The wrong kind of before-and-after pictures
Mar 15 2010
*sigh*
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This time from Canada…and the owner is Jessica Canivet of Magik Meadows Sport Horses. Jessica has really missed her calling, trying to breed horses. She ought to be running a fat farm for ladies who would like to lose a few, since taking weight off of her victims at a rapid rate is clearly a talent of hers.Â
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Sunsational Review is a lovely APHA stallion who earned 7 halter points. Click here to see how he used to look.This is what poor Sunsational Review looks like now. A great big WTF! to Jessica because it’s not like this is a little skinny because you’re in Ontario and it’s midwinter and you weren’t paying attention enough. This is damn near dead. Â
When I first saw this picture, I was pretty sure he was going to BE dead and that was the next update I was going to hear. The story’s the same one we hear all the time. People called animal control. Animal control came out, tells Jessica to shape up, and she shaped up for a bit while they were watching. Case closed. Then things went right back to the way they were.Â
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Jessica had another stallion, Eternal Tardee. Eternal Tardee also started out a happy, fat horse, and it looks like a very sweet-tempered one, too as, can be seen in this picture at his former owner’s. He was a HYPP N/N son of Superior Halter Horse Eternal Impressive, and he was a decent sire himself, siring several halter ROM’s and performance point earners.
Then Jessica got him.
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This was taken last fall. I’m told he’s dead now. Lying there in her barn, still, covered with a tarp. Apparently the meadows weren’t magik and you actually needed to buy hay, too!  I’m also curious what “sport” they do when they’re 400 lbs. underweight. The sideways starvation paddle isn’t an Olympic event, Jessica.Â
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Thanks to a small group of concerned citizens who ignored Jessica’s threats and started a Facebook page and bugged the SPCA repeatedly to take action, finally we have it! Two horses, Sunsational Review and CJ’s Image, were removed on March 9th by the SPCA. I am told they are doing well, eating and perking up and it looks like they are going to make it! But many of the other horses have gone poof and no one knows for sure where they are.Â
RUMOR HAS IT that some of Jessica’s horses may be hauled to an auction this Saturday at Carson’s in Listowel, Ontario. So if you want to stop by and see if you can pick up a high quality, low weight horse, you might want to check it out!
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The SPCA does need help caring for the severely emaciated Sunsational Review and CJ’s Image. If you’d like to help, the process for making donations for the care of these horses is to call the provincial office of the SPCA toll free # which is 1-888-668-7722, punch in extension 322 and advise the donations administrator that you want to make a donation for the Latchford horses. All money donated will go directly to their care. I will definitely update when they become available for adoption. I’d love to see Sunsational Review restored to his former condition and get a good, safe home. It makes me so angry that she blew money BUYING him but not FEEDING him!
On a happier note, for those of you in Maryland, mark your calendars for some fun and a chance to help out Angel Acres!
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104 comments to “The wrong kind of before-and-after pictures”
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So from my understanding, if they go through the SPCA for adoption, they will have to be gelded or on a contract to longer breed. Unfortunately, a quality stallion ends up not being able to pass on some good things, like not carrying HYPP. While I know we don’t need to breed as many, it sucks knowing a quality horse goes out of the breeding population while many substandard so-called studs are still out there. Regardless, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone’s horses, non-breeding quality or otherwise.
I know, it’s kind of sad he won’t be a stallion but I guess there are plenty of HYPP N/N stallions without him…still he’s a cutie and looks like he could still have a riding career in the right hands!
I am not so sure they will geld, I live in ontario, and once saw an ad from the spca for horses up for adoption in orillia, and one was a stallion that SHOULD have been gelded, I remember thinking to myself that not everyone can take on a stallion and that he wasnt stallion material to begin with.
This just makes me sick. It’s absolutely pathetic that it took so long for the SPCA to take action, and that one horse had to die.
I worked for the SPCA and its sister horse rescue when I lived in South Carolina, and even though we managed to save a fairly large amount of horses, getting to the point where we could remove them was absolutely RIDICULOUS. All that red tape is costing the lives of animals that need to be saved, and it’s exceedingly frustrating. I also wish that the consequences for animal abuse was more severe. A slap on the wrist and a fine isn’t enough to keep someone from doing it again, hence the large amount of repeat offenders.
“Sideways starvation paddle olympic event”
A very sad LOL
The POOR THINGS! What happened to Sunsational Review? She doesn’t feed them, they die, and she doesn’t have the decency to even bury him? I hope to god that no one boards there, goes there, and I hope she gets in trouble. You own horses because you have decided to take on the responsibility. You are responsible for their well being, and all of their care. People don’t have kids because they don’t want the responsibility. Don’t have animals if you can’t handle it. I haven’t bought a new clothing item in over a year, but Denali wants for nothing. I hate people! I hope the horses revolt against you. Maybe someone needs to read Animal Farm to them. http://www.wildponybeast.blogspot.com
Sunsational Review is with the Ontario SPCA – HOORAY! It looks like he will make it. They do need donations.
I wish I could take Sunsational Review home! He looks JUST like my Aunt’s WP mare I used to show as a kid. Down to the splash of white on the belly.
I hope they move on to better lives. And I hope Jessica gets what she deserves.
This is tragic…..again. I had a beautiful palomino quarterhorse that looked very similar to him. I bought her with my own hard earned money when I was 14 and loved her very much. It breaks my heart to see horses like this. I called the number your listed but a recording came on that said I was out of the calling area. Can you please give another number to donate. I am located on the east coast of the United States. It would make me feel productive to help another beautiful palomino.
