Woman Drugged and even Painted Horses Before Sale

I. Am. Sickened.

Source

A Southern California horse dealer has reached a plea deal after being accused of selling animals that were sick, drugged and sometimes painted a different color, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Trina Lee Kenney, of Wrightwood, agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of mail fraud, said assistant U.S. attorney Joseph Akrotirianakis. Prosecutors allege Kenney tricked one customer by drugging a horse to make it appear calm and painted at least two others to match the color she advertised. She also was accused of accepting money for horses that customers never received and may not have ever existed.

THIS is why you never buy a horse sight unseen.

Sixty-one known victims were found in 23 states — from Washington state to West Virginia — and in Canada, Akrotirianakis said.

Kenney sold horses online. She used a variety of websites to place her ads and used at least 14 aliases, the plea agreement said. The 32-year-old kept changing her name and websites to avoid getting caught.

An FBI agent and a U.S. postal inspector set up a sting operation, paying $5,000 for a Friesian mare named "Azure" that did not exist. Kenney took the money but did not deliver a horse and refused to respond to them.

"She did do some wrong things and exercise some bad judgment," said Kenney's attorney, Joseph Shemaria of Los Angeles. "That's the reason she got into trouble, the reason the U.S. attorney's office picked up on it and the reason we decided not to go to trial."

However, he defended her as "a dyed-in-the-wool animal lover" who would go to great lengths to rescue horses and a mother who taught her three children to love the animals.

Yeah she really "rescued" those horses and loved them. A real horse lover takes the time to FEED, CARE FOR, and TRAIN their horses. None of which she actually did if the horses she sold have anything to judge by.

Shemaria said Kenney sold between 500 and 600 horses during a five-year period and the plea agreement does not mention the hundreds of happy customers.

Instead, it describes victims who received wild, unbroken, unridable horses that had been advertised as tame; lame and sick horses that had been advertised as healthy; horses that weighed much less and were much older than advertised; and two brown horses that had been painted black.

So not only did she sell horses that weren't even close to what was advertised, she abused them first. If a horse is lame or sick, you take it to a VET. If a horse is malnourished, you FEED IT. You don't make it someone else's problem.

Several other customers complained that her "money-back guarantee" was bogus, the agreement said.

A California customer told investigators she returned a horse but Kenney refused to refund the purchase price. The agreement, filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday, said the horse's remains were later found in the snow on Kenney's property.

WHY is this not considered important?

In the agreement, Kenney admitted that she lied about some horses being safe for children and beginning riders, and that she delivered starved horses that were covered in sores and cuts, had strangles, or had hooves that had been untrimmed for so long the horses couldn't walk.

The mail fraud count was the most serious crime prosecutors could have pursued, Akrotirianakis said. It carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Something is seriously wrong with that picture.

Shemaria said he believes his client will be sentenced to 41 months to 51 months in prison and be ordered to pay a fine.

Kenney is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 7. She remained free without bail.

I can't decide what's worse. The fact that this happened in the first place, the fact that it went on so long, or the fact that mail fraud is considered twenty to forty times worse than animal abuse.

BLM Seeks Independent Review

Well it's about time.

Source

At the urging of a bipartisan group of House members, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is asking for an independent review of its wild horse and burro program by the National Academy of Sciences.

BLM officials said the two-year, $1.5 million study would determine whether the agency is using the best science available in managing wild horses and burros on Western rangelands. BLM managers estimate that 38,000 mustangs and burros roam 10 Western states, and half are in Nevada.

And in the meantime, they'll continue rounding up horses and screw up the study. Because you can't study something that's constantly changing.

The study tentatively set to begin Jan. 1 would focus on population estimation methods, annual herd growth rates and population control measures, agency officials said in a statement released Friday.

The announcement came a month after 54 House members signed onto a letter that Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, sent to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar pleading with him to halt a series of wild horse roundups under way in the West.

The letter recommended that the National Academy of Sciences be assigned to review the BLM's plan to cull about 12,000 of 38,000 mustangs and burros from the range and either send them to long-term holding facilities or put them up for adoption.

Nevada Democratic Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus were among those who signed the letter that maintains the gathers are based on a "deeply flawed policy."

"Nevada's wild horses and burros are a treasured part of our Western heritage, but we continue to struggle with the management of these herds on public lands," Berkley said Saturday. "My hope is that this study will provide a new blueprint for addressing the many challenges we face in protecting wild horse and burro populations in Nevada and other Western states."

Titus said she was pleased the BLM acted quickly in response to House members' request for the study.

"In the meantime, I again urge the BLM to halt roundups until the failings of the current program are addressed," she said Saturday.

Activists said they support the independent review but only if it's coupled with an immediate moratorium on all BLM roundups of mustangs from the range. There will be too few genetically viable herds left to study at the present rate of roundups, they said.

"I expect the NAS report to be enlightening regarding the lack of science in BLM's decisions aimed at ridding the West of our wild horse and burro heritage," said Ginger Kathrens, director of the horse advocacy group Cloud Foundation based in Colorado. "A moratorium right now is essential so that NAS will have a few viable herds left to study."

The National Academy of Sciences is a nonprofit source of scientific advice that enlists the nation's top experts to address a wide range of problems.

