OK, seriously, you starved a PONY?
Jun 27 2011
I am very pleased to announce that, due to several members of the Auction Horses board having enough spine to FILE A REPORT and GIVE THEIR NAMES, the pony is safe today. He was seized by King County Animal Control and is happily eating mush. I am told he is as bad as Grace, but he is receiving excellent care, so we can only hope for a great result. Of course these morons who had him are threatening legal action against all involved. Yeah, blah blah blah, the only legal action is going to be the cruelty charge against YOU, asshat family.
More to come on this case but when I get my hands on the “before the neglect” picture, you’re all going to be looking for these folks with tar and feathers…this is a very, very sad case of a valuable show pony falling into the totally wrong hands, and these people are going to be exceptionally well known the second I get my hands on their name. (If you already know it, feel free to post it! I’m told the pony was on the corner of 170th PL SE and SE Lake Holm Road in Auburn, Washington)
And to the original person who was scared to report and give her name, honey, I’M still alive after over four years of screaming abusers’ names to the world. The odds are, you will be too. REPORT, REPORT, REPORT. It is your duty as a decent human being.
217 comments to “OK, seriously, you starved a PONY?”
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For people who want to know who is involved in the thinking that horses are things and objects have a visit to this face book page.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/home.php?sk=group_121597937924741
It is a private group administered by Sue Wallis. There are many derogatory comments on it regarding Fugly Horse, so obviously many members think abuse should not be reported. One comment says there are three sides to every story!
You can view all the members of the page by clicking on the “members” button on the top right.
One of the members talks about having to abort all of her foals because someone abandoned their stallion where she pastures her horses in the winter 50 miles from her home. This happened TWO years in a row. Seriously you cannot drive 50 miles to check on your horses!
Reading the comments on the United Horsemen page has driven me to take even more action than I already do.To me this is a window into the mind of the abusers. Please check it out and use it to drive yourself to contact your politicians and make your opinions known on how as a taxpayer you want your money spent. If Sue Wallis and her gang get their way abuse will not only continue it will get worse if you can imagine that. We truly are the VOICE for these incredible animals! Let yours rise about the abusers!
I can see there being three sides of the story; the third being the animals who cannot talk. However, a qualified and impartial vet can make a report of their conditions. Pictures are truly worth a thousand words as well. Even better video, audio, or the things you post online! Just like that kid who put his McDonald’s fryer urination on YouTube.
On second thought, yes abusers/neglectors, PLEASE keep posting. Cross-referencing identities never happens right? The Internet is forever and it can bite you in the ass, hard.
* Lighter note. I just thought about an animal who could testify, an African Grey Parrot. Can’t you just see him?
Mr. Feathers did your caretakers feed you?
Sqwak! No food! No food!
My jerk of a parrot (said in love) is better off not talking to the authorities.
me- Ollie are you okay?
Ollie- NO!
me- what’s wrong?
Ollie- Poor Ollie. Iwant…. OOOOOOOO…. Iwant…… Nummers! Ollie Nummers!
me- But Ollie, your healthy pellets are in your bowl!
Ollie- Poor Ollie. (said while begging like a baby bird and again moaning Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh like he just absolutely needs an all-peanut diet)
I checked out the page. You are right- it is a nice frothing pool of ignorance. I like the tired and illogical points they make:
1) People who are against horse slaughter have never had horses.
Um, no, I’ve been in horses half my life, including supporting myself and my mare through college and grad school- I have both an understanding of horse ownership and riding, and comprehend exactly how much of a financial commitment they are, as I worked part time through my degrees to help pay for my girl.
2) People who are against horse slaughter are anti-agriculture.
Wrong again. I’m pro-agriculture when it is done correctly- ie, in ways not designed to implement the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria to animals and people, when sustainable practices are upheld, etc. All moral and ethical considerations about eating animals raised as pets aside, I can give a lot of reasons as a biology major, chemistry minor, almost Masters of Public Health Environmental Health (I’m three classes away from that degree, so I feel I can say I have a reasonable grasp on my major), why I think American horse meat is not meant for human consumption. I can also give figures and statements on how the animals suffer in slaughterhouses, but those aren’t the sort of arguments that move these people.
3) If horse slaughter continues to be banned, pretty soon the entire midwest will be forced to be vegan.
Conspiracy theories are fun. There is an increasing rate of vegetarianism/veganism in this country, but I highly doubt it is related to horse slaughter issues, much less the “Animal Rights People forcing us to be vegans!” hysteria you see on that page. Maybe it has more to do with the obesity epidemic, rising health concerns with standard meat production practices (some nice resistant E. coli, anyone?), and the economy (my carnivorous PhD student boyfriend eats a lot less meat than he would normally because he can’t really afford it right now).
My other favorite things about that page was the blind hate. One woman says something along the lines of “Americans are under-breeding, and Muslims are over-breeding,” and several people “liked” the comment. Malicious ignorance is the nicest term I can come up for that. You’d think Rep. Wallis might want to delete such an inflammatory remark, or at least point out that A) You can be BOTH Muslim and American, B) that hate-filled rhetoric has nothing to do with their horse slaughter argument (unless it’s those Muslim vegan AR activists again, breeding out ‘Merican horse slaughter advocates), C) that Islam has great respect for horses traditionally, oh and D) THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING MUSLIM.
It seems like their main argument is that they should get paid for killing their failures. Since these are the same people who probably think teachers are overpaid and that labor unions are the devil, I’d love to see the logic of why they should not be forced to adjust to the economy like everyone else. It seems like their argument is “I should be able to breed bulk amounts of crap and get at least a few hundred off slaughtering the unfortunate creatures I have created without foresight or intellect, rather than “I should only continue to produce animals if I am making something there is a market demand for.” Good horses are still going for good money. To me it is similar to working for say, a printing press manufacturer- you had your heyday before the internet was invented, and now with e-subscriptions the demand for printed media has dwindled. While it is tragic when anyone loses their job, is it in the best interest of people for the government to subsidize or support something that is becoming less necessary for the majority of people? Maybe the future of horses is that you can only do well in the business if you are actually good at what you do, just like any other industry. What a concept!