Oh, shoot. Can a Canadian call that number and see if there is a direct line for Americans? I forgot that sometimes you can’t call Canada’s 800 numbers from out of the country.
I don’t think there is, but contact this lady by email and she’ll set you up.
Cathy Crouse, Donations Administrator
1-888-668-7722 ext. 322 or ccrouse@ospca.on.ca
so very true, the sad thing is that she does this to her animals!!!! Imagine how her three kids are taking care of.
Fugly-
Im a Long time reader and first time poster. Im going to be doing a speech on Wednesday for my Public Speaking class. This speech will be to ~100 peers in a lecture hall. I decided to go it on the side of TB racing most people dont know about. I was wondering if you had any charts? showing where these horses go after the track. Im stuck on how many % wise that leave the track go to A. Private Buyers B. Auctions and C. Back to the Farm. Ive gotten some good information so far, but I need research and facts to back up what Im saying. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in Advance.
I don’t know that there are good stats. I have not seen them. Too many of the horses just “disappear.” I wish there WERE stats!
Joe at TB Friends wrote yesterday (maybe the day before) that he knows a young man who keeps a list of all the horses that die on the track every day – I think he said that it’s between 2 and 3 per day. Maybe this boy could help.
pic, there’s not really good stats on that. I can tell you in our area, more go to private homes than to auction, and this is an area where few are kept for breeding purposes, relatively speaking. Different areas of the country are going to see differences in that, though.
Since the Jockey Club does not track ownership changes once a horse stops racing, though, there’s really no way to find out for sure.
It’s my opinion, though, that even with a “dark side” to racing the TB industry does more to try and help its athletes than any other equine industry – the JC and most of the regional associations do support charities and retirement options. Many tracks have instituted ‘no slaughter’ rules (although IMO these have actually not really helped, just driven the problem underground where it’s harder to track), and if I had to draw conclusions based on the track that I visit frequently, the vast majority of owner/trainers even at the very low levels are sincerely interested in their horses getting good homes when they are done racing. I know about most of the trainers at one local track and can only think of 4 or 5 that I know to be sending horses to slaughter (not through auctions but directly with the dealers) – out of over 100.
Either way it’s really hard to get solid numbers, as the registry ONLY tracks horses for racing purposes, so there’s no stats or records on who ownership is transferred to after racing.
I’ve never looked at this book but perhaps it has stats?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1931993602/qid=1124916852/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-5733383-4105748?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
RicRado, this is a great opportunity. I’m a social researcher by trade and often wish there were stats for things that I care about. It helps to quantify the information. I think you should look at the old auction reports posted on this site and use those numbers.
You probably can’t get to an auction before your speech and you certainly wouldn’t instantly know who were the kbs and who were private buyers and OTTBs are probably not going through the auctions either BUT it would be a good place to start if you want to make a point about how many horses IN GENERAL are going to kill.
Why not go back through the blog and pull the auction reports (look for multiple reports from the same auction site), go through and see how many went to each category of buyer (private, kill, unknown etc.) and start there. At least it would give the people to whom you’re speaking some idea of the horse overpopulation problem. Sometimes, as researchers, we need to start compiling our own data and stats. I know that I, for one, would like to see your results.
Let me know if you decide do to it or if you need any help!
Also, does anyone know if there’s any sites that publish auction reports regularly for the same site? I’d really love to do some personal analysis and maybe get the results up somewhere that people might see. I know that we all know there’s a great deal of seasonality to horse prices/sales but it would be interesting to figure out just how MUCH of a difference it makes. Sometimes it can be really surprising.
That is horrifying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrTclupxvSA
what an asshat.
Why dont people do more research on potential buyers before they sell their horses? Expecially a beautiful stallion like that! Sure, she has “magik” stables, and nice looking facilities, but you never know. I wish there was more we could do to stop these people from becoming serial horse abusers and neglecters!
spikestar.wordpress.com
I had a Class B AMHR mini gelding i was selling for $800. All it took was Google on every single person who inquired… I didn’t even need their real name, just their email was usually enough to take me places and show me things about them that made me decide they were not the right people for my horse. After 4 or 5 mind boggling discoveries I just took him off the market.
It’s not hard to do some research into a buyer. You don’t even need your own computer, just a library card (those are FREE) and enough “give a shit” to bother. Sure, there are some people who shouldn’t own a pet rock, let alone a horse, who won’t show up in an internet search… but it will still help improve your chances of finding a decent home by weeding out the whackadoo nutjobs.
hey fhotd, just thought you might like to see this picture of a terrificly BAD picture for trying to show your horse, which you might just love.
http://www.horsedeals.com.au/show_photo.php?pic=203950
and the next: (wtf is a tractor doing there, taking up half the photo?)
http://www.horsedeals.com.au/show_photo.php?pic=203951
although, the horse in itself doesn’t look too bad:
http://www.horsedeals.com.au/show_photo.php?pic=203952
though the rider might want to try a better angle next time
T he tractor is mowing(see flying grass)so I’d guess that photo’s to show that he doesn’t mind loud noises..Swimming shot?
Hey,he’ll put up with anything.. And he jumps too!
I bet you that at one point the tractor was for sale and horse just happened to be there so they recycled the picture. My first thought was hey that’s a nice tractor!
For the love of G*D…how can anyone let horses get into that condition. That is so horrific….Will it ever end? Maybe I’m just overly sensitive, but the TB I ‘rescued’ in January can no longer be called a rescue, just an upgrade I guess.
http://community.webshots.com/user/anthrobia
Two horses that were removed from her ‘care’ a week prior were done so by the owner for non-payment. She had been warned about their dire condition and urged to go and retreive them. Jessica told her that she couldn’t see them because no one would be there and the barn was padlocked. With plenty of insistence her former boyfriend was there to let them in and they took their horses back.
