Updates: Robin Vess and Far Niente Farm and Sweet Year is having a better year!
May 05 2010
Remember the Robin Vess (aka Robin O’Neil) case? The woman in Ohio with Far Niente Farm, who was starving 40 head of nice quality Arabians?  (I can’t find my original blog on this and I know I wrote it. The server is weird today, it may have eaten it or something)
She was found guilty! Hooray!
This article has a particularly interesting part to it – one of her friends confesses to her own role in this train wreck:
“Friend and former business partner Tina Burkhart said she began to realize something was wrong with Ms. Vess in early 2009, close to the anniversary of the latter’s mother’s death.
Although she did not visit the farm at the time, she said Ms. Vess would cry over the phone and talk about wanting to kill herself.
“She was constantly talking about suicide. She was going back and forth to physicians and trying to get care,” Ms. Burkhart said. “I was really afraid to have her commit suicide, so I told her to keep calling and talking to me.”
Ms. Burkhart, who has an Arabian horse farm in southeast Michigan, said she and Ms. Vess had joint ownership of seven horses that dated back to 2007. Ms. Vess kept three of the horses on her farm, Ms. Burkhart said.
But when Ms. Vess became depressed, Ms. Burkhart said she began to worry about the horses and began negotiating with Ms. Vess to get her to sign the horses over to her. She said it took months of negotiations.
When Ms. Burkhart went to pick the horses up in October, she said the horses were “in bad shape.” She bought Ms. Vess 50 bales of hay and 10 bags of grain to feed the horses. One horse, a 13-year-old stallion, looked so bad she decided to take him too. She said she arranged to pay Ms. Vess $4,500 for the horse over time, in the hope she would use that money to buy feed for the horses.
“I had never had any interest in this horse at all, but I felt really sorry for him,” Ms. Burkhart said.”
Very typical story. The truth is, Ms. Burkhart probably would have helped more if she’d reported the conditions there earlier and taken the burden of these horses off of Ms. Vess. This is a classic example of a woman clinging to horses she could not care for in order to fulfill her emotional needs. While Vess is certainly to be pitied, I still have more sympathy for the horses, who were going hungry as a result. As tempting as it is to buy hay/buy horses and “help” a person like this, you’re only prolonging the misery for all involved – and depleting your own resources, that you may need for your own self and your own horses if life takes an unexpected turn for you. Don’t do it. Lend a helping hand but keep your wallet closed and if things are bad enough for animal control, report them. You may lose a friend but it’s better than losing thousands of dollars and enabling someone who needs to just give the horses up at this point in their life.
Oh, and apparently she has some scary ass friends. Holy crrrap. That’s why people don’t testify! And did you notice how often the stories changed in the news articles?
Craigslist twit of the day…oh nooooo it might cost a FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS to find out what is wrong with her! Again, if you do not have a few hundred dollars of disposable income you cannot afford to own a horse. What a cute mare. I will laugh if she has an abscess. Anyone in Denver interested?
Remember Sweet Year, the Thoroughbred mare rescued from Enumclaw yet again? She is fat and happy once more (shown here!) and available for adoption. She would have gone home to her breeder in California, but shockingly, her breeder passed away while the transaction was in progress. 
This is a super cute teenaged TB mare who needs a home as soon as possible. She is being fostered by Hard Luck Horses in the Redmond, WA area and you can contact them if you’d like to meet her. She is sound and supposed to be well broke but they don’t have a saddle to fit her at present to try that out and I’m too far away to do my usual hop on bareback, ha ha.
Also, just sharing this for the folks in Minnesota!
Gelding Project offers free horse castration clinic for Minnesota horses
Animal Humane Society, in partnership with the Minnesota Horse Welfare Coalition and the Minnesota Horse Council, are offering a free, one-day horse castration clinic on May 15, 2010, at the Isanti County Fairgrounds in Cambridge, Minn. through the Gelding Project. The goal of the clinic is to reduce the number of unwanted horses in Minnesota. “Unwanted horses are such a critical issue for the animal welfare industry. This clinic is an answer to this, and to preventing inhumane situations where horses are neglected and do not have the resources they need,†says Janelle Dixon, President/CEO of Animal Humane Society.