“It seems like their main argument is that they should get paid for killing their failures.” Well said, m’amie.
Been in the horse business (family) since before I was born. Literally — as in, I have good reason to believe my conception occurred in a barn (in a tackroom on the shedrow to be specific) — so those idiots’ blatherings and generalizations about people opposed to horse slaughter would be funny if they weren’t so sad. Anyone who’s been to a slaughterhouse (beef, hogs, whatever) and still thinks commercial horse slaughter is a good idea, that person is a psychopath without conscience or the ability to empathize.
Linda
P.S. Regarding the pony, pu-leeze! There is no escuse for any equine of any age or breed to be in such condition, period, end of subject.
From the FB page:
Mendy McEwen
Pssst y’all, there appears to be a fox in the hen house……..someone on this page is feeding information about what we post here and discuss here to that one blog, you know that one i’m talking about……be careful when adding people who friend request you if this is their only link to you……….
5 hours ago
OMFG how stupid are those people? EVERYONE can see what they are writing. I am not their friend and I can see what they are writing.. My God, sometimes I think you have to be a retard (nothing against mentally challenged people) to be a horse slaughter supporter, like it’s a club requirement to be intellectually challenged >.<
WHAT?
You mean things on the Internet AREN’T only visible to our friends?
OMG!
*walks away laughing…you know, you can’t fix stupid*
I think I’ll contact the folks on that site and set their minds at ease, y’know, remind them that if they wear their aluminum foil hats, we won’t be able to read their thoughts. Har, har, har.
To every toadbark on earth who says “the horse is skinny because it’s old” (saw that excuse on one of those animal cops re-runs just the other day), my 26YO TB mare (80+ starts and then several good years as a jumper and pleasure horse under the girth) (I still ride her from time to time & she’s as feisty as she ever was) sends her scorn and her photo:
Five stars! Those legs show her age and work but her weight is lovely. And that’s a Thoroughbred…see, they are not impossible to keep weight on.
Mendy McEwen
Pssst y’all, there appears to be a fox in the hen house……..someone on this page is feeding information about what we post here and discuss here to that one blog, you know that one i’m talking about……be careful when adding people who friend request you if this is their only link to you……….
5 hours ago
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..
PSSTTT…Y’all, yeah, we’re watchin. OMG, I hope ya aren’t gettin too paranoid Susie.
1. Thanks for the heads-up on that facebook group. Since I do support horse slaughter, hopefully they will accept me into their group.
2. I know a few ranchers who have horses on vast acreage quite a distance from their home. So, no, they don’t check them everyday. They haven’t lost a one yet, not to colic, theft or injury. A pretty natural way for them to live really.
3. I can’t believe that pony is so skinny since it ‘appears’ to have alot of grass. Mine get fat on air just about! I wonder if some medical issue is at hand. Either way, no excuse for the poor condition.
The pony was tethered and couldn’t get to the grass.
And no, you won’t have colic on 24/7 turnout…almost never. One reason I’m a fan. However, not having injuries has just been good luck so far.
Matter of good luck? Not injured? I suppose so…
Kinda like horses in well-groomed paddocks and getting injured on only-GOD-knows-what?
In training and taking a bad step?
24/7 turnout with 24/7 supervision?
Shyt happens with horses. You do the best you can to prevent it, but….
IT STILL HAPPENS IN THE BEST OF SCENERIOS.
Oh absolutely. And some horses are totally self destructive! I’m not saying you can control that. What you CAN control, is looking at every horse, every day, and checking for injury or illness. It takes a few minutes. That increases the odds that any injury or illness won’t result in death or permanent damage, right? So why not do it?
I’m am totally with you on this one! Before, I had always had the luxury of having my horses out to pasture during the day/in a stall at night. Since I’ve had horses where I live now, the only choices have been stall board with maybe and hour and a half paddock turnout, or 24/7 pasture board in a small group.
Not convinced on the 24/7 pasture board thing at first, I opted for stall board. Never in all the years I’ve been around horses have I had so many health problems with a horse, and tragically, I lost my nice warmblood filly who I had just broken in to colic (well, humane euthanization when it was apparent that there was nothing else the vet could do without trying a surgery that she wasn’t very hopeful about.)
Since, I’ve kept my girls pasture boarded and, knock on wood, have not had to call the vet out for anything other than routine vaccines, etc. Sure, there are the occasional knicks and scrapes to doctor, but so far, I’ve had much, MUCH better luck than when I had a horse stall boarded.
I still would like to find a place and go back to in at night/out during the day (and then the opposite in the summer, when the bugs are bad) but until then, pasture board it is!
I’m sorry, but did I just read you right? You support horse slaughter?? and you still read this blog and know it is an anti-slaughter blog??? That is just fucked up. Do you keep your horses fattened up just in case…?
Horse slaughter as it stands today, right now is a most inhumane, barbaric, atrocious action in society today. If you say you support horse slaughter then you should go away~ But if you are going to defend yourself by saying you support human euthanasia, that is not horse slaughter. If you want the right to butcher your own horse and then eat it, that is not horse slaughter as we speak of it. Perhaps it’s a play on words, then you need to speak what you really mean. If it’s horse slaughter as we know it…then I ‘m appalled!
You know, there’s a fair share of people here who are pro-slaughter. I don’t agree with them but everyone has a right to an opinion. I think it all stems from the question of which is the worst evil – I think slaughter CAUSES many of the other evils, the pro-slaughter people may think it CURES many of the other evils. I don’t think death is a cure. But as long as you can disagree with me without coming here daily and telling me and everyone who’s anti-slaughter that we’re bleeding heart idiots, you’re welcome here.