The mayor of Latchford has been trying to get her evicted from this property for years-she has a puppy mill and her dogs are in the same state-often running loose and biting people because they are so hungry. Neighbours have started taking in the starving dogs and feeding them to save them and this leads to threats of suing…because she’s gonna be a paralegal ya know lol
This woman comes from the USA and there is supsicions that she is planning on high-tailing it back there, especially after the 1 1/2 page letter to the mayor blaming EVERYONE for ruining her life and her business…afterall we must have been the ones preventing her from feeding the animals.
She is blaming the person she bought the horses from for their condition-which is a farce! When those horses left their owner they were fat-they were fed-they received regular vet and farrier care.
The one mare who was removed has a long way to go to recovery, it’s hard to believe she is a daughter of Sockett. The yearling that was removed with her-well her prognosis is sketchy as well as there may be irreversible damage to her legs.
The stallion Jacks Northern Boy is in his new home-his owner is working hard to get him back to his sassy fat self-I’ve seen the pictures of him-he has a long way to go and at his age it won’t be easy.
After dealing with Jessica years ago I no longer will sell a horse without a vet and farrier check at the least and I refuse to sell anything north of Parry Sound-seriously the area north of there is riddled with neglect.
Jessica’s excuse-every horse that was skinny was because of worms. People even wormed her horses for her to try and help but to no avail.
Don’t give up hope on Sunny-his legal owner (Jessica DOES NOT own him) is working on getting him back and attempting to rehab him. A riding career is out for him-he has an injury that prevents this.
BTW, I am sooooooo happy she doesn’t legally own him and that his previous owner is willing to help:):):):)
Me too! Sounds like he has more than one fan here who will help him recover. At least he is out of her clutches.
I am sorry, but you cannot state that the area North of Perry sound is riddled with neglect when it is not true. I live North and I know more places in this area that are Awesome to thier horses then when I read about all the problems in Southern Ontario and the States.
I admit that there are probably people that neglect around here, I dont live in a bubble lol, But its not right to put a stamp on a whole area when there are good people around here.
I myself have rescued a horse. There were 23 000 going to slaughter
In Alberta due to the Drought. 2 Barns out here got togeather and we saved 30 horses from the slaughter house, paying by the pound. I still to this day have my Tahoe, we went through alot in our first year, shipping fever, surgery after surgery for his sarcoids. He is 100% now and I wouldnt let him go for any reason, he is my love, my life, and I am looking to rescue another as soon as I get my second field built
See there are good people up here too
Almost EVERY area is riddled with neglect. It is probably a little less common near major cities because most horses are in boarding stables, and most boarding stables at least feed them.
I used to live in Niagara -on-the-lake born and raised , but moved to northern Ontario about 5 years ago and although I do strongly agree with most that you have said I take exception to you saying that most are neglected north of Parry Sound, I have a beautiful farm that I work exceptionally hard at with horses I love and care for every single day and for you to say that really hurts my feelings PLEASE do not insinuate me in the same “can” as Jessica .thank you
This is for some interesting reading…. does anyone have resent pics of these horses that re going to the sale I am very curious, and could you tell me who the real owner is of that stud is and why did she have him? I have read all of this several times and alot of info is missing, like how can the original owner get him back and so on…Something is not adding up in here about the info ur giving.Like what does the mayor have to do with it? All these questions need to be answered as I do this all the time will people that abuse animals and this story is not adding up.Please answer my questions on this Ok
I don’t know everything but I’m pretty sure she failed to pay him off and that’s why the seller can get him back. That will do it! Damn lucky for the horse, if you ask me – he was fat and happy in the previous home.
I am happy someone has finally gone to the extremes of saving these horses! Both the ASPCA and SCPA, as well as AC can be ridiculous when it comes to helping animals. As long as there is “food”,water, and shelter..everything gets overlooked and pushed under the carpet. Thanks FHOTD, for posting this great story.
Just wanted to point out that Sunsational Review does not match to the horse in the stall, the one in the squared up pic has a wider blaze around its mouth.
It’s hard to see where the white begins and end on the dark stall picture – I’m told it’s the same horse and right now I’m thinking it is.
I also thought at first that the blaze didn’t match on Sunsational’s wo photos, but a closer look shows that it actually does. It’s just very hard to see in that lighting. It’s him – poor guy!!
I had the same reaction at first (that it was not the same horse) — but if you look closely, you can see the upper part of Sunsational’s white face — clearly the dark stall picture had to be helped a little to make the horse visible at all.
Disgusting and inexcusable.
I would have been the first to post yesterday, and wrote a long comment, but when I hit “Submit Comment,” the Fuglyblog was simultaneously shut down… So I’m going to write a shorter version here.
I think that a lot of the problems of these jerky “sport horse breeders” is that there doesn’t seem to be any REAL, verifiable titling system in the horse world.
I’ve been showing dogs in 11 sports since 1977, mainly through the biggest dog show organizer, the AKC. In the AKC, rules, classes, points needed, judges’ requirements, etc. are VERY standardized. If I see that a dog has a Companion Dog obedience title, I know exactly which 6 exercises he had to do, and how many points he had to get to pass each of them. I also know that he has been able to do the exercises at least 3 times under at least 2 different judges. If I see that a herding dog has an advanced HXBs title, I know that on 3 occasions, under at least 2 different judges, he managed to gather sheep from 400+ yards away and put them through a series of obstacles… and was able to cut out two sheep and hold them for a minute away from the others, and that he could pen the sheep.