The clinic is the second in a series of clinics that will take place in different regions of Minnesota through the Minnesota Horse Welfare Coalition’s Gelding Project. The project was launched in 2009 by the coalition, of which AHS is a part, in cooperation with the Minnesota Association of Equine Practitioners. Its goal is to educate horse owners on the care of their horses by providing assistance and education to current and potential horse owners and law enforcement. The Minnesota Horse Council provided a grant for the project.
Individuals who qualify to bring a horse(s) to the free clinic are from certified equine rescues or stallion owners who can’t afford the cost of gelding, have been invited to participate by their veterinarian or have been referred by the AHS Humane Investigations team. Jack (male donkey) owners are also eligible.
Stallions must be halter broke with two descended testicles and be in good health. Colts must be at least four months old. All stallions must be in good health and be held off feed for 12 hours prior to the procedure. Procedures will be performed by University of Minnesota veterinary students under close supervision of area veterinarians.
Interested equine rescues and stallion owners can contact Krishona Martinson with University of Minnesota Extension at (612) 625-6776, or krishona@umn.edu, for more information on the application process. Castrations must be scheduled in advance.
For those of you still shopping for a new hunter/jumper or event prospect, check our Tequila at Angel Acres! How cute is HE?
59 comments to “Updates: Robin Vess and Far Niente Farm and Sweet Year is having a better year!”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment. Not a member? Registering is free, and you do it here!
While Sweet Year is physically located at my place, she is not a Hard Luck Horses mare. She belongs to Serenity Equine Rescue who saved and rehabbed her, and is simply up at my place as a foster exchange. Sweet Year is a very nice and highly intelligent mare that is a pleasure to be around and anyone who is interested in her should contact http://serenityequinerescue.com
Hmmm, 50 bales of hay, 10 bags of grain, 40 horses…might have lasted 3 days, week at max??? Why do these delusional people let the animals suffer. GIVE THE DAMN THINGS AWAY if neessary. They’re “captive” in their environment; the humans are not!!! And to buy a stallion that she doesn’t even want for **gasp** $4500??? NUTS, NUTS, NUTS… There are a few loose screws running aound here.
There are more loose screws than tight screws in the horse owner world.
Robin Vess is mine.
Two thoughts:
1) Add Terry Figueroa to her scary friends list. “Terry Figueroa, who heads the Arabian Rescue Mission, also took the witness stand Thursday and accused the Humane Society of starving Vess’ horses while they were at the fairgrounds.”
2) Why is it so common that people who do this have enough money to be fat, enough money to dye their hair and enough money for jewelry and makeup?
Littlebigred asks, “Why is it so common that people who do this have enough money to be fat, enough money to dye their hair and enough money for jewelry and makeup?”
For the same reason that people without jobs and/or who are going to community college to learn the basic skills they did not get in high school — despite the diploma in their hands, in some cases — have money for cell phones, cigarettes, beer, tattoos and piercings and the jewelry to go there BUT cannot afford to buy the books they need for those classes.
They know if they say they can’t afford the books, they’ll get them for free. Can’t deny them the books. What would happen to their self esteem??
Personal responsibility. None where it counts.
Yes—
1) You would think Terry, as a director of the Arabian Rescue Network, might have heard of “refeeding syndrome.” Which is probably the reason the humane society wasn’t stuffing their bellies with grain.
2) Cause it’s important to look pretty for your mug shot!
Right, you wouldn’t want to grain, but free choice hay or hay pellets (the second is better) should have been provided. I don’t know whether that happened or not.
Once again, we have a they said – they said type of situation going on.. Are the Pictures not adequate? Why does it say some are ‘fat’ in the pictures? why is she trying to say they were starved after the fact on the fairgrounds???
Can someone please tell me why anyone in this day and age would not grab a camera and document the conditions properly upon arrival on the property?
Did the gal who got their horses out earlier take pics?????
Did anyone???
I am quite sure 42 counts wouldn’t have stuck if the situation had not been documented very well at the time the horses were seized.
No idea of Burkhart took pictures. She should have, but people don’t want to turn on their friends and this is what you get.
This rescue was a mess of some sort. You can read the sordid details and a lot of pissing and moaning on Arabian Breeders Network. It all got so hard to understand what was going on that I finally gave up and quit reading. The horses were safe, that was enough for me.
