel racing horse later found with extensive injuries, has been charged. Story

Stanley County authorities arrest Flint Dahl and charged him with two counts of grand theft and one count of inhumane treatment of an animal. Each grand theft charge is a Class 4 felony, which carries with it a maximum of 10 years imprisonment and may also carry up to a $25,000 fine.

Looks like someone's going to get what they deserve. That's 20 years and a $50,000 fine, not including the inhumane treatment count if he gets the full punishment. It's about time. Now I just need to find a more detailed story...

Two Horses Injured In One Race

More evidence that synthetic tracks may be the worst million dollar idea in the horse racing industry. *sighs*

RIP Blackbriar

Story

Two horses were injured, one fatally, in the California Cup Classic. Blackbriar, a 50-1 shot, was pulled up in the stretch by his jockey after taking a bad step. He broke the sesamoid bone in his right front leg according to track officials and was euthanized.

Grazen, the favorite of the race and a possible entry for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, was pulled up in the stretch while leading. He injured his right front tendon and may have torn it according to his trainer. Grazen will be treated, but will never race again.

Case Updates

Summer Bird beat Quality Road in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. *headdesk*

Anyway, on to more important things.

Gordon Dennis Key -- remember the 77 Egyptian arabians? They're being auctioned off to approved homes this week. Story [Warning: There are before/after pictures. I just sat here and stared at the before one for several minutes it was so horrible. I didn't even know it was possible for a horse that skinny to be living.] Investigations into the treatment of the animals continues, with no mention of a court date for Key. Shows that even rare and valuable horses aren't safe from neglect. A few of the bids are already up into the thousands.

Ernie Paragallo - According to my notes his court date was October 2nd.

James Henderson and Michael Mercier - Court date's been set for my backyard abuse case. It's in February. *headdesk*

Jackson County Animal Control in March 2007 seized 69 horses on Henderson's farm, calling the conditions unsafe and unsanitary. Most of the horses, and others foaled after the seizure, were auctioned for about $50,000.

Auctioned how exactly? Wish I wasn't broke and could've been there... I'd have taken a horse or two.

Sea of Stars Retires

This second blog pst is about the recent retirement of Sea of Stars, just one of the great horses that are (or, in his case, was) racing this year. Just two weeks ago, Sea of Stars powered to a 2-length victory in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a top race in France and otherwise known as the Arc. With his Arc win, Stars was undefeated this season and one six straight group 1 races. Speculation continued that Stars may have been the greatest horse of all time and that he was sure to head to the Breeders' Cup on November 8th. But then came a shocking decision. Sea of Stars would retire to stud immediately. And not because he was injured. Today I read this blog post about a few of the things Stars' owners and trainer said about his retirement. I completely agree with the writer of the post.

Horse racing fans are not stupid. We don't like to lose the horses we root for and we definitely don't like to lose them for a reason as stupid as "we don't want him to get beat so we're just not going to race him anymore. Sure, he's in as good a shape as ever, we just don't want to run him." Look at Curlin. Look at Rachel. Look at Zenyatta. Probably three of the greatest horses of this decade. And you know what? Curlin went on to race at 4. Rachel may be out for now, but at least her owner has a very valid reasoning for it and she's coming back next year. Zenyatta is already 4, undefeated, and she's going to the Breeders' Cup. I could sit here for an hour listing all the great champions that people remember because they didn't retire early. They stepped up to the challenge and went on.

One moment, Oxx is saying, “It would be unfair to Sea the Stars to run him in the Breeders' Cup.”

How is it unfair? Is it unfair to ask him to face the greatest horses in the world? Is it unfair to ask him to race on Santa Anita's track? If he's healthy, strong, loves to run, and isn't going to be affected by the long trip from France to California, then how exactly is it unfair?

This is why horse racing is not the great sport it could be. Because money has become such a deciding factor, it's no longer about the horse. It's no longer about a great horse proving him or herself. It's about how much that horse is going to make.

Summer Squall

Summer Squall was foaled in 1987 by Storm Bird, out of Weekend Surprise (Secretariat). He went undefeated in five starts that included the Hopeful Stakes, Saratoga Special Stakes, and Bashford Manor Stakes as a two-year-old before forming a big rivalry with Unbridled at 3. The two went head to head 6 times, with Summer Squall coming out on top in four of the races, including the Blue Grass Stakes.

The Triple Crown came around that year and like most top 3-year-old colts, Summer Squall was pointed for it. He made a move from the pack around the final turn, but Unbridled came with him and pulled away for the win. In the 1990 Preakness, Summer Squall pulled away by 2 1/2 lengths to beat Unbridled. He did not go to the Belmont because Lasix was still banned in New York at that time. Besides the Preakness Stakes, Summer Squall won the Jim Beam Stakes, Pennsylvania Derby, and Kentucky Breeders' Cup Stakes at three.

Summer Squall returned for his four-year-old season, defeating Unbridled in the Fayette Handicap before finishing second in both the Washington Park Handicap and Pimlico Special. He ended his career with a record of 20 starts, 13 wins, and 4 seconds, and earnings of over $1.8 million.

Summer Squall was a ridgling, but that didn't stop him for a top-notch career at stud. He sired 37 stakes winners. The best known of these is Charismatic, 1999 Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year Old Male the same year of his Kentucky Derby and Preakness wins before coming up short and finishing third in the Belmont. He also sired Storm Song, winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and 1996 champion 2-year old filly; G1 winning Summer Colony; and Summerly, winner of the 2005 Kentucky Oaks. He was also the damsire of Stevie Wonderboy and Summer Bird.