These types of performance titles, as well as the sole conformation title (Champion) are matters of public record, available to anyone who wants to know. In my many years in dogs, I’ve never once seen a backyard breeder or puppy miller try to lie about his dogs having titles… because it’s just so easy to check up on. In addition, genetic tests (ID verified through tattoo or microchip) can be submitted for public record through the OFA, and again, it’s impossible to lie successfully about a dog having “Excellent” hips or whatever… it can easily be checked.
In the horse world, it seems to me that there are sooooo many registries, and so many governing bodies, that most wins aren’t worth anything. I’ve been to shows in “Podunk, Missouri” where there are maybe 2-3 horses in a class, and the winner is crowned “WORLD CHAMPION.” There are so many classes: Palomino sport-horse, 3 year olds, amateur rider, walk-trot. Then another 50 classes for various breeds, various colors, various ages, amateur/pro, etc…. but they’re all doing walk-trot. And I’m sure the winners of each of these classes get to go home and put on their (misspelled) websites that their horse is the “WORLD PALOMINO WALK-TROT CHAMPION.”
If I’m wrong, how come every website I ever visit that sells horses claims to have about a zillion world champions? As a dog person, I totally don’t trust a single horse person because of these worthless, over-inflated titles.
Conversely, in the dog world, the main event with a world championship is agility. To get on the U.S. team is harder than getting on most U.S. Olympic teams and the six dogs that make it are household words in the world of agility. The world agility championship is normally in Europe and features teams from about 50 countries, including ones from S. and N. America, Europe, Africa and Asia. There are three height divisions, and for each of them, just one individual and one team is crowned world champion. Now THAT’S a world championship!
Anyway, is there any talk of standardizing horse titles/championships the way they are standardized in the dog world? How about making all titles or genetic tests matters of public record, as they are for dogs. To me, that would be a great way to combat jerks like this supposed “Sport Horse Breeder” whose horses have done nothing. From her “About Me” page of her website (http://magikmeadows.bravehost.com):
Facts: Jessica has won numerous awards within different breeds, doing different disciplines of riding.
Awards: FSHR High Point Award for Midknight Magik, TPHC High Point Award for Jacks Northern Boy
Apparently “numerous” = “2″ in her world. And can the awards she claims even be verified on a publicly available database? If she had AKC dogs instead of “sport horses,” these things would be matters of public record that anybody could check…
Amen. But good luck getting anyone to pay registration fees for yet another database.
Offering a true walt-trot world championship would be about as pointless as offering a world championship kanine good citizen award. The point is that you can do it, not that you can do it better than anyone else in the world. It’s just not that challenging. It should be a stepping stone to an actual equestrine sport–trail, reining, jumping, dressage, etc.
It’s the events like show hunter, western pleasure, halter, anything gaited, saddle seat, etc where the test itself is just not that challenging that you find people asking for increasingly stylized and unnatural things from their horses in order to set them appart from the crowd. These types of classes shouldn’t have a world championship in my opinion. Maybe a regional or world champion for high point (which would show that a horse was a consistant winner) but that’s it.
Sorry if I wasn’t clear. I definitely DON’T think there should be a walk-trot world championship! I love your comparison to a world Canine Good Citizen “championship”. I was using my made-up “Palomino walk-trot championship” as a typical example of a valueless win in the horse world.
I just don’t think somebody who beats NO horses, or 1-2 other horses in a tiny local show should be able to state on their website that their horse is a “world champion.” A dog person could never claim to have a “World Champion” based on winning one class at a local show with little or zero competition, but it seems to be a daily event in the horse world.
I would have much more respect if the various registries got together and had standardized rules for what was required to earn a given “title” or “championship,” and that the horse must obtain passing scores at several events under different judges before earning anything. In addition, I think there should be horses from “x” countries at the event to qualify as a “world championship.”
Aren’t titles issued by FEI and their local affiliates like USEF pretty consistent?
We can’t make a law saying that a do-nothing registry can’t issue a “World Champion” title. But we can tell people which registries are legit, and not. Like AKC, UKC, AND CKC (Canadian KC) are legit, and titles mean something coming from them, but ConKC is not (it was started by puppy millers thrown out of AKC).
After all, I’m not going to take any title from that registry for blue-eyed horses seriously; are you?
Ruthie
“World” champions drive me NUTS!!
So, thankyou, from a European who is never ever going to come to America to compete in a horse championship advertised as “World”!!
I was still doing Agility when the championship titles first came in, I still have a huge problem with only pedigree dogs competing as I know that the majority of dogs winning at national level, once you get past the collies, are crossbreeds.
Level the playing field, let all dogs have a chance, then I shall call it a “world” championship!!!
But, that aside, I see your point and agree on principle.
Yes! You are absolutely right. Non-pedigree (non-purebred) dogs should be allowed to compete before it can really be called a world championship.
AKC is about to allow mixed breeds into performance events; UKC has been doing it for years.
Ruthie
would you be able to find the info on all her horses? I am from ontario and sometimes go to carsons sales. it is a good sale that attracts a lot of good, non kill buyers. they also have a website, with catalouge and gallery. they may already be listed?
I’ve checked on Carson’s already and have been checking regularly-they are not listed there. Some of these horses are still under an order to comply so selling them will get her in even more hot water.
A couple of names are Splish Splash Fancy and Mitos Sockett To Ya.
Glad the site is back up again. Yesterday couldn’t see the pics or comments. What a poor excuse for a person this Jessice must be. What I don’t understand is if someone falls on hard times or whatever else was wrong, when they have offers of help, why don’t they take it? I checked out the video on youtube, along with offering to help, sounds like a group of hard working people helped to get the authorities moving in this case, thank heavens they were there.