Don’t be so hard on Terry Figuroa (sp?). She and the Arabian Rescue Mission people helped prevent an even bigger mess by negotiating with the humane society people and getting the horses to good foster homes.
“Craigslist twit of the day…oh nooooo it might cost a FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS to find out what is wrong with her! Again, if you do not have a few hundred dollars of disposable income you cannot afford to own a horse.”
Some people never really grasp that while yes, animals do live in the present and don’t forsee death, it’s still not very nice for Rex or Dobbin to meet his maker 10 years early because you couldn’t swing a blood test or x-ray.
The twit of the day’s mare is CUTE! Down right adorable. I’m not even a fan of pintos usually – nothing against them, just not my preference. But she is really cute and has a great expression in her face. I hope someone nice gets her and figures out the mystery lameness. I just spent 6 months going through 4 vets and a few thousand dollars trying to solve my horse’s mystery lameness. I *think* we’ve finally got it fixed (and if so, then it was really quite simple and should NOT have cost me this much money and lost training time! Argh!). If not, my vet’s got my credit card info on file and I’ll be giving him a call. My horse is my baby, there would never be any question that I’d pay the vet to try to fix him.
Why is that TB mare tied to a Tpost???!! and I would never tie a horse that long, asking for legs tangled and cuts and all sorts of nasty things.
I don’t believe she’s tied, it’s merely looped over there.
Fugly- sorry to go off topic here- but the State of Maine NEEDS YOUR HELP!! There is an ACO there who needs to be replaced badly. Horses are literally dying b/c of her lack of competence. http://discus.equinesite.net/discus/messages/4/34957.html?1273092790
Heh, I once had a (really stupid) vet tell me he thought my horse had a broken shoulder………turned out it was just a friggin abscess – subsequently diagnosed properly by my longtime farrier, who also happens to be a good friend! That free mare is too cute, and I`ll bet you`re right about her having a hoof abscess. Seems like every time one of mine has a mystery lameness that`s the cause.
I just see it a lot as a cause of “mystery lameness.” And yes, vets do miss it sometimes!
This was the one and only time I used this particular vet, and as it turned out he had a loooooong list of dissatisfied former clients – due to him basically being incompetent. At any rate, the horse was obviously lame in the foot, so after incompetent vet left my property (and recommended I truck my horse 300+ miles to UC Davis for shoulder x-rays) I called farrier friend and she promptly swung by. After a few minutes of digging around with a hoof knife – VIOLA! we found the problem – a huge abscess. I have to say that this was also the only time I`ve had a vet lose it and hit my horse, this jerk nailed him in the shoulder (perhaps that`s why he thought it was broken?????) with the hoof testers because he wouldn`t stand still ………and no, horse was not misbehaving (I don`t own “pookie bears”) he was just in incredible pain.
That was my first of many experiences w/hoof abscesses, and I swear almost every time since one of my guys has had a mystery lameness it`s been just that.
Fugs, this story has international attention. The HS had no warrant when they moved the horses at night. One mare was trampled in the trailer because they had 5 horses in a 4 horse trailer. The mare “Granny” was pulled out of the trailer and left on the gravel until a vet was called to put her down the next morning. 3 other mares were put down without proper assessment. The HS told the volunteers to ration feed so the horses looked skinny for the trial. It’s a huge case that effects all horse owners. PETA is jumping for joy…….free ride to seize horses in Ohio. I’m sure others will post with all the details. The whole story is on http://www.arabianbreeders.net. Take a look, it will blow your mind!
I have been an active participant in this case from close to the start. Yup..all the way up here in Canada. I do not know of anyone who has given Robin Vess a get out of jail card HOWEVER there are numerous problems with this case. First, the seizure took place on the coldest night of the year, three mares would not get up and were euthanized as ALL horses had to be moved off the property according to Humane Agent Nancy Silva. Several of the more expensive or better bred mares and a stallion (also a foal) did not make it to the fairgrounds where ALL of the horses were to go. They went to private farms…and one mare Desi collapsed HOWEVER she was revived AND HAS IMPROVED as they immediately put her on IV and when she was just able to stand they immediately put her in a trailer and took her, along with another mare, to the fairgrounds.