Summer Squall stood at Lane's End Farm all his life and was pensioned in 2004 because of fertility issues. The 22-year-old stallion was euthanized September 22nd because of complications of the infirmities of old age and founder.

I have UPDATE!

So I finally got sick of waiting and remembered that there's one last source I haven't checked. So I went there. And guess what I've got?!

UPDATE ON KEUM H. LEE CASE!

On September 16th, Lee appeared in court. She has been released on recognizance and will return to court on October 26th.

If you, like me, have no idea what 'released on recognizance' means here are a couple definitions:

Method by which an individual is released in lieu of providing bail, upon his promise to appear and answer a criminal charge. The R.O.R. Procedure permits release on nonmonetary conditions, generally involving only the promise to appear, but sometimes involving special conditions (e.g., remaining in the custody of another, abiding by travel restrictions).

http://www.answers.com/topic/release-on-recognizance-r-o-r

It means that you are being released on your word that you will show up at court at the appointed times. It is used when there is little flight risk and the court system trust you will do the right thing. There is usually a bond that is being withheld and if you violate your release terms they can charge you.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_release_on_recognizance_mean_in_criminal_law

I'll keep watch and be back searching for updates on the 26th!

Cryptoclearance

Better Talk Now, my favorite turf horse, is retiring because of an injury to the suspensory ligament in his left hind leg. I'm depressed.

Cryptoclearance was born in 1984 in Kentucky by Fappiano, out of Naval Orange. He sold for $190,000 in the 1985 Keeneland September yearling sale. At two, Cryptoclearance destroyed a field of maidens at Saratoga by 12 1/2 lengths and went on to win a mile allowance at Belmont, defeating Gone West.

At the beginning of his three-year-old season, Cryptoclearance raced five times in Florida in preparation for the Kentucky Derby and placed first and second in all of them. The most prestigious of these victories was the G1 Florida Derby, where he had a tough trip when he was forced six and eight wide on the final turn and stretch. The stallion ran in all three legs of the Triple Crown, finishing fourth in the Derby, third in the Preakness, and second in the Belmont. He ended his three-year-old season with a 5th out of 12 runners in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Hollywood Park after making a bid from last place.

Cryptoclearance returned better than ever at four. He destroyed an allowance field at Gulfstream before coming out on top by a nose in the G1 Gulfstream Park Handicap. He finished second in the G2 Nassau County Handicap next out. The same year he dominated in the G2 Budweiser Hawthorne Gold Cup by 10 lengths and the G2 Paterson Handicap. But when the Breeders' Cup Classic came around, he once again finished a fast closing 5th.

Cryptoclearance returned for one last time in 1989 for his five-year-old season. He started that season off with a bang with a win in the G1 Donn Handicap, followed a win in the G1 Widener Handicap, and a repeat victory in the Hawthorne Gold Cup. His second-to-last start was in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, a mile and a half race at the time. Cryptoclearance chased Easy Goer all the way up the stretch, the two horses drawing away from the field by 20 lengths. His final race was his third try in the Breeders' Cup Classic, where he ironically finished 5th after coming up from last place.

Cryptoclearance retired with 44 starts, 12 wins, 10 seconds, and 7 thirds, and over $3 million in earnings.

His stud career began with a bang when he sired Stategic Maneuver and Ride The Rails in his very first crop. Stategic Maneuver quickly proved herself as a top filly when she won several large stakes races at 2 years of age, losing out in the voting for top 2-year-old filly to Juvenile Fillies winner, Phone Chatter. Ride The Rails won the Foolish Pleasure Breeders' Cup Stakes at two and ran second in the Florida Derby at 3. He won 10 of his 14 lifetime starts before becoming the first son of Cryptoclearance to stand at stud.

Cryptoclearance's best offspring is Eclipse winner Victory Gallop, earner of over $3.5 million and top racehorse and stud. A stakes winner at 2, Victory Gallop went on to place second in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont before going on to prevail in a thrilling 1988 Belmont Stakes where he denied Real Quiet a Triple Crown victory. Victory Gallop went on to shatter the track record in the Stephen Foster Handicap and defeat Behrens in the Whitney.

Another son of Cryptoclearance, Volponi, startled the racing world with a huge upset in the 2002 Breeders' Cup Classic.

As of 2008, Cryptoclearance had sired the earners of almost $50 million, including 3 champions, 13 graded stakes winners, 42 stakes winners, and 49 stakes placed horses.

The 25-year-old stallion stood for $5,000 for the 2009 season at Margaux Farm in Kentucky. He died of complications from colic surgery on Thursday.

RIP Cryptoclearance

Kona Gold

Anyone else think it's weird that there's been so many celebrity deaths lately? I mean think about it. Michael Jackson, Billy Mays, Ted Kennedy... Apparently that trend has hit the horse racing world. For the next week and a half I'm going to go back and pay tribute to these great horses.

Kona Gold was foaled March 19th, 1994. He was sired by Kona Gold and out of Double Sunrise. His pedigree included Slew o' Gold, Nijinsky II, Seattle Slew, Princequillo, Northern Dancer, and Bold Ruler. He sold for only $35,000 in Keeneland's 1995 September yearling sale.

Kona Gold raced for six seasons from 1998 to 2003. He made a total of 30 starts with 14 wins, 7 seconds, and 2 thirds and earnings of over $2 million. He won the 2000 Eclipse Award for top sprinter and set two records. The first was in the 2000 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs where he set a Breeders' Cup and track record for six furlongs, running the race in 1:07.77.