The Hoskins Saga Continues

Source

Aurora horse farm owner Beth Lynne Hoskins was arraigned Wednesday in Aurora Town Court on her 125th count of animal cruelty, after a veterinarian who worked for her came forward saying a horse had to be euthanized on the farm last year due to neglect.

A hundred and twenty-five counts of animal cruelty and we're still giving her her animals back.

The veterinarian went further, blasting the "severely unsanitary and inhumane" conditions on the farm.

"Beth Hoskins should not be allowed to own any animals due to the fact that she is completely unable to provide even the most basic standard of care for them," Katherine Fitzgerald of Springville Veterinary Associates said in a deposition.

In the deposition taken Tuesday, Fitzgerald said she got a call from Hoskins on Nov. 26, 2009 -- Thanksgiving Day -- about a horse with an eye injury. When Fitzgerald arrived, Hoskins told her that another horse, Misty, was on the ground in another barn and unable to get up.

Misty was so weak that she could not raise her head, even after the veterinarian tried to help several times, Fitzgerald said.

"This horse has been neglected, left in unsanitary, unhealthful conditions, left without food, water, proper medical treatment and care to the point of severe emaciation and the need for immediate euthanasia to end her suffering," Fitzgerald said in her deposition.

Outside the courtroom, Hoskins' lawyers, Barry N. Covert and George V.C. Muscato, questioned why the veterinarian waited so long to come forward with her concerns, especially after the much-publicized seizure of more than 70 horses from Hoskins in March.

"Are you kidding me -- nine months later, she's claiming something happened? This is the bottom of the barrel, as far as we're concerned," Muscato said. "The medical records we've seen certainly don't support this."

This is the first charge against Hoskins involving an animal that died. Until Wednesday, all of Hoskins' charges involved horses and cats the SPCA Serving Erie County seized in March.

Hoskins said the day Misty was euthanized was "the saddest day of my life." She attributed the horse's condition to old age -- the horse was about 25 years old -- and complications from a hip injury the horse suffered before Hoskins bought it in 2004.

"It's sad, but it's part of the normal life cycle of horses," Hoskins said.

Barbara S. Carr, executive director of the SPCA, was quick to differ. "Just because you're old doesn't mean you're thin, dehydrated or weak," said Carr, who attended the court proceeding. "This animal suffered miserably and subsequently died. This is pretty damning -- from her own vet."

Fitzgerald said in her deposition that the horse Hoskins initially called her about last November, Electra, had an eye injury as much as a week old. Because the injury had gone untreated so long, she said, the horse had only minimal vision in that eye.

When she found Electra in the barn, Fitzgerald said, she had to struggle to open the stall door because the stall was filled with "several feet" of manure. The horse was rarely handled and had never been haltered or halter-broken, she said in the deposition. Hoskins was not able to touch the horse -- not an unusual situation on that farm, Fitzgerald said in her deposition.

"When dealing with Beth Hoskins and her horses for the past three years, it was apparent that she is unable to handle the majority of them, and she acts afraid of many of them. She is unable to care for the number of animals on her farm, and she insists on continuing to acquire more animals unnecessarily," the veterinarian said in the deposition.

Hoskins pleaded not guilty on Wednesday; she already has pleaded not guilty to the 10 animal cruelty counts that were filed against her in May and the 114 additional counts in July.

In March, the SPCA seized 73 horses and 53 cats from her farm. A house cat and a barn cat were returned to Hoskins, who signed away ownership of 41 of the cats. They have since been adopted. Of the remaining 10 cats, one died, Carr said. Hoskins has not tried to reclaim the other nine cats, Carr said.

Forty horses have been returned to Hoskins, by order of State Supreme Court Justice Joseph R. Glownia. The other 33 remain in the care of the SPCA, at a cost of $825 a day. The SPCA has spent $300,000 caring for Hoskins' horses, Carr said.

Six Horses Seized from SC Farm

Source

Six horses described as emaciated were taken from a farm Friday after Charleston County sheriff's deputies and a veterinarian inspected their health and living conditions.

The horses at 3288 Plow Ground Road were taken into emergency protective custody. The conditions at the farm for 24 horses that remain there will be monitored on a daily basis, the sheriff's office reported.

The name of the owner was not released Friday because there was confusion about the deed to the property, said Lt. Jack Scarborough. The sheriff's office did not provide information about whether anyone would be charged in the case.

Armed with a search warrant, officials entered the Kennerleigh Farm shortly after noon. The search warrant was requested after investigators entered the property Friday morning to do a welfare check on the horses in response to a complaint about their living conditions.

During the welfare check, veterinarian Justin Miller of Shambley Equine Clinic in Summerville said he saw a lack of water, poor nutrition and overt signs of intestinal parasites on six horses of concern. He said he could see the horses' ribs and spines.

The sheriff's office received a call at 9:40 a.m. from a representative of the Livestock and Equine Awareness and Rescue Network suggesting that some horses at the farm were being neglected, Scarborough said.

Scarborough said the property owner, who owns 22 of the 30 horses on the farm, was cooperative. The remaining eight horses are boarders that seemed to be OK during the welfare check of the property, Miller said.

Boarders...THIS is why you always check up on your horses. ALWAYS. How could you keep your horses in a barn where all the others were starving??

LEARN will care for the four horses in the worst condition at its facility in Meggett. The other two horses will be placed in foster care, Steed said.

She accompanied authorities on the property to inspect the horses' living conditions.