Granny aka Berri, a 23 year old mare was pushed into a four horse trailer with FOUR OTHER horses which included 3 young yearlings. The mare went down and was TRAMPLED so severely she could not get up. She was dragged by her head and tail out of the trailer and she laid in ABSOLUTE PAIN for over 6 hours until a VET WAS FINALLY CALLED. The woman who had told everyone she was a vet tech actually does not even have grade twelve. Shayna Roberts went home to get some rest and tend to her children. According to the volunteers she TOLD THEM ALL they had to drag the mare out. She claimed she discovered them pulling her out several hours later upon her return. She also claimed the horses were so hungry (this is in the court transcript) that they were pulling straw out of a bail that was used to support the mare. The vet for the H.S. rebuked this statement in court and stated THAT NEVER HAPPENED. I should add Ms Roberts was also convicted of lying under oath on another case.
The head of PR for the H.S. of Ottawa County had a report made to the local police as he tried to intimidate four women by aiming his car at them. This was taken seriously enough the Sheriffs department made sure all four were escorted to their cars each day if they asked. This same individual was spoken to by the Sheriff attending the case due to his foul language directed towards anyone with a connection to Arabian Horse Rescue. Anyone can visit Arabian Breeders Network for over 400 pages of salacious reading.
Oh, I should mention, the H.S. of Ottawa county never applied for a warrant and they had been aware of a problem for OVER four months. In fact, Nancy Silva, an agent, took Shayna Roberts out there for a JOB. Jody Hatfield, the Chief of Police is on record as having called Nancy Silva at the Humane Society and TELLING HER to do something as he was receiving ongoing complaints.
So…where was the H.S.? They didn’t act until they heard that Arabian Horse Rescue had negotiated through a third party, with Robin Vess, to have her VOLUNTARILY sign the horses over for placement in foster and or permanent homes. THAT was the reason the seizure took place that night. Horses were PULLED INTO TRAILERS with slip nooses around their bodies and around their necks to drag them into the trailers. I should add they could have stayed AT THE VESS FARM as there was a sheriff there (who thought there was a warrant). The fairgrounds were not even set up for the horses.
Oh..did I miss something here?.. Shayna Roberts ended up with a stallion reputed to have cost 1 million dollars and a well bred mare and foal hidden out at her family property. And, her brother Shaun Harder who was a part time police officer has now been fired from his position AND HAS BEEN CHARGED for threatening ARM volunteers on facebook and over the phone.
I would say there are some equally nasty players on the side of the Humane Society
That sounds like quite a story. Why would a vet not be called for six hours? If that happened, someone has some explaining to do (and should lose their job).
Do you think Shaun is the person who drove at the witnesses in the parking lot?
What stallion was reputed to have cost one million? Should be easy enough to see who owns him on Datasource. Just trying to check out what you have to say. Trust me, I DO believe that some seizures are handled TERRIBLY. Local authorities don’t always have horse handling skills (or any freaking common sense!) That said, none of those horses would have been seized if Vess had simply given them away before they were in such poor condition. As I recall, most were well bred and the Arabian community would have stepped up to give most, if not all, homes, if they’d been freely given with papers.
The seizure was handled improperly and that was my first concern. The Vet and Nancy Silva and Shayna Roberts inspected ALL of the horses and euthanized three in less than one hour. The documentation was #1. Brown horse, abused. # 2-17 Brown horses abused and so on. The stallion Benny was Benevolence V and the mare who suffered such a painful death was his full sister. (Shayna Roberts claimed she called the vet however on the stand they stated they only received the call early in the morning and they were there by 7 am. to euthanize her). One volunteer for the H.S. Bless Her Soul, sat with the mare all night and held her head. Sheila is aware of the situation and is appalled.
The individual listed as the person who aimed the car at the demonstrators (who were carring posters and wearing tee shirts showing Granny (full sister to the stallion above) with teeth knocked out and halter burns on the side of her head). was listed in the complaint as the head of P.R. for the Ottawa County Humane Society. He was spoken to by the Sheriffs at the court house for profane language directed towards anyone from ARM. He was threatened with expulsion by them. He is the one who claimed the volunteers went against the wishes of the Humane Society when they dragged the mare out and he also stated ALL of the injuries on the horses were due to Robin Vess. We leared her horses NEVER had halters on in stalls or outdoors. This was verified by volunteers as they had to bring halters OR TAKE THEM from the barn.