The gelding's wins include the:

1999 and 2003 El Conejo Handicap
2000 Palos Verdes Handicap
2000 and 2001 Potrero Grande Handicap
2000 and 2001 Bing Crosby Handicap
2000 Ancient Title Handicap
2000 Breeders' Cup Sprint
2001 San Carlos Handicap
2002 Los Angeles Handicap

Kona Gold was retired from racing at the age of nine. He spent four years as Headley's lead pony before retiring to the Kentucky Horse Park in 2007. He was humanely euthanized after suffering a severe fracture to his left front leg while exercising in his paddock. The handsome bay gelding was 15 years old.

RIP Kona Gold

Case Updates and News Tidbits

It's Sunday again which means tomorrow is the start of another week. Oh joy.

First some good news. Okay it might not be good news to all, but it is to me. Let's all remember than I am, in fact, a fan of horse racing, though that does not mean I support every decision they make.

Indian Blessing beat out Sara Lousie, aka the last horse to beat Rachel, by a head in the Gallant Bloom Handicap! No, I have not seen the race yet. But I'm going to.

Keum H. Lee -- I sincerely regret to say that I think they have succeeded in sweeping this one under the carpet. Unless someone here knows what happened to the case.

*sighs* No news again. I HATE not having news.

LAVA MAN'S BACK! That's right, my favorite gelding of all time is now back in racing! Story

If he's sound and happy, he should run! A horse wouldn't run if he didn't want to. Do you honestly think that a 100-pound man no matter how strong could force a horse to run and do well if the horse didn't love it?

Tom Hudson, manager at Magali Farms in Santa Ynez, commented that Lava Man's spirits were noticeably brightened by the return to training after months of relative inactivity.

See? I look forward to seeing his comeback to racing. I've been missing the old boy. :)

A slaughter rescue was shot and killed in Bismarck. Story

Animal abuse case is back in Jackson County District Court after Michigan Supreme Court decided not to hear their appeals. Story You can be sure that I'm going to watch this one. In fact, I can watch it directly. Horse abuse in my own back yard. I sure would like to know the whole story on this one.

Carriage Horses

This seems to be a popular topic lately. There are seem to be a lot of horse carriage/buggy related crashes. Here's PETA's side of the issue (no, I usually don't agree with them) and here's a recent story about a carriage hit near Central Park.

Let's talk about the carriage being hit first. Horse was caught unharmed, no one was in the carriage at the time, and the driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

1. Carriage horses NEED to be properly desensitized. I'm definitely not saying this one wasn't because any sane horse would bolt if it's carriage was hit by a car. I know I would.

2. Drivers NEED to be more careful! (I mean the car ones not the ones controlling the carriages, but they should be on the lookout as well.) I'm sick and tired of hearing stories about Amish buggies and horse drawn carriages being hit by cars. Accidents happen, but they shouldn't be happening this often.

Now let's take a look at the issue behind this: whether or not horse drawn carriages should be allowed in cities. As said in the article, PETA is trying to get them replaced by classic cars. There is just one thing I want to say to that.

WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ALL THE HORSES AND DRIVERS? The one thing that bothers me most about people that think entire sports should end is the fact that they never think about what would happen if it did end. This is similar.

Horses - yes, they're probably very well-trained carriage horses and awesome animals. But there are a LOT of horses like that out there right now for sale that no one can afford. Exactly how many carriage horses are there in Central Park? A couple dozen?

Drivers - Carriage rides are probably their primary source of income. By taking that away, you're asking them to give up what is probably all they know and what they love to do. So you're taking away their job, telling them they can't give carriage rides in Central Park anymore, and asking them to support a horse as well if they're the actual owner? If they're NOT the actual owner, do you think whoever that is is going to keep all their horses now that they're not doing anything?

If you want something to happen, you HAVE to think it through. Yes, it might save horse and human lives. But it's also affecting a lot more.

A carriage ride in the park with my mom at night is one of my favorite memories. I wish I still had the picture the driver took... Back then I was only able to touch a horse maybe once a month at most so a carriage ride was the highlight of my vacation. It wasn't in Central Park, I've never actually been to New York.

Second Arrest Made in Florida Horse Killings

I'm so sickened right now that I can't even think of anything to say. Don't read this story if you're easily distressed. No pictures, but it's not for the faint at heart.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/1246788.html

These guys better get a judge that's going to prosecute them as far as humanly possible.

Two Dozen Rescues Looking for Homes in Florida

Story This is the new case I'm watching. Two dozen horses rescued from a man in Florida are looking for homes. These include 21 Thoroughbreds and 2 Quarter Horses ranging in age from 7 months to 19 years.

Animal Services seized the horses from owner Lope Gonzalez, who was accused of failing to care for them properly, according to a press release.

When Animal Services removed the horses from a Morriston farm, approximately half were 400 pounds to 500 pounds underweight.

A judge allowed Gonzalez to keep 10 of the 33 horses on the property, according to the release.

The rest went to Animal Services. A criminal case against Gonzalez is pending.

I'd say they weren't taken care of properly! But WHY did they let him keep ten of the horses? They should've gotten them ALL out of there! I'd like to know if he cropped the tail on the horse who's picture is on the news story. Poor baby!

Case Updates and News Tidbits

I BRING GOOD NEWS!

An arrest has been made in the Florida horse murders! Story You know he's not the only one, but I hope he's prosecuted beyond the fullest extent of the law (because I don't believe we're hard enough on animal abusers) and that the rest of them are caught VERY soon and punished as well.

A horse in Aurora, Colorado was attacked by a bear. Story The horse is expected to fully recover, but the bear got away. Prints near the scene revealed that the attacker was a bear and not a mountain lion (which seems to be the more common non-human culprit behind horse attacks lately).