"Emaciated. That's the only way you can put it," Steed said.

One horse trough had 4 inches of water. The others were dry. Two dead birds floated in a garbage can.

BLM Says Dead Foal was Not Shot

Source

Holes in the carcass of a young foal found near a wild horse roundup in northeast California and Nevada were the work of scavenger birds not gunshot wounds as horse protection advocates first claimed, federal officials said Tuesday.

A veterinarian with the U.S. Agriculture Department's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service examined the foal on Saturday, two days after horse advocates opposed to the roundup found the animal and complained to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The vet was unable to determine a cause of death because the foal had been dead for about a month and the carcass was already in the advanced stages of decomposition, BLM spokeswoman Jan Bedrosian said.

But "the bony skeletal remains of the four- to six-week old colt showed no detectable physical trauma," Bedrosian said in a statement on Monday. "There were random holes of various sizes that were evidence of feeding by scavenger birds, according to the veterinarian."

In addition, a BLM special agent examined the area and found no physical evidence around the carcass to indicate it was shot or killed at that location, Bedrosian said.

Craig Downer, a wildlife ecologist doing work with the Colorado-based Cloud Foundation, was with the group that found the foal last week. He said it was within a few miles of a corral where a BLM contractor with helicopters gathered hundreds of mustangs last week along the California-Nevada border.

Downer said BLM officers in the field initially dismissed the report, at one point telling one ecologist the carcass was that of an antelope, not a horse.

But he said BLM officials from the district office subsequently showed genuine interest in the case. He said they requested—and he provided—copies of photographs he took at the scene and BLM officials confirmed late Thursday they were investigating.

Downer, who has done numerous studies at the roundup site, said on Tuesday that he had not heard from BLM about the examination results. He said he thought that the USDA and BLM would have the expertise to determine the source of the wounds but that he remained suspect of the conclusion.

"What gets me is the near-perfect roundness of the hole going in," he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. He said he wants to see details of BLM's findings.

"I've seen how the high-powered rifle perforates and leaves the round hole going in and going out the other side ... Based on that fact alone, I would be a bit suspect of the conclusion."

Last week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused a request by In Defense of Animals and others to block BLM's plans to roundup about 2,000 wild horses and 200 burros from the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area covering 800,000 acres along the state line.

Critics argued the horses have more of a legal right to the land than do thousands of livestock grazing there, but the court upheld the agency's action based on its conclusion the mustang herds are badly overpopulated and causing significant ecological damage.

Nancy Haug, BLM district manager for Northern California, said Tuesday that nearly 600 horses have been gathered to date in the operation expected to continue into September. She said there have been no injuries to personnel and no serious injuries to horses.

She said 32 horses previously gathered were returned on Tuesday to the Twin Peaks HMA, where BLM plans to eventually leave about 450 horses and 72 burros.

Paragallo Denied American Stud Book Privileges

Jockey Club is on a roll! In connection with Chad Moore's post yesterday, Paragallo has also been denied American Stud Book privileges.

Source

The Jockey Club’s Board of Stewards has voted to deny New York owner-breeder Ernie Paragallo all privileges of The American Stud Book, effective January 1, 2011.

The action was taken at the board’s August 21 meeting, based upon information received by The Jockey Club’s Registrar, including the judgment entered in March 2010 in the Superior Court of the State of New York, County of Greene, in the matter of The People of the State of New York v. Ernest G. Paragallo concerning acts of cruelty committed to a horse.

Paragallo was found guilty on 33 of 34 counts of animal cruelty, and he was fined and sentenced to serve a maximum of two years in jail.

The Jockey’s Club’s action will prohibit Paragallo from registering foals or submitting any documents related to foal registration. The January 1, 2011, date allows registration of foals conceived prior to the judgment.

“The Jockey Club fully supports and assists law enforcement agencies, the courts, and racing regulatory authorities in the investigation of matters involving cruelty to Thoroughbreds,” Jockey Club Chairman Ogden Mills Phipps said.

“When there is a final determination by a court, an official tribunal, or an official racing body that a person has killed, abandoned, mistreated, neglected or abused, or otherwise committed an act of cruelty to a horse, The Jockey Club will not hesitate to take appropriate action.”

Chad Moore Denied All Rights of American Stud Book

Source

March sentencing

A horse trainer in Ohio jailed for 180 days on six admitted charges of horse abandonment has been denied all privileges of the American stud book.

The Jockey Club annnounced the decision in respect of Chad Moore, effective from January 1, 2011.

The action was taken based on information received by The Jockey Club's registrar, which included Moore's guilty pleas on March 2,2010, in Clermont County Court.

Moore, 39, was charged over the abandonment of six horses, a pony, and a donkey on a Bethel, Ohio, property. Moore was also sentenced to an extra 10 days for violating probation and was ordered to pay $US179 in restitution to the Clermont County Humane Society. He was also fined $US400 and ordered to perform community service.

Denial of all privileges of the American Stud Book includes the privilege to register foals or submit any documents related to foal registration.

The January 1, 2011, effective date allows registration of foals already conceived before the judgment.

Jockey Club chairman Ogden Mills Phipps said: "When there is a final determination by a court, an official tribunal or an official racing body that a person has killed, abandoned, mistreated, neglected or abused, or otherwise committed an act of cruelty to a horse, The Jockey Club will not hesitate to take appropriate action."