For years I have visited this site and commend your hard work to expose and educate. Today I write this with great sadness to see Sunsational Review on here as a victim of idiocy!!!!! I own a huge, big bodied gelding Sired by Sunsational Review. My gelding came up from Texas as a foal still on the mare as the breeder had been diagnosed with brain cancer so I was told and the herd dispursed to friends at the breeders request. I bought this gelding in 2003 in Michigan. A few years later I discovered Sunsational Review was for sale here in Michigan as well. This is where the story goes wrong. His sale price was $1200.00 . yup $1200 for a HYPP N/N Palomino Paint stallion with many years left in him, even if gelded and ridden. I would assume, and I am only speculating here, that he was sold for less, because as badly as I wanted him I could not house a stallion at that time nor afford to geld him. So, he remained for sale for a long time and finally the ad disappeared. I have to say his body condition from before that accompanied his sale ad was WAYYYYYY different. He was a stout very muscular and obviously fed horse prior to his situation today. If I lived in Canada I would pick him up in a heart beat!!!!!! SO, SO, sad.
The purchase price for Sunsational Review was $1500 and he was in significantly different condition than when he went to Jessica’s. The person who sold 4 horses to Jessica waasn’t aware of just how bad she was capable of letting horses get-now she does know and is heartbroken at having sent Tardee there and the work in front of the other horses to get them looking good.
Jessica had ads posted all winter begging for free hay and hte only hay you get for free is the kind that even cattle won’t eat. Why didn’t the SPCA investigate the quality of the food she WAS actually feeding?
I can’t criticize the people who sold horses to her – it is not like they could find a history of abuse prior to the past few months online. And it is very easy for someone to seem nice when you meet them. This is the problem with NOT outing people…when people withhold names out of fear of a lawsuit, then others are not put on notice and cannot protect their own horses. At least now, if you google her name, you have some idea of what she has done.
Agree’d and my heart breaks for the Seller who was bamboozeled by her idiot ways, I just kinda felt that he should or could have been listed for more. However, I did not know until now that he was not able to be ridden, which does hinder his price. I honestly don’t feel the seller was at fault, I just feel that a horse that nice at that price will attract idiots.
Could you, on the reunion page, maybe, start a list of the people that are known to have done things like this?
It would not stop it, but it might just help…….
Well, all someone has to do is use the search box here…or google, which indexes my entries very well!
When I saw the sale pics a few years ago (not that many maybe 2?) He was Fat and Happy!! That is for SURE! Very sad anyhow, glad that he has been taken. I can say my gelding Sired by him is an EASY keeper, almost tooooo easy.
I lease a son of Sunsational’s Review’s brother (Sunny Review). He also is a nice tall boy & is THE biggest sweetheart you will ever meet. Same with his brother also in the barn. We’ve been told he has a “good soul”. We love them. Seeing this breaks my heart.
Glad you are back!
Just a side note… I live in Canada, right near Ontario… and we get pretty much the same weather than Listowel, ON…. I have a QH x Percheron mare that is 4 years old and Two Standardbred rescues that are 17 and 19 years old. My horses are outside all year with access to warm shelter, they are outside because they hate being inside and have stable vices if left in a stall, they do GREAT outside 24/7. NONE of my horses are thin, they get free choice hay in the winter (our winters can get to -22F and below with 3 feet or more of snow) and pasture in the summer, they get minerals and dewormers (4 times /year). Anyone that thinks their horses are thin because it’s winter are a very poor excuse of a horse owner. I’ve recently had to deal with such a moron… his horse died during this past winter. No amount of trying to convince them will work, they are just unfit… just like some parents.
When I rescued my Stdbds they were skin and bones, plus, one was 10 months in foal. We lost the foal, sadly, but I saved the mare, feeding pasture + alfafa, worming and keeping an eye for any problem that may prevent weight gain (teeth, illness, etc.). It’s not THAT expensive to keep a horse in good shape… come on people!
Look at that poor stallion!!! I am outraged! There is absolutely no excuse for this.
If Sunsational Review is from Michigan than I know that horse!
Is this him?
SUNSATIONAL REVIEW
Sire: Impressive Review
Dam: Sunnys Dutchess
D.O.B.: 1995
I had actually looked at him to purchase a couple of years ago. My intent would have been to geld him and use him for riding, but due to his previous injury that was not possible. It breaks my heart that such a sweet and beautiful boy ended up in this condition.
Blackfly -
If this is the Sunny I know please tell his owner I will help them in anyway possible with this boy.
Hello Kaylyn, I was reading your post and we now have Sunny at our farm. I was wondering if you could give me some more info on this injury he had that made him unable to be a riding horse. Any background you have on him would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Krystal
Found her web site and Yes, that is the Sunny I know.
It is absolutely horrible what happens to these horses and I am so glad that there is someone who is willing to not only candidly discuss abuse but for once call people out when they do horrible things to animals. I am not sure if this is the right forum to discuss a situation I recently came across, but I would appreciate someone else’s opinion on this issue. A few years ago a person I know bought a young TB mare that was completely unsuitable for them not only because she is sensitive and “too much horse” for this person, but because the horse also had OCD in her hocks, a heart murmur, and eye problems(severe enough that the horse would later need surgery). Despite being advised by trainers, horse people etc to not buy the horse for the reasons listed above(which she was aware of at the vetting), as well as many others, this person went ahead and bought the horse and predictably could not ride it. The horse has been shipped back and forth between professionals to be sold, but no one has been able to sell this horse as it has so many health issues. The horse is not dangerous, nor even that hard to ride(I have ridden it before), it just needs the rider to have very light hands, or else it tends to buck and react the way horses do when you constantly are pulling on their face. The horse is currently on full care board at a nice facility where it has been sitting locked in its stall for months because it is lame. When the vet was originally brought out, and I believe that this occurred months ago, they told the owners that they needed to put bar shoes on the horse, as this would make it sound. The owners have refused to do this, presumably because bar shoes are so expensive. At the same time they expect the trainer at the facility where the horse currently lives to sell a lame horse. I know that the horse is getting fed and sitting permanently in a stall is not really abuse, but I just feel really bad for it, as its owners won’t pay to make it sound and the horse seems really sad being alone and lame all the time. Any thoughts?