In a slightly related story, another horse has been attacked by an unknown animal in Minnesota. Story While some say the attacker may have been a cougar, others say it was dogs or coyotes that attacked the horse. There were no signs of dangerous objects that the horse could've injured himself on (as they are prone to do), predatory animal tracks, or a sign of a struggle.

And our final story for the day, all horses from Hoosier Park have been barred from all Kentucky racetracks after an outbreak of strangles at Hoosier. Fifty-seven horses stabled with the two horses with confirmed cases of the disease are in quarantine. Story

Now let's move on to the case updates.

Keum H. Lee - It's been four days since her supposed court date and I have NOTHING. I do not like the lack of updates on all three of my usual sources... Does anyone happen to know what's going on with this case?

*headdesk* I have nothing this week. Well, I have something, but I'm saving that for Wednesday. It's a new case.

Freedom's Flight - From Top Yearling to Rock Bottom

Read this story Sunday and had to share it. It's heartbreaking, but the truth.

Freedom's Flight was born at one of the best racehorse breeding farms in the world, Claiborne Farms. He was very royally bred, sired by Pulpit, a descendant of Seattle Slew and Secretariat, and his dam was Heather's Flight, a descendant of Nijinsky and Northern Dancer.

On December 22, 2007, Freedom raced for the first time at Calder. He raced only three times at two and then made his first start as a 3-year-old at Gulfstream. Seconds after leaving the gate, his front leg snapped and he continued to run when his jockey failed to notice. Despite the injury, Freedom went on to finish third, but his career as a racehorse was over.

Heinlein had a choice to either euthanize Freedom or send him to Marion Brill, a horse rescuer. Brill started to rehab the still-intact stallion, but the injuries were too daunting. She sold him to a man for $500. [Some horse rescuer, huh?]

It's impossible to tell what happened to Freedom during the next two months, but at some point in time he may have hobbled along on his broken leg as a riding pony for children. [Whoever owned him ought to have their leg broken.] During that time, someone finally gelded him.

Freedom was among several horses spotted on Manual Coto's farm in July 2008. Manual has been known to slaughter cows, pigs, and chickens without the proper permits -- which he was trying to obtain at the time. [Why didn't they bust him for that????] However, Coto denies that he slaughters horses. He bought Freedom a couple of days earlier for only $100.

An SPCA vet diagnosed Freedom's Flight with severe "rain rot," which made him lose most of his hair, bites, wounds, severe rashes, abscesses under his hooves, detoxing from steroids, a fractured right cannon bone, and strangles, a potentially deadly, highly contagious bacterial infection.

Yet sick as he was, "there was something about him," Waggoner said. "I didn't want to leave that horse there. He was still so trusting of people."

She offered Coto $200. He declined the money and allowed her to isolate the horse on his land until she could make other arrangements. Freedom's Flight spent the next five weeks in quarantine, getting treatment for strangles and, finally, his broken leg.

Cuoto adopted him two weeks after he was seized and the two have bonded. Freedom is recovering well now that he has finally received proper veterinary care and was even entered in the contest to be Secretariat in the new movie about him. I don't think he won -- but it would've been AWESOME if he had.

Margaret Peterson

Say hi to the latest addition to my case watch list: Margaret Peterson. Story

A Sultan woman accused of mistreating a herd of horses has spent 30 years caring for animals and her heart is full of love for them, her husband said.

She's a self-proclaimed rescuer in my book. They all say that and yet, they don't care enough to give them proper care. If they can't afford to care for the horses, euthanize them or sell them. It's kinder than starving them to death.

“I really have a problem with people coming in and charging someone for having sick horses,” he said. “They make it seem like a state of neglect, but it’s not.”

Not providing veterinary care is neglect. So is not providing proper food, water, and shelter. If a horse is emaciated, then you're either not feeding them or there's something very wrong. "Because he's sick" is not a good excuse.

“They came in here locked and loaded and basically said, ‘We’re going to take you to jail if you don’t let us take this horse,’” Ryan Peterson said, recounting the conversation officers had with his wife. “She was scared.”

But apparently not scared into taking proper care of her animals so they wouldn't have to come back.

During one visit, an officer said none of the horses had water. As the officer watered the horses, the animals were so thirsty, they fought each other to get to the water barrels, the court document said.

One mare was on her side, with green mucus draining from her nostrils and covering her legs, Davis wrote.

That's not healthy or proper care. The horses need water and the mare needs a vet right now.

He said his wife had taken some of the horse on as rescue animals and was breeding others for sale.

1. Self-proclaimed rescuer. She takes in horses thinking she's doing the right thing and finds herself in way over her head when she can't take care of them all.

2. When royally bred throughbreds aren't selling, you PANIC. You do not go out and breed more third-rate, grade horses unless you want them to end up in Mexico.

She's in jail now on $5,000 bail.

Case Updates and News Tidbits

I'm moving these posts from Friday to Monday. This way I can write up my week's worth of posts in advance, set them to auto, and don't have to worry about all this being old news if it's still posting on Friday.

Keum H. Lee - Court date is three days away! On Wednesday. Found this story dated 9/10.

"For a practicing physician, one usual consequence of a felony conviction, or even a misdemeanor conviction, is the suspension of their license to practice medicine. The State Board of Professional Medical Conduct will, upon conviction, review the case and make a judgment as to whether the physician will lose the license to practice or not, and if the license is revoked, whether this action will be permanent or temporary

Revoke it permanently. Why would anyone want to have a doctor that's been charged for starving two horses, one of which had a halter embedded into her head?