The Jockey Club's Board of Stewards reached the decision at a meeting on Saturday.

Excellent job, Jockey Club. Also, although the article doesn't mention it, Moore is not allowed to work with animals and had to surrender any other animals he owned at the time of sentencing.

UF Student Loses Hand in Horse Accident

Source

Long story short: she had the lead rope of the horse she was holding wrapped around her hand while she was sitting in the passenger seat of a car with the lead hanging out the window.

1. Never hold a horse while sitting in a car. Especially with the door closed. If the horse spooks, you can't do anything but let go.

2. Never wrap a horse's lead rope around your hand. For any reason. If the horse is to spook, the best thing that could happen would be rope burns around your hand. The worst that could happen would be...what happened.

Santa Anita Track to Switch BACK to Dirt

Source

Still not saying anything...

Santa Anita is about to become the first California racetrack to abandon the 2006-mandated synthetic surface experiment and return to dirt.

Frank Stronach, chairman of MI Developments that owns the track, made the announcement Aug. 18 an evening meeting of horsemen and racing followers he had called at the Surfside Race Place satellite wagering facility adjacent to the Del Mar track.

A Santa Anita surface that was originally Cushion Track, then a hybrid of that with Pro Ride, then Pro Ride—but failed to drain properly in winter rains under any brand or name—will be replaced soon after the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting ends on Oct. 31. A new dirt surface, estimated by Stronach to cost between $5-6 million, will be installed by the traditional start of the winter/spring meeting on Dec. 26.

"We were mandated to put in synthetics…I never did like it…(but) we learned from it and I hope we never do something like it again," Stronach said in an 18-minute address, followed by a short question-and-answer session, before an estimated 250 horsemen and observers.

So not only was the synthetic track a multi-million dollar failure, but it also cost Santa Anita the Oak Tree meet this year. Oak Tree is going to Hollywood Park for their fall meet.

Santa Anita Track to Undergo Safety Inspection

Story

*smiles* What? I'm not saying anything...

The California Horse Racing Board arranged for an expert to inspect the main track at Santa Anita Park this week to evaluate its safety before Oak Tree Racing Association's upcoming fall meet.

Horse owners and trainers expressed concerns last week that Santa Anita's track might be unsafe due, in part, to the number of rocks embedded in the racetrack's surface, said Sherwood Chillingworth, executive vice president of Oak Tree.

"The board has a responsibility to make sure the racetracks are safe," said CHRB spokesman Mike Marten. "The racetrack has had problems for a couple of years, and it's going through major renovations. The board is just meeting its responsibility."

Safety inspections are required before any meet at a racetrack, Marten said.

"This is the same track everyone ran on in January, February, March and half of April and ... they didn't express any concerns then," Chillingworth said.

Alan Balch, executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT), declined to comment on the trainers' specific concerns about the track.

The board, along with representatives of CTT and the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), has monitored developments at Santa Anita Park as officials there attempt to repair drainage problems at the track.

The CHRB plans to invite owners, trainers and Santa Anita officials to review the report, which will also be made public, a CHRB statement said.

The horse racing board will meet Aug. 19 to consider granting Oak Tree a license to run the meet at Santa Anita, Marten said.

"The inspection would have to be done now for us to have all the information we need," he said.

Chillingworth said he thought it was a good idea to bring in Dr. Michael Peterson, a renowned professor of engineering at the University of Maine, to inspect the track.

"Let's get somebody who is knowledgeable and can render a dispassionate third-party opinion," he said. "I'm perfectly willing to rely on his judgement. If he has some remedial request, we'll look at those too."

Dr. Rick Arthur, equine medical director of the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, who is assigned full time to the CHRB and is vice president and director of Oak Tree, said "in my mind, there is absolutely no concern that the track will be ready" in time for the Oak Tree meet.

Ohio Man Charged with Animal Cruelty

Story [There is video of horses.]

A northwest Ohio man is facing an animal cruelty charge after one of his horses had to be euthanized today.

The man was keeping six horses and two foals in a pasture along Dorr Street in Swanton. Patrick Hudson will be charged with one count of animal cruelty after one of the foals was put to sleep this afternoon. The young horse was found in critical condition yesterday.

The foal was being propped up by a sling just minutes before it was euthanized this afternoon. A vet determined the foal needed extensive medical treatment to survive so the owner decided to put it to sleep.

The humane society had been monitoring the condition of the horses for months and after talking with the owner earlier this summer, things were getting better but they got an anonymous tip "things had gotten worse and even though they'd been there and he was doing the right things, things change," said a humane society spokesperson.

Clearly not very well if a foal was allowed to get into that kind of condition. He's not the only one; all the horses are underweight. If this is an improvement, I'd hate to know what they were like before.

As for the rest of the horses, the humane society says, "Our first choice is for the owner to take appropriate care of the animals but if he is unwilling or unable to do that, then we may seize the animals or ask him to surrender them."

If the animals are seized, the humane society will need help from the community. "Dogs and cats we are able to handle here at the humane society. Horses are more challenging. We have seized horses in the past. We find foster homes for them and we appreciate all the calls of support. If we do need to seize the horses, we will call people who have helped before and get them into a good place."

If convicted of animal cruelty, the owner will be facing 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.