Unfortunately, in most states lack of turnout isn’t actionable. I wish it was, because Heaven knows I think it’s cruel! But usually no one will do anything about it.
I suppose they want a ridiculous price?
Really, the only thing you can do is send a buyer in to vet it for sale and then hopefully get them way down on the price due to it miserably failing the vet check. Surely the trainer has told them the mare isn’t worth anything? Or is the barn happy to collect the board money? Doesn’t this barn ever turn out or have they been told not to turn her out? Even a lame horse, in most cases, can go out in the indoor arena and have a chance to move around.
Just in case anyone is interested in helping. I don’t know the horse or the person but it looks legit since you can donate directly to the University. I know there are a lot of people on this blog that like to try and help if they can like I do.
http://orlando.craigslist.org/grd/1647617943.html
SmartChic, have you done any research on this? Unless you have, I’d treat it like the beggars on ABR – with suspicion.
Personally, I don’t donate to any animal I can’t see or feel; that means I keep it local.
Prudently, Ruthie
Update: I just talked to Hana; I believe she is the office manager at the large animal clinic. She says that UF can’t accept donations before the horse has been seen. In the meantime, the only way we can donate is to the owner directly.
Hana has talked to the owner (before the CL ad was posted) and believes she is legit. But until the horse is seen at the clinic, there is no account for them to put the money into. Once the bill is paid, I believe donations will be returned.
I’m going to try to contact the owner; and Hana is going to call her, too.
In the meantime, I’d love donations so I can send Easy to a trainer, to make him more valuable before I sell him! (JUST KIDDING. I’m going to sell my good guitar, since I haven’t played it in years. I’ll keep my junky one.)
Ruthie
Here is an article from my website detailing abuse and neglect laws in Virginia. I believe they are better than in most states but that is not saying much. Even in Virginia, horses are not subject to the adequate feed, water or shelter laws that pertain to companion animals. Though I wrote the article several years ago, I just checked with Hilleary the local HI I talked for the article. She says the laws are the same still.
http://www.theexcellenthorse.com/_docdisp_page.cfm?LID=06262163-3938-4F3A-BB347FEB479FC7AC
She HAS a facebook, and is talking about contacting her “Lawyer” about fuglyhorse….Are you KIDDING me? It’s NOT slander if its the TRUTH and people have that WONDERFUL thing called “FREEDOM OF SPEECH” she’s a useless pos. Look up her facebook…I DID! know what I found? Thats right! Skinny horses, FAT owner!
I feel awful that he had to die to prove a point. but I am glad she’s getting the others taken away from her. She doesn’t deserve any animals, and I can only imagine what would happen to her kids, if she had any (God forbid!)
The usual response. She isn’t even ashamed, is she?
oh yes-she’s going to sue everyone because she’s a ‘paralegal in training’ lmao
but you know what Jessica (because we all know you’re reading this)-any judge is going to laugh their ass off at you trying to sue for what was legitimately pursued and found to be truthful. You think we’ve ruined your life? What about the horse’s lives that you have ruined? The foals that died within weeks of being purchased from you because their tiny little systems were severely compromised? What about Tardee and the way you watched him suffer and then you had the nerve to say it was colic?!?!
You are a hoarder and you need help-and more importantly you need to not EVER own another animal for a VERY long time!
She can sue me if she wants. I’m an actual paralegal and I’ll kick her ass.
1. You try having 3 kids and lose all that weight after each one! I have and its tough!
2. You DON’T know her so why are you all even posting. It’s sad when people have nothing better to do then rant about someone they don’t even know!
For the girl looking for information about TB for her speach. There is a web site that keeps track of the reasons race horses die, or had to be put down, on the track. Lists there name and what happened – broken leg, broken neck, flipped over, etc. Horrible reading and no one even knows about it, unless they do it in front of thousands of spectators on the track. A dirty little secret for sure.
I really do not understand how horses get in this condition. I have to fight, struggle and work to keep my two home kept horses from being huge blimps! They are both big ol’ fatties even now and here in Missouri the grass in the paddocks is dead and they get minimal hay and no grain. So wtf???
No food or crappy hay even cows won’t eat.
Parasites eating all the nutrition they DO get.
Cold climate that makes just existing require more calories.
Oh, and most likely no dental care, so they can’t chew properly, either!
Result: Starvation
Carsons? Listowel?
THATS five minutes from my effing house.
I know where I might be headed this weekend.
Good. Keep an eye on it. There are pictures of some of the other horses on a Facebook page that you can find by searching “Starving Horses in Ontario.”
Thanks!