Ernie Paragallo - Well this isn't much of an update, but...a horse was stolen from the same farm that was raided in April. Story I'd try investigating the brother first. Common sense says "do not leave questionable man alone with horse." Why there are even still horses there is beyond me...

Mary Peterson - the newest addition to my case list. This one makes me want to bang my head against the desk. I'll tell you about it Wednesday.

Now let's see what's in the news this week...

Story Three thieves went into a pasture in broad daylight and stole five horses while the next door neighbor watched.

This is why you should at least know what your neighbors look like.

You can't ride her, so why else would they take them?"

I really don't think Mexico cares if they're 23-year-old pleasure horses. Harsh I know, but true.

"They've been stalking the place for at least two months," she said of the thieves. Neighbors had seen two men and a woman ride into the pasture on Saturday and release two "skinny horses," Swint said. They returned Monday to retrieve those two and five more.

I don't really get this part. They released two horses into the pasture, left them for two days, and then came back and took those two and the other five? And the neighbors didn't find this strange? What about the owners of the five horses? They didn't notice that they had two extra horses? I know that's kind of a common thing nowadays with the economy so bad, but still.

I'm still trying to figure out why the neighbors would just stand there and watch this. I'd like to know where the owners are during this whole thing too and why it took the cops so long to get there.

Story (I did not watch the video, but there aren't any pictures on the link unless you count the one on the front of the video. It's not graphic, but you know what it is.) I think the count is up to twenty now.

With no suspect yet arrested, the motive for the killings has not been confirmed

Honestly, there's only really one possibility.

"The horse community is getting edgy and very upset," Gustinger told ABC News. "We've started community watches, people are patrolling their yards with guns to the point where some of the horse owners are looking forward to it. They're starting to hunt these people... they want it stopped," she added.

I can't even think of a punishment bad enough for these monsters...

Story And a man that deserves worse received a six-month jail sentence and is not allowed to own animals for seven years after starving a wide variety of animals, including a horse named Missy that later had to be euthanized because of her condition. Wait a minute, Missy was found in December 2007. It took them a year and a half to sentence this guy?! 11 counts of animal cruelty and he only got six months...There is no justice.

Tidbits of News

I know I usually do these on Fridays, but since I missed Friday I decided to do one today.

I have no case updates today. Not because I didn't look, but because I couldn't find anything. Though Keum H. Lee's court date is just nine days away.

Tom Selleck won the lame horse dispute. Story Apparently he bought $120,000 horse to find out that it had a medical condition that wouldn't allow it to compete. I'm sure this kind of thing happens all the time (though not usually with this much money involved) and not always with this kind of result. Yes, it's the seller's responsibility to know the horse they're selling and not lie. But it's the buyer's responsibility to know the signs, be wary, thoroughly check out and ride any horse they're considering, and get a pre-purchase vet exam. You don't trust their vet, you bring along your own. At the very least get a trusted, knowledgeable friend to come along.

Original Story Story According to the owner of the horses, one of them had their throat slit and the others were shut in a corral with rat poison. Now it's believed that the horse got tangled up in some barbed wire (which shouldn't have been there in the first place), but that still doesn't explain the rat poison and graffiti.

Story I'm honestly not sure where to begin with this one. It's the guy that advertised for executioners for his horses because he was protesting a 90-day jail sentence for something that has nothing to do with the horses. 1. People that don't care what happens to their horses should not own them (meaning the investor ladies, not the guy). 2. I'm glad the county took the threats seriously and got the horses out of there. Nine mares and fourteen stallions. I hope those stallions weren't all together or it's a miracle they haven't killed each other. 3. This guy is insane. The horses had nothing to do with the jail sentence! It was for not cleaning up the junk on his property. Now the only question is: what is he going to do when he gets out? Expect to get the horses back?

Edward Gal's 90.7% Dressage Performance

Today I'm going to share something really cool. Edward Gal and Moorland Totilas 90.7% dressage performance in the KUR European Championship. It literally gave me goosebumps watching it. They are amazing and Totilas is only 9 years old!

Jack Ziniuk

Yes, I planned to blog about horse racing today, but changed my mind. I'll do that another day. Like one where I'm not down because every horse I was rooting for last weekend lost.

So instead I'm going to talk about the guy who's case I've been watching the past couple weeks, but haven't reported on.

Well, I have news on that front, but it's not exactly good...

Story The man responsible for the cruel death of his horse was found dead on his property Thursday night. He was to stand trial in October allegedly beating a horse in the head with a sledgehammer. He was going to plead not guilty and according to him, he loved the horse and it was already dead.

The head was decapitated and fed to Ziniuk's dogs because he'd heard that horse meat was what dog food is made out of. To my knowledge, horse meat only goes into a very few brands of dog food these days. Most dog food does not contain horse meat anymore, though it did at some time.

Tidbits of News and Case Updates

I expected to begin this post with 'this is the unhappiest I've ever been to be right' but that would be a long post so I'll do that Monday. Plus I need some time to do some research and double-check on some things. So...today I'll be doing some tidbits of news that aren't long enough for a full-length post and check up on my abuse/neglect cases.

Keum H. Lee - Nothing. Her court date is still 19 days away so I'm not expecting much.

Gordon Dennis Key - News on this front! Story Key was not at his Wednesday hearing where his attorney worked out an agreement with the district attorney's office. Key agreed to donate his 77 horses to the Humane Society. Which apparently is one more than expected. Not entirely sure where that extra horse came from...you'd think they'd know how many horses were there and rescued. Key has ten days to bring all documentation for the horses to the court and pay $5,000 in court costs and the costs of the animals since they were seized.