I agree that 24/7 turnout with a shelter is a great option for most horses- it is what I choose with my own. Obviously I disagree strongly on the slaughter issue. What I’m curious about is this- if you want to join a pro-slaughter facebook group, couldn’t you find one that is a little classier? I mean, maybe none exist that are classy, but do you really want to be tied in with the other beliefs spread freely on that page (ie, Muslims are lesser people, etc)?
I read maybe a few posts before regarding that group as one of the worst examples of what is wrong with America, and I am not referring to their views. I am talking about how they shut out anybody who has a different opinion, forgetting they may have a valid point. In addition I lose all respect for somebody who does that.
Maybe America would be better off if we got away from the sheep like mentality that consumes so many Americans.
I wish I could click the “like” button like a hundred thousand times for your post. I’m in the middle of SERIOUS family drama because certain members of my family absolutely cannot do the “agree to disagree” thing and leave things alone, so whenever I get togther with them… they gang up on me and try to beat their ideas into my head, and then when I refuse to let myself get beat-up on, I’m the one who is at fault for getting up and leaving th situation.
To me, the most important safe guard to democracy is for the minority to have the right to voice their opinions without being tread upon by the majority. The majority will have their way, that’s the way democracy works, but it is a problem when it is considered “anti-American” to question the majority, whether that majority be from the left or the right. Some of the things I hear people that I know say make me think of the tactics used in communist nations to keep any kind of opposition from changing the course of things. I think we (I don’t live in the US, but I am still an American citizen) should be very careful about how the “sheep like mentality” evolves. Your comment is reassuring; I’m not the only one!
Exactly, personally I am not against slaughter, I am against the process.
I firmly believe banning slaughter in America was nothing more than a band aid. I feel it would be much more productive to lay down strict regulations in regards to conditions, and actual slaughtering of animals in America, as well as have random inspections of facilities. Yes it may cost a bit for the government to accomplish but would end the suffering of millions who can not speak for themselves.
This does not have a lot to do with starving horses but.. I live in Ottawa Ontario Canada and while going through the local classifieds i found THIS!
http://www.equistation.com/classifieds/details.php?id=13202&searchCategory=1
You just need to look at the picture and THEN look at how much she is asking for! People astound me!
I saw this too and nearly died, pretty scarey isn’t it?
For the love of God, why would you use that picture to advertise yourself as a trainer? I’m just glad she’s not claiming to train jumpers.
LOL I would love to photoshop a jetpack on that horse, it looks like they’re lifting off. She’s got a bit of learning to do yet.
“And I only use one set of western tack to do it all! That is why I am the best.”
OM. MY. GOSH.
Is this a joke ad?
Nope, she is serious.
They must have removed it. Golly the word get out fast from here. You guys need to hold your personal comments so that we can all get a look-see before they take the ad down. Bummer. Now I’ll never see it ;-P
Screenshots! Those of us who are late to the party want to see too c:
I’m in Ottawa too. It appears she took the ad down as I can’t view the details and it looks unfinished. I’d be interested to know who this was so as to steer clear..
I read this on Auction horse this weekend. The lady got on there seemingly proud of herself, obviously ignorant. She stated that she had her kids in a riding school, and this pony was the oldest and smallest. My first thought, was the “riding school” allowing the pony to be ridden in this condition?? She stated that she owned the pony for two year and he had gained weight??? WTF??? Which brings me to another issue I have with people taking lessons or going to riding schools. I believe that you shouldn’t just go to these places to learn to ride. I realize that is the business. But in some point in your life if you are spending the money to learn how to ride you will probably end up incorporating horses into your life. How bout learn from the ground up! So many kids I see just show up to maybe saddle and get on and ride. Maybe do a little brush down before putting the horse away if not left for the trainer to deal with. And I see some trainers stepping in and letting that happen because they are in a hurry. I personally think before they ever ride the student, and family should learn basic horse care. I can’t tell you how many kids go to these place and learn to ride, and finally leaving a riding instructor purchasing a horse but have no clue what to look for when something is wrong with their horse. I mean, losing weight isn’t normal people!!! I wonder if that didn’t happen in this case?
I’ll bet they have cable or satellite. No excuse for doing this to a horse. None. EVER.
Omg….how can people do this? I just picked up a horse from a “friend” Saturday that is this skinny. They gave me some cock and bull story about how they were feeding her Senior and was on pasture and she just wouldn’t gain weight. Yeah right….maybe a handful of Senior and a pasture full of weeds and barbed wire. She hopped right in our trailer and now nickers when I come to feed her. Her teeth seem to be in good shape as she’s inhaling all the hay I give her. Gonna have the vet out soon to check her out!
Here’s a crappy cell picture. It can’t show you how pointy her hip bones are or how big the space is between her spine and ribs.
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp93/9downtoearthfarmgirl/river.jpg
I would love to see a picture update in a month or two, amazing what a proper feeding program can accomplish
I just know she’s going to be drop dead gorgeous with weight on. She’s 18 years old and a TWH. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had some amazing papers out there somewhere. However, the phone number on her Coggins that came with her has been disconnected. Trail’s gone cold but that’s alright, I love her anyway.
Ouch– the cell phone picture is plenty clear enough. Poor baby, I’ve never understood how people can let a horse get that bad. I had an older mare once that I rescued, and I managed to keep weight on her for two more years. Unfortunately, she had a blown stifle and a few other issues, and she finally reached the stage where I just couldn’t keep her weight up (I know, I know, Cathy, but her legs really were no longer supporting her correctly, and I think it hurt her appetite). I put her down long before she reached that horrific, skinny stage. Anyone who keeps a horse in starving condition is being cruel– either help them put weight on, or find someone who can, or ease them over the rainbow bridge.