Nancy Silva had only one other case of large animal abuse to her credit. It was mentioned in court as bungled. Starving calves and two very ribby horses were reported to her. She saw them and called for a seizure. while she was at the court applying for a warrant the vet used by the Humane Society contacted her and stated he knew the animals personally and they were all fine. We have pictures of them and they were NOT fine. The seizure was immediately cancelled but they forgot to tell the volunteers. They were banned from going to the property and within 24 hours the calves and two horses disappeared.
Nancy was fired by the BOD for that however her friend, lawyer Chris Marchinko was able to get her reinstated and then THEY had the BOD fired and replaced with individuals there now.
I should also mention that the day before the seizure, Dr. Irene Levigne was called to the farm There was a mare down and in distress and also a yearling appeared to be ill. She arrived and suggested the mare might have fallen on the ice and broken a bone. She suggested euthanization. Robin agreed. The foal continued to fail and died while the vet was there. She also looked at the three mares she euthanized the next day and said it was her opinion they had MILD Colic. These FIVE horses has been in one paddock together and we have wondered if there was something toxic i.e. as a weed or something in the feed they received. All of the horses received feed daily…just not near enough. The vet testified she FORGOT to mention the condition of the other horses to Nancy and the H.S. when she left the property. How does a VET FORGET?
The H.S. has continued to cover up and refuse to answer questions. The reason it will not go away is the trail did not produce any defence for Robin i.e. they were thwarted from asking ANY questions. The D.A. had a very talented pitbull (he is very very good) and he objected to ANY question from the defence and judge Hany (defeated in his bid to move up to an appellate court yesterday) agreed. He (Judge Hany) also REFUSED to have the record of Shayna Roberts lying under oath brought before the jury which was interesting as Shayna LIED in Hany’s court room and he was the one who sentenced her.
The stallion was Benevolence V and Shayna Roberts told her friends her daughter was gonna have a million dollar barrel horse. Smart move to geld a 22 year old stallion, what an idiot she is. Shayna didn’t call the vet to put Granny down because she went home, she was tired. Quite a few of the volunteers have posted their nightmare stories on ABN. The head of the HS was the jerk who tried to run over the 4 ladies in the parking lot.
Terry Figeroa is the person who was trying to get the horses transferred into her name to get them into new homes. She isn’t a bad guy in all this. The horses all lost weight when the HS was feeding them at the fairgrounds. Then when Terry was able to get the courts to allow it she moved them to local foster homes. Once in foster care the horses improved appropriately.
Basically in Ohio anyone can claim abuse of an animal now and demand they are seized. No warrant needed. Robins house is a part of her barn. Guess 4th amendment rights don’t matter to these people.
http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=ad22cc7d6567a5a202ae30
Well, there’s nothing wrong with gelding a 22 year old but making a 22 year old into a barrel horse might be questionable.
“The head of the HS was the jerk who tried to run over the 4 ladies in the parking lot.”
But see, here’s where I have a question – WHY DIDN’T THEY PRESS CHARGES? That could have gotten the entire situation into the national media.
Also, have formal complaints been filed against Shayna Roberts? What is being done here so that she will not drop the ball with yet another horse?
I don’t think anyone claimed abuse that wasn’t going on here – it’s obvious Vess was guilty – but it does sound like the seizure was handled very poorly.
Having been targeted by a disturbed individual for “abuse and neglect,” automatic seizure without investigation is a VERY BAD THING. My retired TB mare had ruptured the lateral collateral ligaments in her right stifle, was under close veterinary supervision, and her only visible issue was that she stood and moved funny. She was big, strong, and had a very intolerant temperament. Had some self-important yahoos shown up and tried to haul her away, it would not have ended well at all.
Fortunately, the sheriff’s office called me first, assigned me a deputy who had horse experience, communicated directly with my vet, examined my records of expenditures for feed, supplements, and prescriptions, and ended up citing the complainer for trespass and harassment. This was the same loony who earlier had reported I had a blindfolded horse when the mare was wearing a fly mask.