Two of the other horses that were being kept on Dorr Street have been moved to another property to be cared for. The humane society will be watching the rest of the horses closely and if they are not cared for properly, Hudson will be facing additional charges.

Odysseus Tribute

Odysseus was foaled January 28th, 2007. He was by Malibu Moon, out of Persimmon Hill. He was sold in the August 2008 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale for $110,000, and again in the 2009 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. March selected two-year-olds in training sale for $250,000.

Odysseus raced only once as a two-year-old, running second in a maiden special weight at Aqueduct. He returned in 2010 to break his maiden at Gulfstream Park before moving to Tampa Bay Downs where he dominated an allowance by over 15 lengths.

He then went on to his stakes debut in the Tampa Bay Derby. Eventual Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver set the early pace with Odysseus just in behind him on the outside of Uptowncharlybrown. As they ran through the final turn, Schoolyard Dreams came up on the outside in a rush with Super Saver struggling to hold onto the lead and Gleam of Hope struggling to make a run on the far outside. Odysseus, tucked in behind them, looked like he didn't stand a chance. Odysseus tried to move to the outside, but he was boxed in. He was moved back to the inside and burst through a narrow opening between Super Saver on the rail and Schoolyard Dreams on the outside, surging up to win in a head-bob photo finish.

Tampa Bay Derby replay

With his stakes win, he burst into the Triple Crown scene but that dream came to an end when he finished last of nine in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes and came out of the race with a hyper extended knee. While it was clear the colt would miss the Triple Crown, it remained hopeful that he would return to racing.

He never did. The three-year-old colt was retired with a record of 3-1-0 from five starts and earnings of $223,670. He was euthanized August 9th due to complications from laminitis while undergoing treatment for colitis.

RIP Odysseus. It was far too soon. You never got to show everyone the true talent you had.

Indiana Couple Charged with Animal Neglect for Second Time

Story

What happened to revoking their right to own animals? Just shows that whatever their punishment was back in 2005, the slap on the wrist didn't help.

A northeast Indiana couple is facing charges of neglecting horses for the second time in five years.

Sixty-year-old James Mullins and 53-year-old Cynthia Mullins of rural Larwill were arrested Wednesday and charged with one count each of felony neglect. They were convicted in 2005 of misdemeanor neglect.

Thirteen horses and ponies were removed last week from their property about 25 miles northwest of Fort Wayne.

Foal Found Dead with Gunshot Wound Before CA Roundup

Story [No pictures.]

Pictures

I'm starting to think I need a separate blog just for the BLM...

The body of a wild horse foal was found near the site of the Twin Peaks roundup Wednesday by Craig Downer, wildlife ecologist and Cloud Foundation Board member, and Chrystie Davis, wild horse advocate. Davis, an experienced horsewoman, examined the foal for any broken bones. What she found was an apparent rope burn on a rear leg as well as a gunshot wound.

“It seems as though the foal was shot in the gut,” Davis states. “It looked as though the foal was abused, lassoed around the hind legs and dragged.”

The foal, approximately 2 weeks old, was killed prior to the start of the controversial Twin Peaks Herd Management Area roundup in Northern California. When Davis told BLM officials about finding the gunshot foal, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employee, Carman Prisco, told Davis she must be confused and the dead animal was an antelope. Photos taken by Downer confirmed that this is indeed a wild horse foal.

Good for them taking photos!

Photographs taken at the capture site, set on sharp lava rock, reveal blood stains within the trap.

Mustang advocates ask BLM law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation into the abuse and death of the federally protected wild horse—killed before independent contractor, Cattoor Livestock, began rounding up wild horses with helicopters.

Field reports from those on the ground noted a severely injured white stallion that suffered head trauma supposedly from fighting with other stallions in tightly packed transport vehicles. Even though the injury was serious, the BLM contractor was quoted as saying a vet “might need” to be called. The whereabouts of that stallion are currently unknown. Another stallion was off loaded into a pen with eight mules that attacked him, causing traumatic injuries. This incident was also brought to the attention of the BLM by public observers.

Of course a vet needs to be called out for the poor horse. If this was anyone but the BLM, this would not go unaddressed. Poor horse. RIP where ever you are.

Advocates were told yesterday that there were no injuries, yet when they went to look at the horses in holding, the area was blocked off. They were told that they could not access the area because the “injured horses” needed to rest.

Telling advocates that there were no injuries to make yourselves look good and then telling them they can't come in because the injured horses need rest is like a restaurant telling people they passed the health inspection but are still closed because they need an exterminator to take care of the rats.

Injuries are not uncommon in roundups and underscore the need for public access, says Ginger Kathrens, Director of the Cloud Foundation and EMMY Award-winning producer.

“Access is absolutely essential and is granted by the Constitution,” says Kathrens. “The ‘acceptable’ suffering of these horses is simply not acceptable to the caring public.”

Where is it granted by the Constitution so I may look this up and use it when I get to visit Nevada?

Laura Leigh, Cloud Foundation Herd Watch coordinator, agrees.

“If this is what we see when the BLM actually allows us in, what happens when they black out their actions to the press and public?” asks Leigh, plaintiff for the Tuscarora round-up that ended July 20 in Nevada, “The time for real Congressional intervention is long overdue.”

The recent round-up in Tuscarora, Nevada—also run by Cattoor Livestock—resulted in the deaths of thirty-six wild horses.