As for her breeding, it really won’t matter unless you want to show– a good Walking Horse who is quiet and sane and solid on trails is worth their weight in gold, regardless of papers.
Charm, I would never criticize you…one reason that someone can’t keep weight on a horse is PAIN, and you saw that and did the right thing and put her down.
Heck, I am freaking because Cellulitis Horse has dropped weight but I know (a) she’s in pain and (b) part of that weight loss is from the infection and (c) she’s a weaver, so she weaves because I’m leaving her turned out all night, but she’s much more lame if I leave her in and she NEEDS to move. She’s getting everything done per the vet’s orders and I’ve doubled her hay. She’s perky, shiny and eats every morsel put in front of her, but I definitely do not like the way she looks right now. Did I mention I HATE CELLULITIS…
I’m really upset because my horse with the suspensory injury has been slowly losing weight ever since he went lame in September. We have added hay, grain, and even fat builder supplement.
He is being stall rested with free choice hay, and we put him outside in a grazing paddock (about the size of a stall) so he can eat grass for about 4-6 hours a day.
And this is what he looked like this weekend:
No ribs showing, but his hips and withers look awful. The spine is just barely starting to stick up. I would put him at a 3 on the body condition scale? WAY TOO SKINNY! I’m mortified
But, the lameness vet wasn’t too concerned because he says it’s partly muscle atrophy from stall rest. The vet wants me to add corn oil, but I’m not sure that’s the best solution because that seems similar to giving french fries to a malnourished child…
Anyway, he is only 5 years old and his teeth and appetite are fine. He is definitely in pain on some days, but he is usually in a good mood so I don’t think it’s too bad. Since he used to be on turnout 24/7, I’m wondering if it might be ulcers from the stress of stall rest?
I greatly welcome any suggestions or tips!!
That is pretty close to what Cellulitis Horse looks like. I am equally upset about it. She has more butt than him but the topline is the same. UGH.
Wow. You have to work pretty hard to starve a pony – most of them gain weight just LOOKING at food, for them to starve it to the stage Grace was at is shocking!
I can kind of understand why some people are afraid to leave their names, because sometimes the people are complete maniacs that will go after your horses in revenge. At least they bothered to report it. Generally though, I think securtiy cameras are pretty handy to keep lunatics away – speaking of which, does anyone have any suggestions in that department? There is a woman on the farming complex where we live that I wouldn’t trust as far as I could throw – she’s cruel to people and a little neglectful towards her animals. When we go to do our groceries or visit family for a few hours I would like that extra security. .
Thanks =)
http://www.operationhorserescue.blogspot.com
At our first house, we had asshole neighbors who would tease our Rottweiler through the fence, then call the police about nuisance barking. We used to get one of those cheapo monthly mailers that had a bunch of crap in it for cheap. (Carol… or something). Anyway, one of the items was faux security cameras. It used a AA battery that powered a flashing light, and two feet of “cable” that you attached to the siding.
Mike and I made a big show, on the weekend, during a time we knew they would either be outside, or get into their car. We FAUX bickered, and argued, tested, adjusted, and retested the two fakes we aimed at the side yard. The neighbors saw us “working” on the cameras and casually asked about it. We told them it was up and running, and that the security company was recording it down town, and the picture was perfect. Mike said Lsmile, you’re being recorded right now!”
We never had another problem with them, and surprise, no more “nuisance” barking!
LOVE IT.
See, simple solution…bullies are bullies, they DO NOT go after the person who fights back.
Unfortunately mine did. I had a bully neighbor I stood up to and my life has been hell ever since! Some people have to always “win” and when you stand up to them it makes it worse.
An inexpensive, and reletively low tech, method: pick up several of the camera systems hunters use to track game trail usage. They require batteries, an SD car of reasonable size and a computer that can read an SD card( you can buy adapters cheap). No wires for power or connection. They trigger on motion detection, and often work just fine at night. Cheap ones are less than $50 apiece if you shop around. Only drawback is you have to manually pull tje SD card to check the pictures.
The problem with trail cameras is that they have to be placed where they can be reached for them to go off and take decent pictures, and they can be pretty visible, which just means if someone is going to do something stupid, they’re going to take your camera with them when they’re done.
Yeah, but that’s assuming they can recognize the type of camera, know it’s not being remotely recorded and are willing to commit theft. The presence of a camera (and fake wires running back into the house) is a pretty good deterrent in most cases. For $50 it seems like it’d be worth a shot. If they do steal it, then maybe the police will take the harassment more seriously.
I can believe it. I have in my barn now a MINI who is a walking skeleton. If you have a skinny mini you really had to work at it. I am rehabing him for his owner so he can be rehomed. In his case, his teeth were so horrible I don’t know how he was able to eat. The feed store told her to only feed him 1 cup of grain so that’s what she was doing. Needless to say, he’s one the road to recovery now and the owner is now up to speed on better mini care.
Why is that it’s always the guilty party who screams the loudest. A person in our area was buying a $10,000 stallion on payments. The horse got colic so the vet was called. When the people refused to allow the vet to remove the horse’s blanket, she knew something was wrong. She removed the blanket and found a walking skeleton. When the vet found out that the people with the horse were not the legal owners yet (until they paid him off and they were now payments behind), they called the owners for permission to treat the horse and to inform them of his condition. Old owners ( from out of state ) came running, with their trailer, and were horrified. The buyers (the ones who starved him and several others AND their dog) were standing in the drive way screaming, threating to sue everyone, said the neighbors must have snuck in their barn and turned them in. As the horse was being loaded up by the orginial owners and being repoed, they were still screaming. And, as everyone ( AC, vet, orginial owners) left and were driving away to clean up the mess they caused….they were still screaming how they had been wronged. These people were 4-H horse club advisors and had owned horses for many years, so it was not a case of not knowing proper horse care. No one knew the condition of their horses because they kept them hidden in the barn. I thought they didn’t even have horses anymore because we never saw them in the pasture anymore. It was a suprise to all the neighbors that there were even horses still there anymore, so no one was able to see and report them, till one of them colicked and the vet had to be called.