Some people watch too much Animal Planet.
Actually Fugly, I don’t think there was an original blog, unless you posted it a while ago. I’m in the NW Ohio area was curious to see if you would be featuring Robin Vess. I was kind of surprised you didn’t, but I also believe it was about the same time as another large seizure that happened in the west that you were discussing. It would have been quite an interesting piece, stories keep changing, there was a battle over who should get the horses, AC or an arabian rescue group, it goes on. It gained quite a lot of media coverage here, and I have to say that I have heard other stories about Tina Burkhart too. I’m very glad to hear that she was convicted on all the counts, let’s just see if the sentencing holds.
Random horse behavior question:
There’s a “new” horse at my barn that was… well, not quite rescued, but “Dobbin” was taken out of a bad situation where he was not getting enough groceries (he could use a few more pounds, but he looks SO much better). He’s a schoolie now, and a chipper fellow. I rode him for the first time last week/had never really interacted with him before. (Turns out to be sweet and willing to please under saddle, but… left lead canter like a pogo stick.)
My “question”:
When you tack up for lessons at my barn, you can be near several horses. Dobbin was calm/friendly on cross-ties but became worried/anxious if I paid attention to any other horse. By which I mean, saying “hey, cutie” and patting Other Horse on the nose. I know that it’s not that Dobbin loved ME so very dearly, given that our acquaintance was of about 1/2 hour’s standing at that point, but it was very marked behavior. One of the working students said “yeah. he’s needy.”
Anyone seen this before? Is it typical of horses that were previously in bad situations? It wasn’t as if I’d given Dobbin any treats at that point, or offered Other Horse treats and NOT Dobbin. Although, I do bet Dobbin is spoiled rotten in terms of being “treated” (and to no bad effect. Very gentlemanly about accepting treats.)
Just curious…
Without knowing his background it’s hard to say – but maybe he’s worried you’re going to just “Leave Him Tied” there for a long time? Maybe he experienced one of those “trainers” who tie horses in weird positions and leave them like that and call it “training.” Or, he’s just a super-nice people-friendly horse who had been ignored too much.
In any case, he sounds like a cutie – glad he’s in a better place now and enjoying you riding him.
He could be needy, or he could just be a jealous type. I know horses who have never been abused or neglected who glare at you if you pay attention to other horses and one who glares *hard* at ‘his’ human if she RIDES another horse. So, it might be a symptom of his ‘bad situation’ or he might just be like that.
I suffered from clinical depression, and both my mother and the father figure in my life (my Grandad) committed suicide within 6 months of each other and my animals have never EVER gone without.
I was feeding my horses and mucking out stalls whilst in labour and if I am so sick I cannot even roll out of bed I phone and PAY friends I know I can rely on to come and care for them. I have a book in the tack room outlining what each horse gets fed, how it is to be rugged, any other notes on their care or condition and contact numbers for everyone like vet, farrier, dentist, back ups of those and contact numbers of other people I know would help if the need arises.
I actually hear from a LOT of people with clinical depression that barn work is therapeutic for them – that HAVING to take care of the animals is what keeps them going. And of course, physical exercise is known to release endorphins which make us all feel better!
Tequila is so cute! Too bad I can’t afford a horse…haha
It looks like Ms. Vess had work done on her nose, too. Just sayin’.
What a sad situation all around. Hope the survivors are doing OK.
Off topic, I know, but I’ve got a 15 yr old saddlebred mare who needs a good home. I’ve got her listed on equine.com ( http://www.equine.com/horses-for-sale/horse-ad-1001170.html ) if anyone is interested or knows a reliable person who would be interested. As the ad states the price is negotiable to a good home. Farm check and whatnot are a must before sale.
According to the one article Vess owns Benevolence V? Isnt that a Varian bred horse? I wonder what they would think of this. They have always struck me as being very responsible breeders.
The person who tried to run down the four women? That wasn’t a friend of Robin’s. That was a Humane Society officer. Not Robin’s friends people need to be scared of. Those women supported the testimony of ARM foster homes and officers that transporting all those horses to the courthouse to be perused as evidence was a really bad idea given the gender mix of animals, training levels of animals, and lack of space for trailers, not to mention the nightmare of proper food, water and shelter while standing on a parking lot surface.