Horse Found Dead After Getting Out of Pasture

Story

El Paso County Sheriff's Deputies are investigating a case of extreme animal cruelty resulting in death.

A horse wandered off of its owner’s property and onto another man's property.

What happened next is unclear but the horse was found dead next to a road.

For now, deputies will only confirm that they are investigating the horse’s death.

But people who live there say a man who lives where the horse was found has threatened to shoot stray animals before.

There are conflicting reports whether Sure Foot was shot or poisoned.

The owner says her pony got through the fence and wandered onto a neighbor’s property.

The neighbor then stuck a note on the owner’s door about the stray animal.

People who live nearby say the man who left the note has made threats about loose livestock before.

"He's made remarks before cause there are cows over in the other pasture and he said they better never get out because if they do and they come on my property I will shoot them," said neighbor Billie MaManigal.

And supposedly the threats don’t stop there.

"I understand he doesn’t like anyone going on his property that he’ll shoot them if they go on his property," Sure Foot’s owner said.

People we talked to say the man claims the horse accidentally got into some antifreeze.

Convenient. RIP poor little guy.

Couple Appeal Sentence, Get Harsher One

Story

*evil laugh* I love it when this happens.

A husband and wife will spend time in a Maryland jail for fatally neglecting one of their horses.

A Baltimore County Circuit Court judge on Monday sentenced Hilton Silver to 60 days in jail and his wife, Donna Silver, to 30 days.

The judge also ordered the couple pay the county $16,000 for its care of two other horses officials removed from their home in 2009. After getting out of jail the couple will be on five years probation and prohibited from owning horses.

Monday's sentencing was not the first for the couple. They had originally been sentenced to three weekends in jail each, but they appealed their convictions and lost, leading to the new sentencing.

Spencers are Sentenced of Animal Cruelty

Source [There are pictures.]

One of these days I will read a sentencing story that makes me happy. This day is not today.

Charges were filed against George and Mary Lu Spencer for only a few of the large number of animals taken from their property in mid-January.

When Animal Control officers were dispatched to the couple’s home on Davis Bend Road on Jan. 14, they found: 79 canines (dogs), two felines (cats) , six equine (horses and mini-horses) and 10 guinea pigs in what they describe as “deplorable conditions’.

When an Alvin police detective visited the home to follow up with the couple regarding another issue, they noticed one dog tethered to a pole near the home.

He contacted Animal Control and two officers, Tonya Douglas and Heidi Hunting who investigated the condition of the home, barn, crates and cages the animals were in. For hours, Douglas and Hunting continued to find underfed, animals with little or no water, standing in feces; horses standing in water, covered in mud and others in cages with layers of feces covered in newspaper, the complaint states. Alvin Health Inspector Shelly Crist was also called in to the scene to review the conditions regarding health concerns, and to document the condition of the animals.

Although there were a total of 97 animals alive, and several dead, the couple was only charged with three counts of cruelty.

Both George and Mary Lu Spencer pled no contest to all three counts of the Class A misdemeanor charges, and both received the same sentence.

They will serve 12 months of community service each; participate in a community based program, and attend and successfully complete readiness to change class and pay the assessed fees, as well as community supervision fees of $27.50 per month and a $200 fine.

Twelve months of community service. Twelve. Months. For knowingly abusing 97 animals.

When the Animal Control officers originally learned how many animals were in such dire straits at the home, an Alvin municipal judge authorized the removal of all of the animals, giving the “care and control of the dogs” to the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The horses and other animals were kept in Alvin, and later adopted to new families, after screenings took place.

Many of the dogs were so ill with heartworms that they could not be adopted out, and were destroyed.

One mini-horse was cared for by a volunteer while it recuperated. Veterinarians feared it would not survive, since it suffered from malnutrition and other major medical problems. In fact, Animal Control Officer Douglas said at the time that a veterinarians had rated it a “1” on a scale of 1 to 10, believing it would not survive.

It did survive, and thanks to donations from the Animal Welfare League of Alvin, and local families who donated their time, food and medication were provided for all of the equine.

All of the horses had mouth sores, lice, and fungus on their skin when they were rescued. Caregivers had to limit the amount of water and feed they could give them because they were so hungry from lack of nutrition.

In late January, George and Mary Lu Spencer were brought to municipal court, where Judge Bill Pannell officially removed the animals from their possession.

At court, Mary Lu Spencer apologized for the condition of the animals, saying she had undergone breast cancer surgery and had put down hay for the dogs, and was worming them.

“I’ve been doing everything I can,” she said. “I am not able to take care of them right now.”

She presented binders with immunization records for some of the animals, and asked that one bulldog be returned, since it belonged to her granddaughter. “I’d like to have him back,” she said. Her husband asked that his own pet also be returned. “I want my house dog, my white dog,” he said. “I take care of him. Those other dogs...I did not go out to the barn.”

Clearly. I'm not sure how that helps with your defense. They were YOUR dogs, they were YOUR responsibility. You knew they were there, you kept them there, and you did nothing to take care of them.

Judge Pannell refused both requests.

The couple agreed to give up the animals, but were arrested as they left the courtroom.

In his ruling, Judge Pannell also required the Spencers to reimburse the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals $18,676.80; the Animal Welfare League of Alvin $671.88, and the City of Alvin $148.99 for expenses incurred up to that point. He required that they pay the fine within 30 days of his ruling.