That horse – and the owners – were very fortunate. I asked a horse professional here why he didn’t report abuse and neglect when he saw it.
“If you get a reputation for reporting people pretty soon you don’t have any clients”.
At my previous barn (the one with the broken backed horse, the stallion that died of strangles because the BO was pissed off) the only vet allowed on the property was the vet that the BO chose, and several area vets were banned. And it was disgusting to see the vet’s eyes light up at the dozens of emaciated horses that the BO had. As if she was going to give her money to the vet to take care of those horses! That place was a shit hole (literally, the muck in the spring was deep enough to suck off a pair of tall mountain rider boots – you know, the ones that are contoured and zip up the back), the horses weren’t cared for. To my knowledge the only people that ever turned her in were the boarders that smartened up enough to leave.
I’m glad that horse got out, and a HUGE kudos to that vet for taking care of the horse first, her rep as a vet and her wallet later!
Nonsense. My trainer has reported people and she has a waiting list. She needs a bigger barn.
I’m glad it’s not like that everywhere! Maybe it’s just because there are a limited number of horses and too many farriers that learned how to shoe from the back of a cereal box…
Having had a front row seat to watching this all unfold – I would like to commend those that stepped forward and were willing to look past themselves and do what was right. The two ladies that made multiple visits to the address and tried very diplomatically to offer assistance before getting the authorities, THANK YOU!! You saved this pony’s life – without a doubt.
In regards to the gal that refused to make the report herself – I have VERY mixed feelings, as I too think that sometimes you just have to do what’s right, even if it means your neighbors are not happy with you….my feeling is that they couldn’t even make it outside to feed their pony, the odds are not great they are going to put any effort in to making your life any less comfortable than it is now. With that said – I feel like she should in fact be thanked just as much as those that actually went ahead and made contact, reported and left their names, etc. Had she not said anything at all, who knows if anyone else would have noticed the poor guy before it was too late? She may not have been comfortable being THE person to make the call….but she was THE person that put the spotlight on the situation, took the initiative to find a group willing to take the necessary steps to get the pony help, and in effect is the reason he is happily eating mush today – with a promising outlook on life.
I can’t WAIT to hear this one!
According to King County property records, the name is:
IVANCHENKO, NAZAR+VERA+ALINA
I won’t post the address, but anyone can look it up. They purchased the place on February 2, 2011.
It’s not exactly, on the corner of 170th & SE Lake Holm Road, Auburn, WA. It’s NEXT DOOR to them. So, please do NOT harass anyone, but especially THOSE people on that corner. They do not have a pony, nor did they have a pony. It’s not them!!!
I’m so happy that the little thing is saved!! At least the gal who first said something and snapped the first pictures of it, asked AH for help. Had she not done so, then, we all know the potential fate of that poor little pony.
YIPPEE, YAY and BRAVO to KCAC, who acted swiftly on this matter!!! I must say, I am truly, impressed!
I disagree with you, Fugly, about the original person who was scared to report. She DID report, in the way that she felt was safest for her and her family. In the end, she DID get help for this pony. I think she did great.
We can’t all be crusaders. Sometimes, we have too much to lose. We DO have to think about the ramifications certain actions can have on our personal lives and families, especially our kids and property.
Anyway, I just wanted to add my support for countryenglishgirl, who I don’t think deserves any heat over what she did. I think she did the right thing for her, her family, AND the pony. It is a really tough situation to be in (I know, I’ve been in it myself), and she did great.
Refusing to report because you are chickenshit is a HUGE sore spot with me. She was just fine with someone ELSE bearing the risks of reporting, wasn’t she? It’s ok for someone ELSE’s home, family and pets to be at risk so long as it isn’t MEEEE and MY home, family and pets. That’s bullshit. I get that email all the time…Hi, I live in Bumblefuck Missouri and my neighbor is starving his horses, and I want YOU to do something. To me, this is the classic example of “if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” We ALL have a lot to lose if someone turns out to be crazy enough to retaliate violently but the truth is, that VERY rarely happens. Even on AH the best someone could come up with is their car got keyed…OMG so what??? Again, if I am not dead yet, odds are you won’t be either. If the accused calls you, hang up…duh. You are not gonna die if someone yells at you. (I don’t mean you personally, I’m speaking to those who won’t file a report). You know, this is why they had to require teachers by law to report abuse…because people just do not have the spine to do the right thing on their own.
I’m a teacher, and one time someone reported an observation of behavior taking place where kids got let out of their cars to me (I had one of the kids) and I advised her to report to an administrator. She did. I was called down to the office and basically told I was NOT to spread rumors “like that”. I leaned over the desk and reminded the woman that I was not spreading a rumor – the assistant had approached me asking what to do with an unsettling situation. I had advised her to follow THE LAW and report what she saw. That assistant principal backed down, at that point. It’s all politics, you see…
Fortunately for those of us who want to do the right thing – anonymously and without a ‘middle man’ who might hesitate to follow through because of potential political ramifications – have a phone number to call and report suspected abuse of children.
FWIW, the “gentleman” in question has done many things that I know of, personally, to indicate there is a screw loose somewhere. When I taught one of the kids, he called the school board and lied about my behavior, went after my career… but students and parents alike sort of deflated his claims. Later he got irate simply because I quietly refused to converse with him at a feed store, and sicced his ‘wife’ on me to harass me via FB and phone calls. Pretty scary, considering I’ve only seen the person two times in the past five years… in feed stores.. I don’t think I wanna know about the ‘big picture’….