This was a trainwreck on several levels. Yeah, Robin’s horses should have been taken, but ARM was days away from getting a voluntary surrender. If you can get through all the crap in the thread on ABN and ignore the tit for tat and insults, you will see what happened after the Humane Society got involved, and the level of initimidation after the seizure is nothing short of jaw dropping. There is ample proof, so it’s not sour grapes. Scary scary shit.
It doesn’t matter how depressed you are; you’ve got something that’s depending on you to feed, water, and shelter them from the elements. Now that she’s been tried and found guilty, everyone will doubt her credibility in owning and caring for horses, if ever she decides to go back to the horse world.
You know when I was in school I was always picked on and had no friends and developed depression. Mucking out a stall and grooming your horse doesn’t give you time to be depressed. Plus, you can always talk to your horse and you’ll know that he will never tell anyone. In that way, horses are the best therapists and all they ask for in return is a nice carrot or apple.
It’s bothering me that no one on either side, according to the coverage, seems to be saying that the horses were in really bad condition or in any danger… just that they were a little skinny. I would think that someone would take some action less drastic before resorting to a mass seizure resulting in multiple deaths for horses that were just a little skinny. There seems to be a lot fishy about this case, especially if it turns out to be true that several high value horses ended up with the people who seized them.
Okay, I read all of the articles and it appears as though Ms. Vess is one of those kinds of people who was perfectly capable of earning money but didn’t. She has quite a list of accomplishments and there is no reason why she could not have gone out and gotten a job and started selling off her horses at reasonable prices. I know, some people think they are too good to work but obviously aren’t good enough to take proper care of their horses. It sounds like she lived off of her other family member’s money. Wow! $6,000 per month to care for 42 horses. I can’t fathom that kind of financial burden.
That’s why I tell people to do the math. Even on excellent summer pasture, it’s a safe bet to assume every horse costs you at LEAST $100 a month (and that is conservative). Can you afford that? Do you know FOR SURE where that money is coming from? Do you have the money when winter comes and they need hay – even if hay is $18 a bale, as happened to us in the PNW two years ago?
I couldn’t imagine paying $18.00 a bale!
I guess you ate a lot of franks and beans at that time.
That happened to me this winter in Florida of all places! I was spending over $300/month for hay. My typical hay bill is around $120 which isn’t that much of a difference but I was taken by surprise when all my grass died. I agree with you and never hope to find myself in that situation of not being able to properly care for my animals.
RIP Granny Berry.
There is no excuse for what Robin did to her animals while depressed we have all been there and not neglected them.
HOWEVER with a capital H……there is even less excuse, less pity in my heart for the terrible way the situation was handled by the Humane (what a joke “humane”) society.
TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT. Robin should be in trouble but so should they!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s what it sounds like to me.
Fugs,
Listening to the radio, something about 200 horses found dead near fort macleaod Alberta. Apparently malnutrition was not a factor, might want to look into that. I thought I heard 2000 but I couldn’t quite hear but that sounds a little too much so I will assume 200 til I find out more
You’re talking about this I presume. Far fewer than 200 but weather doesn’t exactly explain much to me…why where they out there in the first place?
http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Spring+blizzard+have+killed+horses+near+Fort+Macleod+Alta/2991023/story.html
Hey, everyone who keeps telling us to go to ABN, howsabout providing a link fer chrissake. We can’t search the forums without an account.
http://forums.arabianbreeders.net/topic/33743-arabians-in-ohio-in-desparate-need-of-homes/
Hmm, well, not only can non members not use the search feature, they can’t read threads beyond the original post.
A bit paranoid, are they?
I have to doubt that it was him being worried about me leaving since it wasn’t as if I was ever more than… 4 feet away? At most? I ignored other horses while untacking since I really didn’t want a repeat of the behavior. And it DID feel like he was watching me give attention/affection to the other horse and going “wait. what? why? I’m here. I’m over HERE.” Because I had to run back to get a girth previous to that (don’t worry, there were eyes on him
and he didn’t seem to care.
http://forums.arabianbreeders.net/topic/33743-arabians-in-ohio-in-desparate-need-of-homes/
In response to the comment about the craigslist add, I just wanted to point out that many of us had a few extra hundred dollars (or more) that has gotten used up by different vet bills. So now we should get rid of our horses since we used up our emergency fund?