According to Alvin Welfare League Treasurer Joanie Moore, only half, $335.94, was paid to the League, with the understanding that the balance would be paid two weeks later. The payment was never received. The AWLA must take the Spencers to small claims court and have a lien placed on them, if they hope to recover the money.

“I thought that was the end of it,” said Mary Lu Spencer, as she was handcuffed after being informed that the Brazoria County District Attorney planned to take the couple to court with cruelty to animal charges.

The couple was taken to jail immediately from the court, and posted bonds of $4,000 each, and were released.

Woman Charged With Animal Cruelty After Removal of Dead Horse

Source

Officials with the Kitsap County Health District obtained a court order before removing a dead horse from a shed in the 6800 block of Phillips Road in South Kitsap.

The woman who owned the property was arrested July 28 on suspicion of first-degree animal cruelty after Kitsap County sheriff's deputies found the dead horse, two other malnourished horses and four emaciated dogs on the property.

Kitsap County Animal Control officers removed the living animals for treatment but could not deal with the dead horse, said Jan Brower, hazardous-waste manager for the health district. Neighbors complained that the dead horse was decomposing and creating a terrible odor.

The health district officially notified the woman of the health violations and demanded that she deal with the problem. When she failed to act, the health district obtained a court order Wednesday granting access to the property. A rendering contractor removed the dead animal on Thursday.

Brower said the woman would be billed the cost of the action — including court costs. The total would be about $1,000, Brower said. The woman was released shortly after her arrest pending possible charges.

Pregnant Mare Shot in Florida

Source

Investigators are looking for whoever shot and killed a pregnant horse in Volusia County.

The sheriff's office reports that a neighbor found the mare dead Thursday evening. It appeared to have a gunshot wound to the neck. The horse's owner valued the animal at about $10,000 but said her foals have consistently earned six figures in race winnings.

Authorities continue to investigate.

Yeah, I'm just not going to say anything. Except most foals of a single broodmare don't make it to the track at all, let alone go on to win six figures.

Tuscan Evening Tribute

It was a rollercoaster of a weekend for racing fans. Saturday, Blame beat out Quality Road in thrilling stretch-running fashion to capture the Whitney followed by Zenyatta going 18 for 18 while winning an incredible third straight Clement L. Hirsch. Sunday promised another great day of racing but was turned sour when it was announced that Tuscan Evening had lost her life.

Tuscan Evening was a bay mare foaled April 22, 2005 in Ireland by Oasis Dream out of The Faraway Tree. In 2006, she sold for only $8,823 at the Tattersall's October Yearling Sale. She raced in Ireland at two, finishing second in the G3 Anglesey Stakes and Saoire Stakes, and third in the G2 Debutante Stakes and Isabel Morris EBF Stakes.

In 2009, Tuscan Evening moved to the United Stakes. She sold for $650,000 in the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. She ran incredibly, winning the G2 Royal Heroine Mile, G2 Los Palmas Handicap, and Redondo Beach Stakes. She also finished second in the G1 Matriarch Sakes, and third in the G3 Las Cienegas Handicap and G3 Senator Ken Maddy Handicap. But the best was yet to come.

This year, Tuscan Evening ran undefeated in six starts, adding the G1 Gamely Stakes, G2 Buena Vista Handicap, G2 Santa Ana Handicap, G2 Santa Barbara Handicap, G3 Monrovia Handicap, and G3 Modesty Handicap to her belt, and making her a leader in the turf female division. She was being pointed towards a start in the G1 Beverly D. Stakes August 21 at Arlington.

It was never meant to be. While galloping out after a six-furlong workout on the turf at Del Mar, the five-year-old mare collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack. No cause of death has been confirmed as of yet.

RIP Tuscan Evening. You will be greatly missed.

Horse Transport Bill Advances

Good news! (I know, big surprise.)

Story

Legislation that would ban the use of double-decker trailers to transport horses advanced this week when it was passed by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure July 29.

The Horse Transportation Act of 2009 (HR305) would prohibit the interstate transport of horses in a motor vehicle containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. U.S. Representative Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) introduced the legislation into the House in January 2009. Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) co-sponsored the bill. Kirk represents Lake County, Ill., the site of an October 2007 double-decker trailer rollover accident that killed several Draft horses in transit through Illinois from Indiana.

EEE Spreads to Michigan

Story

The Michigan departments of Community Health (MDCH) and Agriculture (MDA) received confirmation on July 26 from the Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health (DCPAH) that a three month old Percheron filly from Calhoun County and a 12 month old Arabian male from Barry County tested positive for the mosquito-borne disease Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).

MDA has also been informed that several additional horses in Cass County are highly suspect for EEE and are pending test results.

In total, there have been three horses positive cases of EEE in Michigan thus far for 2010. MDA was notified on July 20, 2010 of a third case from a four year old mixed breed mare from Cass County by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories. This horse was also displaying signs of neurologic disease typical of EEE, including staggering and depression, as well as fever.

"We are concerned about this finding of EEE in southwest Michigan and the likelihood of additional cases, so it's imperative people take every precaution possible to prevent mosquito borne disease exposure for themselves and their livestock," said Steven Halstead, DVM, MS, Michigan State Veterinarian. "A simple vaccination will protect your animal from these often fatal illnesses, and routine measures to reduce mosquito exposure and eliminate mosquito habitats around the home and farm will help protect people, horses, and other livestock. Horse owners should consult their veterinarian regarding measures appropriate for their herd."