Unfortunately, abusers have a crazy-woven web of defenses around them…. they tend to be retaliatory and underhanded, untruthful and use both hyperbole and outright fabrication to fend off anyone who tries to knock down their ‘castles’.
Great post. Yes, it is TOUGH to go up against these people but the more we do it, the more WE (and the innocent children and/or animals involved) WIN.
I love the ‘we’ statement. If someone is afraid to go up against a situation alone, talk to a friend and stir up some dutch courage together. I’ve been involved in a few neglect cases over the last 30 years and I find I get tougher about it as I get older. Get someone else on my side and I clench the bit and run. And contrary to my pre-hearing terrors, testifying in court isn’t all that bad. Doing the right thing feels good. There need to be more of US and less of THEM and only we can change that.
Fortunately the lazy wench that I reported for neglecting her animals was too lazy to come after me. She huffed and puffed, mumbled something about legal action and I never heard another word about it.
All that stuff that happened was enough to get you a protection from harassment order, and tweedle dee and his wife would have gone to jail for contacting you. Just so you know.
“Fortunately the lazy wench that I reported for neglecting her animals was too lazy to come after me. She huffed and puffed, mumbled something about legal action and I never heard another word about it.”
See, this is so true. And if you aren’t smart enough to feed your horses, I figure you’re most likely not smart enough to find me, even if you DO own a gun. Or ten.
I just think there are two kinds of people – those that go to war, and those that expect others to fight for them. And in addition to that, I think Americans (especially) have turned into very thin-skinned, politically correct, over-sensitive ninnies who would let anyone run over them without saying anything that might hurt someone else’s feelings. Does anyone ever hear that kids’ chant “Sticks and stones may break my bones…” anymore? Not so much, right? It’s because there’s an entire generation of people that were taught that words WILL hurt them. *sigh*
There are no words to describe how much I love your post.
So, interesting, you don’t believe that this person tried by not necessarily reporting something herself but by making others aware because of fear of retribution? I have tens of thousands of dollars worth of my personal animals in my pastures and am more than happy to make authorities aware of questionable behavior, and have, but seriously guys, if they will starve and abuse their own, they will retaliate against you with yours. Duh! Kudos to this person for reporting but good for her by remaining anonymous to save her own. Freaks are freaks and they will not hesitate to hurt yours if they are already hurtung their own. Their conscious is not going to “kick in” when they are considering thier revenge.
Making the authorities aware is different than posting on a message board and expecting your peers to step up for that which you don’t have the backbone for.
Thank you!
After reading all the subsequent comments to this thread, I realize I forgot one thing – COMMON SENSE. Come on everyone, I was not talking about hate crimes, being the object of discrimination, domestic abuse or anything criminal. I meant my comment to apply to every day social (or anti-social) interaction, not to the extremes that a few FHOTD readers wrote about. Interesting that the resposnses to this thread further illustrated my points!
Just wait for the next generation of kids that will be “adults” in the next 5 – 10 years. They are just plain mean spirited. They fight with their parent(s), swear at their teachers, and are even mean to their friends. They bring a whole new meaning to the words evil and vindictive
I know each new generation looks worse to the previous ones, but you’re really willing to write off a whole group of people as evil and vindictive just based on their age?
Ummmmm, yeah, I am. I work at a school and see it day in and day out. How many kids do you work with on a daily basis? The school isn’t even in that bad of an area. I can’t imagine how much worse it is in the inner city. Sure, there are some good families that are raising well mannered respectful children, but when the bad out weighs the good you know there are big problems on the horizon.
“Ummmmm, yeah, I am. I work at a school and see it day in and day out. How many kids do you work with on a daily basis?”
I don’t see many. Does that matter? Writing off large groups of people based on a single characteristic they cannot control is generally considered unwise, and gets called things like sexism, racism, or in this case ageism. As a young(er) person, I get really sick of the subtle (or in your case, not so subtle) attitude that ‘kids these days’ are somehow inherently worse than their parents.
My significant other is a middle school teacher. His view (which I share) is that yes, there are some nasty little cretins in the schools today. There are also some nasty big cretins, and nasty old cretins too. What experiences are you comparing the coming generation to? Was your generation perfectly behaved as children, or did your elders think you were disrespectful and rebellious too? Did you ever fight with your parents, be vindictive, or be cruel to a friend?
They are just plain mean spirited. They fight with their parent(s), swear at their teachers, and are even mean to their friends
The children that will be adults 5-10 who are like the above.. are that way because we as parents have failed to “train” them. We want to be there “friend” so they will trust us and talk to us. We want to give them everything we never had, so we buy them Ipods, laptops, cell phones & $100 jeans. We want them to think that the “sky is the limit” so we never tell them no.. or if we do tell them no.. they cry and whine and beg until we get tired of it and give in to them – like the kid in the check out line who gets the candybar after being told No.. They Win and We lose.
I have 5 kids who range from 16 to 12. I have taught them that with hard work, effort, persistence and sometimes a little pain and disappointment that they will succeed in life. I hold them accountable for their actions or inactions, make them take responsibility for themselves, stick up for those who can not stick up for themselves, and when to cut your loses because someone won’t help themselves. I allow them to suffer the natural consequences of their actions (ie, you assault someone, you go to jail.. and mommy is not bailing you out). I believe regardless of age.. 3.. 12..16.. you lie, cheat, steal, be disrespectful to elders.. you should be disciplined. It’s not cute nor funny.
I am in no way advocating abuse nor am I claiming to be a perfect parent or to have perfect children. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Clear and consistent boundaries & guidlines. Hold them accountant when they mess up, which they are going to do. Reward, praise and aknowledge when they are doing the right things and moving in the right direction. We, as adults, don’t need their approval and acceptance. They, as children, need our unconditional love, guidance, acceptance and approval.