No, but I assume most people have something in the house they could sell for a couple hundred dollars if they needed the vet out. I know I do. Computer, Wii, Nintendo, jewelry, etc. Or you have the ability to at least get a payday loan in the event of an emergency. Most people have something and if you literally have nothing, yeah, then you’re probably at the point where horse ownership doesn’t fit into your budget.
Maybe that’s why that horse is on cl? I don’t know why that horse is on cl, but you never know.
I think that times are tight for many right now, and I see horse ads on craigslist everyday for horses that have been a part of the family or a 4-h project all the time. These horses are in good homes, but because someone can’t afford to keep them they are being sold. Those are tough decisions to make. I do realize that often horses that are on cl are ill kept and not wanted, but not always. Some horses end up there in spite of the fact that their owners don’t want to part with them. I think that cl is a better option than auctions, but sometimes an auction is the only alternative for horse owners who are out of funds and can no longer keep a horse that is a strain on their finances. There may be welfare for people, but there isn’t help for a family to support their horses.
In response to the horse in the Craigslist ad. I live in Denver, and called the owner.
This mare has been lame for over a year, had the vet out numerous times. Xrays have been done, various ways of shoeing have been tried….pads, eggbars etc. The vet has no idea what’s wrong, they’ve spent literally thousands in an attempt to get her sound and the husband has declared they’ve spent enough trying to figure it out. The owner was very concerned that the mare go someplace where she will be well taken care of.
This mare is being delivered to a good rescue that I suggested tomorrow (Saturday), where they will work with their vet and farrier to get her sound again if possible. If they are unable to get her sound, she will live out her days there.
Wow, that’s great that you followed up like that and were able to recommend a rescue that you know is a good one.
That really could be a sneaky abscess working its way out. That can fool a lot of vets.
I just gotta say about the gelding thing that It was partially my idea=) I’m an avid Humane Society Volunteer, and I kept mentioning the problem of poor quality stallions and how there needed to be a low cost gelding clinic to help prevent poor quality horses being bred! I just wanted to share lol! I’m quite proud!=P
Sweet Year update!
I had a great ride on Sweet Year today!
Not much is known about her history before Sam/Dean/etc got their hands on her, but this girl has definitely had some good training in the past. While she’s definitely rusty and has a bit of an attitude, when she settles down she is VERY responsive to aids – I can’t remember the last time I rode a horse with that light of a mouth. Responds to hands, leg, and seat, and knows lateral movements. Very cute mover. I can TOTALLY see her as a Pony Clubber! Could also go dressage or hunter – she was owned by a dressage barn at one point so may have more training there, but I’d have to ride her in arena to see just what she knows. She will need a confident intermediate rider or better because she is a little frisky, but not at all mean – she just likes to see what she can get away with. With a 30 day refresher and a rider who “clicks” with her this mare will be amazing, I just love her! And I’m not normally a Thoroughbred person. If someone from my area adopts her I will do the tune up for free!
I’m sorry this is very off topic but here goes…
I have friends in the PMU world in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada.
They just learned from the pharmeceutical company that buys the urine that 39, repeat 39, PMU ranches are going to be shut down this spring. This leaves only 25 still in operation in Canada.
I don’t know about the whole pharmeceutical end of the deal but this means that 39 operators, all them well run, with quality stock, are going to have to somehow dispose of most of the their mares, stallions, and young stock as they loose their livelihoods (sp). Not only is this a huge hit for the draft horse breeding stock world, it is going to really suck to be one of the suddenly surplus horses.
These are good operations with good owners/managers. The crappy ones were all shut down already ages ago. I know there are a few fakers selling “pmu rescue colts” but this is real, and really ugly.
They won’t find out who looses their ranch until May 11th. Nothing like torturing people by withholding lifechanging information; they were informed of the cut-backs two weeks ago.
Anyway, your prayers for the operators involved, including some close friends of mine, are deeply needed and appreciated. Also, any brilliant ideas for what to do with the horses….
I just thought this group should know about the situation. Sorry for the epic length post.