I actually doubt that Carson would accept starving horses at their sale. They are not a meat auction, although some buyers may buy the lowest priced horses w/ no reserve and try and sell them on Tuesday morning at Olex in Waterloo. With the publicity about these horses, I would be very surprised to see them at Carson’s. But Olex? It could happen…
And she would have to bring them down from where she is to Listowel, which would be a fair drive… for someone who has no money to feed the horses? How is she going to trailer them? I hope the former owners can get their horses back and help for the others (and the dogs) is on its way. Hoarder…
You just gotta love the people that go to school and arm themselves with a little legal knowledge and the next thing you know they think they are legal experts. Facts don’t lie and voicing your opinion about someone is not slander or lible. Where’s the shame? Instead of threatening to sue, she should be trying to feed those poor horses. Giving a horse to a good home or back to the person you never paid for it is the responsible thing to do. Why would anyone have more animals than they can properly care for and feed? How could you let and animal starve to death? I will never understand that warped mentality.
At the moment I am, officially, “overhorsed” (That is my own judgement) I have 20 horses and one pair of hands.
Do I have a skinny horse ?
Nope, not one .
Do I have any money in the bank??
No of course not, name me one rich (ordinary) horse owner!
Have I a spare minute?
No, because I have 20 mouths to feed, 80 hooves to pare, 20 wormers due, etc etc.
Am I happy?
As a pig in wallow!!
What am I doing about it?
Well, as and when I can find suitable homes, half will be rehomed. Those that can be are being trained for a second career, a couple may have to be euthanised, but that is an absolute, last, resort, and we aren’t there yet, it’s just that they founder really badly, and if I can’t get them through this spring safely, I may need to reconsider.
Am I fat?
I am actually carrying a few extra pounds at the moment, I admit, so I probably weigh about 110 pounds…….
My point?
What is Jessica’s excuse, if I can do it, and I am registered disabled ( but NOT drawing disability!) and old?
Yes and you made my point. You don’t have more animals than you can, or will, properly feed and care for and you are trying to rehome and educate the ones who are capable, and euthanize the ones that have chronic health issues. You are obviously one very responsible horse owner. I have to admit I have 5 and that is my limit for care and exercise. I could probably afford to keep more but it isn’t fair to them. Great post!
Direct information to the head office of the OSPCA
905-668-7722 then ext 322
then state it is for the horses that were seized from Latchford
And I was asked to relay their immense gratitude for any assistance
OT regarding that restaurant in Santa Monica serving horsemeat: they were also serving sei whale meat, illegal to sell in the US.
That one got them in trouble with the feds.
I’ll never understand why people continue to buy horses they can’t afford to feed. If this woman couldn’t be bothered to feed the ones she had, WHY in the hell was she breeding more????
I’ve pretty much lost all faith in the SPCA, myself and a handful of my horse friends have called them repeatedly about a local man and they STILL haven’t done anything. Granted, he doesn’t have many horses left now (this has been going on for 10+ years) because several die every year from starvation, foaling complications, and broken necks. The moron ties chunks of baler twine around the throat latch of his foals, they grow, the twine stays. Due to the decreasing numbers (and local horse lovers slipping them feed) , his horses are in much better condition now than they used to be BUT I still find dead horses every time I sneak into his pasture to feed his horses and cut off the baler twine. Had the SPCA actually done something about this man years ago, they could have saved many of his horses from their painful deaths.
Fugs, I really hope your coverage will make the SPCA intervene A LOT sooner.
Yeah it makes me crazy…again…
BREEDING HORSES MAKES MORE MOUTHS TO FEED! If you are in any way in any sort of financial distress, BREEDING HORSES is the DUMBEST THING YOU CAN DO!
And take pics of the dead horses and send them to me with the address…c’mon you know the drill. Get the media involved. Don’t let this go on. The SPCA is not your ONLY resource.
I bought myself a little camera phone so I’ll be able to take pics and send them to you. I’ll also pace out where he buried last years dead, just in case something ever comes of this.
The farm is located inside the town limits of Didsbury, Alberta, Canada. The farm owner sold 2 parcels of his former pasture for new subdivisions and the new Didsbury High School was built on land he used to own. He’s got the cash to take proper care of his animals BUT he chooses not to.
I don’t get it, I don’t. Call me dumb. My horse works really hard several hours a day, she grazes grass both green and dry, she takes a very little oats and many more treats and she is as fat as a barrell, despite the winter we had here in Europe this year, how can these poor creatures become like this? I realize some horses are good keepers and some are not (mine clearly is) but hell how long do youneed toneglect your horse to make a such a disaster? And why do you keep horses at all if you don’t care for them one bit? I Just don’t get it.
But see, if you keep UP on proper care, they DON’T need that much feed. That is what people miss. It is MUCH MORE ECONOMICAL in the long run to deworm and float teeth!
My tall young stallion who is in regular hard work eats one flake of orchard grass AM and PM, free choice local hay which costs nearly nothing, and a whopping half-scoop (about one pound) of Safechoice at night with rice bran. That is all. He is PERFECT weight. But he has never missed a deworming in 2 years and had his teeth done within the last 6 months. Amazing how that works.
I have to admit that I let my horse (who is not in work) get down to about a 3 on the Henneke scale before I thought to float his teeth. It took him no time at all to get back to a 5, just on regular hay. Maybe 1/12 months.
That was before I found FHOTD; since then, they’ve had a much better life. They weren’t abused or mistreated, just suffering from benign neglect.
Thanks again, Cathy, for making me a better horsewoman.
Ruthie
I always appreciate it when people have the courage to admit to their beginner mistakes here. It makes everybody else feel better. I freely admit I grew up in a barn where deworming every 6 months was the norm and nothing got turnout. My horse care 25 years ago would NOT be acceptable to me by my standards today.
I always appreciate it when people have the courage to admit to their beginner mistakes here. It makes everybody else feel better. I freely admit I grew up in a barn where deworming every 6 months was the norm and nothing got turnout. My horse care 25 years ago would NOT be acceptable to me by my standards today.