My kids don’t walk over me and neither do my horses.
You’re awesome and you SHOULD have kids AND horses!
And isn’t it amazing how your kids and horses still love you despite the fact that you set and enforce rules?
Not buying the child the candy bar is the same as not letting the horse drag you down the aisle…you enforce behavior at a low, seemingly inconsequential level so that things NEVER GET to the point of “oh shit my kid just called from jail” and/or “my horse just kicked me in the head.”
It’s hard not to be thin skinned when everyone around you is screaming that they’ve been wronged. I work in corporate America and you wouldn’t BELIEVE the reaction I got when I tried to find out if our new HR rep was born in the US or from India. But nooooo, that’s not right to do!
Because of my work environment I am more than happy to throw out my woman in a male dominated work force disabled veteran’s status because sometimes that’s the only way to get someone to pay attention to serious issues.
“No, I can’t dead lift that 30lb, 40″ diameter part from a foot off the ground, I’ll get hurt”
“Do it or you’re fired”
or
“I can’t life that 30lb part from lower than my waist because I have an injury from active military service and I have a doctor’s note”
“Don’t worry about it”
Hmmmmm.
Kates, why didn’t you just ask the possibly-Indian person where they were from? Easy enough.
I have been told it’s rude to ask someone where they’re from, and this particular individual is the head of our HR department. At this point I hadn’t met him yet so I just asked the leader of a meeting we had.
He’s obviously from India but he has worked VERY hard on his English and there’s barely any trace of an accent.
Well, I have to say, as someone who was constantly bullied throughout school, words CAN hurt. And in a world that’s finally starting to realize that mental illness shouldn’t be taboo and it’s something you should think about, I really don’t think it truly would be best to go back to a world where kids chant about words not hurting and return to calling people “fags” and “whales”… Didn’t we struggle to reduce bullying and name calling? Isn’t mental illness something that people are only just starting to admit to? Why would you want to encourage parents to teach their kids that name calling is ok, and it’s something that should be accepted as part of daily life? There are ways to report things while keeping your name out of things. In Canada, we have Crimestoppers, and I’ve called quite frequently to report things without having to state my name – from a drug dealer hanging out around the high school, to someone trying to set a school on fire, to someone abusing their dog in my presence. You can be thin skinned and still get along, and I don’t think that anyone should be saying that name calling is ever okay. Because names do hurt, and you never know if the person you’re calling “fat” or “stupid” or a “fag” is depressed and you can’t know if that name will be what pushes them into killing themselves.
But that’s just my two cents.
I think words can hurt BUT I think it is YOUR job to develop a thicker skin. I was bullied and I learned to have a thick skin and not value everybody’s opinion equally. That has served me very well in life.
Someone once asked me why I didn’t get upset when another person was rude to me. My answer: It would only hurt my feelings if I respected their opinion.
Excellent answer!
I am not kidding or being a jerk…seriously, I WAS a bullied kid and I am telling you, the only way to solve the problem (and SAVE LIVES) is to teach kids that NOT EVERYONE’S OPINION MATTERS. If you GENUINELY learn to believe that, you may get your feelings hurt here and there but you won’t go hang yourself.
I was at a meeting last week with various people and departments for a new software initation project. When our IT rep was asked to speak, another employee pointed out that his visual aid handouts had little people on them. The IT rep is a little person! (maybe 3 1/2 feet tall!) We all about died on the spot wondering what his reaction was going to be as he was taunted by “Tom”. I don’t remember his comeback but it was AWESOME, self confident and funny as hell! Apparently, he’s learned to accept his ‘shortcomings’ and have some fun with it. I am SO impressed with this guy as he’s extremely smart and funny. If more people had that thick skin we’d be in a lot less trouble as a whole. We are what we are – fat, tall, short, compulsive, neurotic, depressed, manic…the list goes on for days! Look in the mirror and decide to like yourself regardless of your flaws and others probably will too. Instead of waiting for an insult, insult yourself! Make light of you and stop taking yourself so seriously. No-one else does!
And regarding mental health issues….who doesn’t have them?? Goof grief, we all have a few bats in our belfry. That’s what makes us human (and unique!)
“And regarding mental health issues….who doesn’t have them?? Goof grief, we all have a few bats in our belfry. That’s what makes us human (and unique!) ”
Seriously, who are these emotionally healthy people and where do they live? I do not think I know anyone at ALL who doesn’t have some issues…
Here’s the thing though if a person is being called names at school and teased for how they talk or what they wear or what they read or the music they listen to and also criticized at home by one parent and ignored by the other parent and compared to older siblings, cousins by grandparents where is that person going to get a postive message about themself from? And don’t tell me that it comes from within–when a child of four is hearing that their cousin is prettier, their brother is smarter, or that their hair is the wrong color (not a blonde) and so are their eyes (not blue) it gets pretty difficult to build any positive feelings. Yes I am thin skinned but I have reported cases of child abuse and neglect, like the girl who confided in me that her dad had been systematically burning her with cigarettes and that’s why she always wore long sleeves, long pants, knee socks and tennis shoes (she showed me the burns between her toes and on the bottoms of her feet) even when it was one hundred and two degrees or the little boy who was always hungry, dirty and unkempt wearing the same clothes for a week at a time. It wasn’t easy and I was afraid of retribution but I was more afraid for what else he might happen to them.
No, it doesn’t come from within. You can only get it as you get older and your world expands and you meet better people. I know a lot of people who got some self esteem at college because it was the first time they escaped from the miserable little closed-minded world they grew up in.