"This is not a case where a person had a willful desire to not care for an animal or was being intentionally cruel," he said. "He had no employees left. It was just one man doing the best he could for 77 horses. It was just impossible.

"He is an honorable man, and he really did care about the animals."

Lots of people that neglect their animals really do care about them. Those hoarders you see on TV with a hundred cats running around their house care about them. But they're still at fault for having that many animals and letting it get out of hand. He had no employees left? What happened to them? This kind of thing doesn't just happen overnight. If you need help caring for 77 horses, hire someone or find a neighbor kid that can't afford a horse of his/her own. Someone like me for instance. If the horses are rideable, they'd probably do it for free in exchange for a chance to ride the horses or even just be around them.

Kim Dotson - Story Investigations are proceeding and Kim Dotson faces 37 counts of animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by one year in jail and $5,000 in fines. Now is that each or total? Fifteen of the horses have already been adopted out and seven are still looking for new homes.

Jack Ziniuk - Nothing here. Though according to my chart, his court date was three days ago.

Ernie Paragallo - Nothing here either. Not expecting much until October.

***

The Walking Horse Celebration is back and ready to crack down on those trainers that use soring as a way to get ahead. Story One question though...it says the first, second, and third place horses will be subject to pre- and post-performance inspections. So by 'pre-performance' do they mean that they're going to inspect all the horses there? Because how can you inspect the winning horse before the competition? Maybe they should do want horse racing does and inspect random horses in the field in addition to the top three.

A Colorado man threatened to kill his 24 horses in protest of zoning regulations which, according the story, have nothing to do with the horses. Story This man is sick! He should be in jail, the horses should be rescued (though I believe they have been), and he shouldn't be allowed to own an animal ever again. Though if he believes the zoning regulations would force him to leave the ranch, I'd like to know what the zoning regulations are.

And as for the Florida horse murders, the reward has been upped to $20,000 for information leading to an arrest and a new watch program unveiled.

"They come from the lowest ebb of society, they don't have any of our civilized notions. And I think everybody is aware of that," said Southwest Ranches resident Maryann Allen. "Thank God for my six gun, I'd shoot em."

Nineteen horses in southern Florida have been butchered for their meat which is sold illegally.

One Animal Neglect Case Resolved

Not one that I've been following and you can hardly call it resolved by any means...

Deaver woman gets probation, fines for animal cruelty charges

The crime? Starving over three dozen horses and excessively whipping another at a rodeo on July 1st.

The punishment? About $3,000 in fines, five years of probation (during which time she cannot own livestock), and five days in jail (already served). If it's unsupervised probation, how do they know she's not owning livestock?

Thirty-nine horses were taken from her property in February. Thirty-nine! They had no food and one of them collapsed while being examined and had to be euthanized. Ten were reclaimed by their Billings owner and the other 28 were adopted out to local homes. The restitution that she is paying will be put towards the vet and food bills incurred by the county in caring for the horses.

As for excessively whipping the horse at the rodeo, she only received a warning from the rodeo producer that "she would no longer be allowed around the rodeo arena."

A jury trial for Stephanie Francis had been scheduled for Oct. 15 — the same day Michael Francis is slated to be tried on his 39 charges.

I'll have to keep an eye on this one. You starve a child and there's an uproar. You starve 39 horses and get a slap on the wrist.

BLM Plans to Remove More Mustangs

Before I begin yet another rant caused by the BLM, I have a few pieces of news.

On August 16th, Silent Cash Dasher, became the second oldest American Quarter Horse to win an official race in North America. He's 16 years old. The second place and third place horses were 4 and 5, and even the second oldest horse in the race was 10 years younger. The oldest horse, Go Devil, won back in 1965 and was only 17 days older than Silent Cash Dasher. The news story is here.

In other news, Mine That Bird has been scratched from the Travers and I just heard that Nicanor (brother of Barbaro) has been given 60 days of turnout because of his injury. Some good news is (depending on how you look at it) Better than Honour, well-known broodmare and dam of Belmont winners, Jazil and Rags to Riches, and Grade II winner, Casino Drive, has been bred to top stallion, Street Cry. That should be one nice foal right there.

Advocates Fight Wild Horse Roundup

Why can't we just leave the mustangs ALONE? Where is the proof that they're actually starving out there on the range? Studies seem to be conflicting. We need someone to go out there and conduct an independent study. NOT one that's being funded by the BLM. Not one being conducted by someone that's biased.

Seriously, are there really removing these horses because they're starving, or because the ranchers are complaining? The horses were there first. They should have federal protection.

Not only that, but this is just costing more money that no one has. The horses aren't going to be adopted out. There are already hundreds of mustangs that are being kept in holding pens that aren't being adopted out. I've seen the requirements that the BLM have and now I know why. Yes, I can understand those being important, but they're fairly difficult to come by. I don't know a lot of people that have 6' fences.

Anyone know what about to that one couple that was going to adopt a good number of the mustangs and let them roam on their land? I liked them.

Are synthetic tracks REALLY safer?

Today we're going to talk about synthetic tracks in horse racing -- one of my favorite subjects, but not one to get me started on if you're just talking to me. Ever. Because I could go on for hours about horse racing -- even if it is my favorite sport (please don't hurt me).

But this morning, I checked the news to find that there have been two more accidents at Del Mar. With these two, that makes it eleven. In the last month and a half! Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Polytrack/synthetics supposed to be SAFER? Wasn't that the whole point of these tracks spending all that money to put them in?