"Michigan residents need to know the risks associated with mosquito-borne illnesses, which is why we are encouraging citizens to observe several common sense steps to limit exposure to mosquitoes," said Janet Olszewski, MDCH director. "One bite from an infected mosquito can lead to a severe--and possibly life-altering--illness. Prevention is the key to protection."

EEE is caused by viruses found in wild birds. Mosquitoes that feed on birds infected with EEE can transmit the disease to humans, horses, and other birds. Some birds are able to harbor the EEE viruses without becoming acutely ill, thereby serving as reservoirs for the disease. Horses do not develop high enough levels of these viruses in their blood to be contagious to other animals or humans. Because of the high mortality rate for horses and humans, EEE is regarded as one of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases in the United States.

Pennsylvania Trainer Accused of Doping Racehorses

Story

A Pennsylvania horse trainer was accused of injecting horses with performance-enhancing drugs at Penn National Race Course. He's charged with rigging a publicly exhibited contest, administering drugs to race horses, tampering with evidence, and theft. An investigation concluded that Darryl gave horses banned substances including snake venom and an anti-inflammatory before they raced at the track. He also sold three injured horses after promising they would be retired to a petting zoo (because petting zoos love OTTBs) but at least one of those horses has raced three times. Darryl was released from jail on $20,000 bond. A horse owner Darryl had been working for was barred from Penn National after a series of breakdowns and a boycott by jockeys.

... I'm just not going to say anything. I think that article pretty much says it all.

One Dead Horse, Two More Malnourished Found in Barn

Story

Deputies needed ventilation masks Wednesday after opening a dark South Kitsap shed and finding one dead horse, two more malnourished horses, and four emaciated dogs living in pens.

A 60-year-old woman was later arrested on suspicion of first-degree animal cruelty, and released from jail.

According to Kitsap County Sheriff's Office reports, deputies went to the home in the 6800 block of Phillips Road after a witness reported a terrible odor and showed deputies a photo of the dead horse inside the shed. There was no food or water seen, and the dead horse was covered with lime.

Deputies said the shed was hot, dark, and lacked ventilation, and the floor was covered in feces.

Kitsap County Animal Control took the dogs and horses.

Later that night, deputies found the owner at her elderly mother's home in South Kitsap, reports said. The woman cares for her elderly mother.

She told deputies she had no money to care for the animals, but didn't want to give them up. For a year and a half she would feed the animals when she had money for food, according to the reports.

Not. Okay. If you can't afford to care for animals you find someone who can.

The deputy noted that she expressed concern over her ability to care for her elderly mother, who required frequent shots. The deputy requested that the woman be released from jail on personal recognizance.

Abandoned Horses Disappear

Story

Eighteen horses were found on a Monterey County property on Friday. One of the horses named Paris was seized and taken to an emergency clinic because she was dehydrated, emaciated, and could barely walk. When the SPCA returned with water on Saturday morning for the remaining horses -- five of which were believed to need medical attention -- the remaining horses were gone. The SPCA is investigating what happened to the horses and offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction to the person or people responsible for the abandonment of the horses.

Neglected Horse Gets Facial Surgery

Story [There is a picture and it probably cracks the top five of worst injuries I've ever seen in a neglected horse.]

A badly neglected horse at the centre of a court case will be ready for adoption later this summer following facial reconstruction surgery in Edmonton.

Pearl was among several animals seized by the SPCA in December at a farm in Carrot Creek, about 160 kilometres east of Edmonton.

Pearl suffered terribly for months before surgery closed the cavity in his face. (CBC)When she was rescued, the mare had a gaping, infected hole in her face the size of a fist, Dr. Ryan Shoemaker, a veterinary surgeon, told CBC News.

This week, Shoemaker hoisted the 545-kilogram mare onto a special bed to mend the damage.

"Pearl's is a fairly extensive wound into her cavity," Shoemaker said. "We do quite a few facial injuries in horses but not usually to this degree."

When Pearl was brought to him, Shoemaker said, "My staff were nauseated because the smell [from her condition] was so bad."

Susan Fyfe, who directs the Rescue 100 Horses Foundation from her stable in Sherwood Park, took Pearl in after her rescue. Once word of the horse's condition was made public, she said, the money for Pearl's surgery started pouring in.

She said about $2,500 was raised toward the cost of the operation, with Shoemaker donating his services for the procedure, which can cost up to $7,000.

"As people that's part of our job — to make sure that when we have animals their health isn't compromised, and it's nice that other people will step in and fulfil that obligation," she said.

"No horse should have to endure the pain she's been through. "It's just nice for her to have it over, for her to be a normal horse."

Before the surgery, Pearl's injury was regularly infected, Fyfe said.

The successful two-hour surgery also means "it will be easier on her in the winter," Fyfe said.

"She won't have the cold air going [into the wound] through her nostrils, and in the summer she won't have to wear a mask and the bugs won't fly into the hole and you always worry about the flies laying eggs in her open wound. So just all in general, it will be much easier for her."

The horse's previous owner faces charges under the Animal Protection Act.

Would love to know how that case is going. Full extent of the law for once please?