I did a search on Chad Moore on FHOTD, but didn’t get any hits. Did you cover/update this one?
http://www.examiner.com/x-15114-Cincinnati-Pet-News-Examiner~y2010m3d3-Clermont-County-man-pleads-guilty-in-horse-abuse-case
It got discussed so extensively in comments that I never made a main blog out of it, but at least he pled guilty – ’cause he is!
Here’s the catalog from Saturday’s sale at Carsons -
http://www.davidcarson.on.ca/pdf/2010-03-20-catalogue-2.pdf
Does anyone know which horses are from her farm? Sadly, there are a few ‘on the brink of starvation’ horses in this sale. I’ll see if I can make it out to watch and get some photos, if someone gives me a heads up on who I’m looking for. I likely won’t be able to stay for the entire auction, as I have handling class.
I have been a reader of this site for quite some time now and have finally been compelled to join in.
This story is heartbreaking. We have had a mild winter in Northern Ontario overall but I don’t know how those poor horses are still standing. I will never understand how anyone can do this to an animal in their care. How can you go into a barn or paddock and look into their eyes? That poor gray would be a 1 on the Henneke scale.
We have 4 horses in our paddock, an Arabian gelding, a Canadian mare and a Rocky Mountain gelding that we struggle to keep weight off (we believe in free choice hay in the winter). Then my 21 year old mare that we struggle to keep weight on gets Buckeye Cadence beet pulp and Equi Jewel rice bran which works very well. Plus she now needs her teeth floated every 6 months. We have to do what is necessary for our animals. They cannot control their situations. If you cannot afford them then find them another home or have them euthanized. If you cannot afford the vet fees then even a bullet to the head would be preferable to keeping them in that condition IMO.
I sent a donation on behalf of Hercules and now I will be sending a donation on behalf of these poor creatures. We really should not have to do this in 2010. One would think that we would be more evolved by now.
Cathy, thank you for your site. I read it with almost stalker-like obsession LOL and while I am a woman with a strong character and a long-haul truck driver there have been many things on this site that I have gasped in shock at and have had tears running down my face. DON’T YOU JUST GET FREAKIN’ TIRED OF THIS CRAP??
Like any form of abuse this happens anywhere. To blackfly, I live in Sudbury and I sincerely invite you to come up here and I could show you many horses that are loved and properly cared for. Really, drive up this summer and come riding with me and see the farm where we board or horses. The owner has many horses and ponies that she has rescued and they are all well cared for, healthy, and happy.
I get tired of all of it…people not feeding horses, people abusing horses, people breeding horses there are no homes for.
Same with dogs, same with cats, etc.
I can’t wipe it out but I can write about it and hopefully prevent it from happening quite so much. If people don’t do this stuff JUST so that they don’t wind up on this blog, that’s fine with me. Whatever works!
And Herc thanks you for the donation.
Just spoke to a lady at the Ontario SPCA and they have only been able to remove 2 horses from this farm so far. They were the 2 that the vet said were in the worst shape. I was on Facebook and Jessica’s mother obviously believes that all of this is just a vendetta against her poor daughter. WTF? I don’t know these people or any of the others that she is playing Facebook Karate with, but even if the mother doesn’t know anything about animals, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the pictures are showing horses that are dying a slow and very painful death.
It is also very upsetting for the animal control officers as they are very limited with what they able to do. We all look at this and think why can’t they just seize all of her horses? Unfortunately they have to follow the law, and it’s very frustrating for them and those of us that are looking in at this situation.
On Facebook there have been people that have been willing to take hay and feed to this farm but for some reason they haven’t been taken up on their generous offers. WHY.
Yes, it’s a vendetta. Someone photoshopped all her horses skinny! And it’s a vast conspiracy, the vets at the SPCA are faking the vet bills, everybody’s in it together, put on your tinfoil hat and sing!
*eye roll*
You know, let’s think about this for a minute. LOTS of people have a vendetta against me. Do ANY of them have a picture of my horses looking like shit? NO. Because I don’t have horses that look like shit.
(Watch someone photoshop Cecil skinny now that I said that…LOL)
Why don’t we all sit back and think about WHY these horses ARE skinny in the first place. Are they sick? Maybe the person who sold the horses to Jessica HAD NO knowledge of a parasite such as Tapeworm being manifested inside these horses. A worm can really make a horse or any animal who is eating alot become so skinny they can die. Think about that.
I didnt see any seriously emaciated horses at Carson’s auction today, so maybe she didn’t go?
First things first. Do you have any proof of there being a dead horse in the barn? I’m talking pictures. Do you have any proof of there being no food given to these horses? Again. Pictures. If I don’t see a single bit of evidence, I am not going to take you seriously! Especially since I know the true story. As for dogs biting people, and puppy mills… Untrue, a Lie. I have 3 dogs from Jessica, 2 of them being adults, neither were skinny, neither were BITING people, or aggressive in any way both are cuddly, loving, healthy, dogs who have been vet checked, shots, and dewormed.. I have their VET PAPERS…They show good behavioral traits. So everybody can at least get that out of their head. She does not even own that many dogs to begin with! Case closed.GTFO.
Eye witnessess seen the dead animals,really sick stuff.the only feed is what was donated,vets and farriers do not want to go as they are owed thousands of dollars ,as she cant pay them.she was evicted from the little crap farm,because it was on crown land.i am only refering to horses ,as i dont know about the other animals.
these stories are verifiable by the vets,farriers and feed outlets.
this woman is just a burden,to horses and a financial strain on our economy.
Here is a pic of Sunsational Review today. http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/313738_10150407524711352_606331351_10665763_219454563_n.jpg
He is living the good life now