Two riders hurt, horse euthanized

I'm not bashing Del Mar's track. In fact, I commend people for actually caring enough to attempt this. But we're barking up the wrong tree here. I'll tell you what I think another day (probably tomorrow unless something comes up).

Horses are dying and these accidents didn't even take place during a race. They took place during morning training.

Are synthetic tracks really safer than conventional dirt? Was it worth the money for these tracks to put them in? What do you think?

Ernest Paragallo

*yawns* It's been a long weekend...

Been catching up on the weekend's stakes races this morning. Very disappointed to hear that Kiddari didn't win the Lake Placid. I couldn't actually watch it because my computer acts up every time I try. I caught the Iselin though where a very impressive Chirac romped home with a 12-1 upset. Coal Play failed to fire. Wonder if he didn't like the slop... Careless Jewel's 10-length win in the Alabama gave me goosebumps. Very beautiful filly right there. She might've even given Rachel a run for her money (I didn't just say that.) I've got two more stakes races to watch this afternoon: the Del Mar Oaks and the Sky Classic. I was very glad to hear that Rachel's heading for the Woodward and Mine That Bird is back in training after his surgery.

Spent some time catching up on the cases. Not much on Lee, not that I expected there to be since the next court date isn't until September 16th. How long has this been going on for again? Nothing on Key either, but I'll keep watching. Nothing on Ziniuk either. (Haven't talked about him yet, but trust me, we will.)

And that brings us to today's topic which has to do with both horse racing and animal abuse: Ernest Paragallo.

For those of you that don't know, Paragallo is a thoroughbred racehorse breeder that's fairly well known. He bred Unbridled's Song and Artax, both major stakes winners.

Thoroughbred owner Paragallo pleads not guilty to neglect charges

Paragallo arraigned as officials revisit Center Brook

Happy ending for Baby Girl, one of the horses rescued

On April 8th, 177 emaciated Thoroughbreds were found on his property. Over seventy of these remain at Center Brook, while the rest were rescued. Three of the horses had to be euthanized and many of them had injuries that required attention. Paragallo remains free on bail and could face up to two years in jail and a fine of $35,000. At the time of the raid, Paragallo said he hadn't been to the farm in nine or ten months. He denies abusing the animals.

Now what I think about this whole thing... *deep breath* Well, first of all, there should be a lot more than 35 counts of animal cruelty. There were 177 horses starving on his farm! Whether or not he's actually been there in the last ten months is not the point. These horses were still his responsibility and unless he'd hired someone to take care of them, that's abandonment. If he has hired someone to take care of them than that person needs to share in this punishment because they're also at fault.

Second of all, he ought to pay for the vet, feed, farrier, and whatever other bills the horses have. I bet all that adds up to a lot more than $35,000 and someone has to pay it. Though I hear that a large number of the horses have already been adopted out, I'm sure there are a lot of bills for the new owners and the rescuers to pay. He's at fault there too since he should've been paying for their care in the first place.

If the case goes to trial (If?!) then court proceedings are not likely to begin until late winter or early next spring.

Keum H. Lee Case Update

I bring update on the case. Next court date is on September 16th. Here's the link and the update:

http://www.sunnyskiesbirdsanctuary.org/Wallkill%20Update%208-21-09.html

On 8/21/2009 11:59 AM, Linda Brink wrote:

Keum H. Lee has now formally been charged with two counts of felony animal abuse and two counts of misdemeanor animal abuse. Today, those charges were read to her. She still has not entered a plea. The next court date is September 16, in Goshen--the case has been adjourned until that date. Apparently, how Lee wants to handle the charges brought against her has not yet been decided.

So, between now and September 16th, things could change--or not change. The ADA and Lee might come to an agreement, in which case Lee will plead Guilty to the lesser misdemeanor charges and perhaps, surrender ownership of the horses and agree to provide payment of all expenses to heal them, and a maximum fine, in exchange for a dismissal of the felony charges. Or, Lee can plead Guilty to the lesser charges but not surrender ownership--in which case we sincerely hope, and strongly support, prosecution of Keum H. Lee for all of the charges currently against her. Pleading Guilty to misdemeanor charges without accepting additional responsibilities for her actions is, quite simply, not enough.

Another possibility is that no agreement between Lee and the ADA is reached, in which case Lee will enter a Not Guilty plea to all charges and it's off to court for a resolution.

Again, our suspicion is that she'll enter a guilty plea for the two lesser charges and surrender the horses. And the ADA will go with it.

Of all of these possibilities, only one will carry the day on September 16. Until that time, the future of Suzi and Whisk, and also that of Keum Lee, remains: undecided.

Linda Brink

Director, Sunnyskies Bird & Animal Sanctuary

Warwick, NY

Keum H. Lee Abuse Case

I was expecting to come dragging in here this morning and sadly reporting that they'd successfully swept a case I've been watching for about three months now under the carpet.

For one of the first times ever, I'm happy to say that in this area at least, I was wrong. According to this link the next court date is today. I wish I could've told you that several days ago so we all had time to send letters, but I'd rather know late than not know at all.

Now for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, Keum H. Lee is charged with two felonies and two class A misdemeanors for his two horses, Suzi and Whisk.

Their complete story is here, but I warn you that the pictures towards the bottom are very graphic.

Here's the story from the above link in case any of you want to know what happened, but don't want to see the pictures.

On the night of Thursday, April 16th, near midnight, a call reporting a horse loose on a Wallkill road came in to the police station. The attending police officer reported "it smells like the horse's face is rotting off"--which indeed, was exactly the case. On Friday, April 17th, Animal Control and an equine vet went to the property of the horses' caregiver, Keum H. Lee, to investigate.

Suzi, described as a palomino mare, was declared to be approximately 600 pounds underweight, and suffering from extreme untended facial wounds, and infection. Her companion was found to be approximately 200 pounds underweight. Under the direction of the investigating veterinarian, the horses were immediately transported to a local equine rescue organization for proper care and rehabilitation. Everyone's heart went out to these two survivors--and yet, they are hardly now in a situation that can be called safe.

So it looks like I'll be spending the day watching the news for an update. If I find one, I'll come running in here and several other places to announce it.

Seven trained burros and horses available for adoption in Reno on August 22

I actually had some good news this morning. Mine That Bird's surgery to free an entrapped epiglottis went well, he's resting for a few days, and then he'll be back in training and pointing towards the Travers at the end of this month.

The BLM is offering seven saddle-trained burros and horses for adoption on August 22nd.

The horses are ages 3 to 5, have 120 days of training and vary in sizes and colors, the BLM said. The starting bid is $150. The burros are 3 and 6 years old.

The adoption is part of the Western States Wild Horse and Burro Expo from August 21st to the 23rd.

Link

If you click the link on the top right, you can see a catalog of the horses and burros that will be up for adoption.

Adopters must meet qualifications to bid and you can pre-qualify by calling the number on the link. Wonder what the qualifications are...

Habitat for Horses Overwhelmed by 99 Horses

No that's not a typo. Ninety-nine horses seized from two different farms from two different neglect situations.

Habitat for Horses struggling story

They are under a lot of financial stress while they attempt to care for this many horses. I can imagine. It costs a lot to care for one healthy horse, let alone 99 neglected ones that probably have medical issues in addition to being underweight. If anyone is willing and able to donate money or time, the phone number and website are on the link. I wish I could, but that's like a 24 hour+ drive.

Owner of 76 of the horses walks out of jail on bail

The owner of 76 of the horses, all Arabians, walked out of jail on $10,000 bail. Now my first question is, WHY does he have 76 Arabians? (Article doesn't say) And if he could afford to pay $10,000 for bail, why is it that he couldn't be bothered to feed the horses in his care? The punishment for this crime is up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. For neglecting to take proper care of 76 horses. It says that Humane Society officials estimate that it's going to take six to eight months of feeding before the horses are back to the weight they should be. Who's going to pay for all this? Maybe it should be a year in jail, $4,000 fine, and paying for all vet and feed bills for all 76 horses...

Dead and sick horses found on ranch No pictures (unless you count the one that's on the video screen, but I've seen way worse), but there are if you watch the video.

The remaining 23 horses came from a ranch in Bonham, TX. Three horses were already dead when officials arrived and six more had to be euthanized because of poor health. The owner said they hadn't realized that the horses were in such poor shape.

...Okay, I understand when a full-time job takes up most of your time and attention, but it only takes a few minutes to walk down to the pasture, look at the horses, and know that they're underweight. This sort of thing doesn't happen overnight.

She and her husband had the horses on 117 acres of land and thought that and a 7 acre lake would be enough to sustain the horses. Apparently they didn't realize that horses prefer grass over weeds and the land didn't have enough grass to sustain 35 horses.

But Dotson said she feels bad about the situation, and said she had noticed the horses had a serious hoof disease called Flounders when she visited the ranch last Saturday.

“Terrible… It was bad enough when I came out on Saturday and they had foundered and had to deal with them and then have to deal with it again,” said Dotson.

I think someone got misquoted here. That should be 'founders' not 'flounders.' Unless Flounders is some kind of weird disease that I've never heard of before. What I don't understand about this is why she didn't notice that the horses were far too thin when she "dealt" with the founder. Founder should be dealt with by calling a vet who should have noticed that the horses were too thin. Three of the horses died. There had be some sort of a sign that they were in poor health long before this happened.

She probably loves the horses, she just didn't realize that she wasn't giving them what they needed. This reminds me of the hoarders on Animal Cops that have 50+ cats in their houses, but can't take care of any of them because they just get overwhelmed by the responsibility. Only this is worse because horses are a lot more expensive than cats.

$10,000 Reward for Tips in Horse Murders

I wish I had better news for my first post, but unfortunately I don't. The reward for information leading to the arrest of the people responsible for butchering horses in Florida now totals $10,000. Seventeen horses have been reported and there are sure to be more. I heard from another source (which I forgot to write down) that there have actually been 19 horses killed.

Reward totals $10,000 for tips in horse killings There are no pictures on the actual link, but there are a couple in the video. They aren't very clear, but you know what they are.

If anyone knows anything please report it! These people clearly don't care that they're murdering animals and hurting people. They clearly don't care that these horses were not raised for slaughter and probably aren't safe. They're only doing this for the money.

Whoever they are, they need to pay and the only way that can happen is if they're reported and caught. For all of you that live in Florida, please keep special watch on your horses. They don't care who's horses it is that they're stealing so please be careful and if you have any information, call the number on the link. You don't know how many horses lives you could save.

Welcome to the Blog!

Hello everyone :) After reading a few other blogs that like to report on the going-ons of the horse industry, I decided to create my own. Here I'll post about the highs and lows of the horse industry, information about horses, and what I think about all this. Anyone is welcome to share their opinion. Differing opinions are welcomed!

There is only one rule: NO profanity and NO slandering of other people. Okay, that's two rules. Any comments containing either of these are subject to deletion. Don't think that I won't be watching either. Unlike some blogs, I want this to be a completely clean place.