“It wasn’t easy and I was afraid of retribution but I was more afraid for what else he might happen to them. ”
Good for you. Some of the best things we ever do in our lives AREN’T easy and ARE scary, but now you have the peace of mind of knowing you did what you could do. It is worse to know you walked away. I think most people, myself included, have done a mix of the two things in our lives, so we know it’s better to step up and do the right thing.
I think it depends on the context. There’s a difference between systematic bullying and one-off incidents, between bullying by many people and by one, and by an equal compared to someone who has power or authority over you.
Someone getting into a huff because their friend said they needed to lose weight is an entirely different situation from a 9 year old black girl being told by an adult stranger to “fuck off where you came from, nigger”, or a dependent elderly person being berated by their caretakers. Just random examples that I came across this week- this kind of stuff happens all the time. It can’t always be solved by a thick skin.
The truth is, it can, and it’s not “blaming the victim” – it’s REFUSING to BE a victim.
If that little girl’s IMMEDIATE reaction is “what a pathetic person that is, to be so racist and ignorant,” that is the HEALTHIEST thing she can think. Don’t you agree?
I truly believe we have to program ourselves to not let others affect us when the criticism is unfounded or we’re being criticized for just being who we are (gay, a certain religion, having a disability, whatever). Now if I call someone a piece of shit for starving a pony, that SHOULD affect them because they did something they SHOULD feel guilty for.
You have to have an adult to teach you that, though, I believe. If the girl’s parents, family, etc all react as “victims,” then that’s what she learns is the correct way to react. But if she has positive role models, who teach her that that one person who could say something that backward is an idiot and, fortunately, not representative of most people, then she learns to shrug it off and go on with her life.
As a child, I was that nerdy little brain child that most other children eat for breakfast. Some days, I woldn’t let any of my classmates see how much it hurt to feel I didn’t have my place among others my age, and would cry when I got home from school. I was lucky enough to have an uncle living with us who would tease me a little about letting it get to me, and then say matter-of-factly, that those kids are just jealous, and that some day, people would appreciate me for the same things other kids teased me for. He was right, but if he hadn’t been there to tell me that when I was 8, 9, 10 years old, I don’t know if I would be the confident, happy adult I am today.
I think certain things in society have changed in a bad way, too. When I was growing up, I remember my Mom saying that even if I got into some trouble, it was OK to stick up for myself. That didn’t mean there wouldn’t be consequences for me at school, too, but she made me understand that sometimes in life, you have to be willing to put your foot down and say, “Okay, that’s enough.” I was in sixth grade when I finally did return the favor to a boy who made fun of me relentlessly, and in one well placed sentence, he was in tears. I got 5 demerits for that and it cost me having perfect behaviour for all of elementary school, but he never made fun of me again. (My teacher later told my Mom that she wanted to make me student of the month for that, since the kid was a jerk
Similarly, my brother was being bullied by a kid, and decided (he was 7, I think) he’d had enough and punched him in the face. His teacher saw it, but later told my Mom (who worked in the same school) that she pretended she hadn’t seen anything.
Today, the parents of those kids that my brother and I finally stood up to would very likely sue the school, the kids, and their parents for beating up on their kids. It would be a huge brouhaha, even though for all the kids involved, it’s a chance to learn important life lessons.
“As a child, I was that nerdy little brain child that most other children eat for breakfast.”
LOL, me too. I lived with my nose stuck in a book and I think that is where I got my attitude from…no matter how nasty anyone got, I knew that I could do things they couldn’t do, like read and understand books written for adults. So that gave me kind of an innate sense that maybe if they couldn’t read as well or write as well, that their opinion that I was ugly because I wore glasses might not be the most informed opinion, LOL. It sounds funny now but I remember thinking as a 7 or 8 year old that it probably didn’t matter what someone thought if they weren’t very smart to begin with, ha ha.
Maybe one of the best things ANY parent can do is get their kid into something that the kid is obviously naturally talented at…it’s like it always provides some basis for self-esteem, no matter what the world does or says to you.
I don’t think words are as bad as physical abuse. I got punched and kicked by boys a few years older and that was a lot worse, and the teachers did NOTHING….everybody had the opinion back then that you ought to learn to fight your own battles. How, against someone much stronger and larger than you? I guess the positive outcome of that is that I would never tolerate anyone raising a hand to me as an adult, so that’s a good thing. I had enough of that as a grade schooler!
To clarify- refusing to allow someone’s words to have power over you only works when words are the only power they have over you. When someone has authority over you, or when you’re unable to escape from the situation, then a thick skin may not be enough, and will be difficult to maintain if you have one to begin with. It’s easy to deal with the bullies at school or some lone idiot stranger by simply ignoring them or having a thick skin- I’ve done it myself many times- but in other situations it’s difficult or impossible. The context is important- that’s all I was trying to say. It only applies to the minority of situations, but it’s important to acknowledge the minority because it does happen.
Fugly, you know I love you, but I just found out that an acquaintance of mine took his own life this morning due to the severe intolerance he faced as a person with a disability, so I have to very strongly disagree and urge you to think about the fact that not everyone is as resilient as you, not everyone is stronger because they are bullied, and not everyone has any kind of support system (familial, intrinsic, external, societal, friends, whatever) to help them recover from bullying. Some people are like third degree burn victims emotionally already–they basically have no “skin”–and bullying is the thing that pushes them over the edge.
Okay, those people are weaker than you. Okay, they’re thin-skinned and sensitive. Do their families deserve to find them dead one morning because they aren’t strong enough to bounce back from bullying?
Or should we, just maybe, strongly condemn bullying whenever and wherever it happens, because we have that privilege and responsibility as the lucky people who came out of whatever traumas we’ve gone through strong enough to continue speaking up? The people who speak out against bullying are not the people who are most deeply affected by it. Those people are afraid of more bullying if they say anything. It’s the lucky ones like you and me, who were bullied and used it as a way to get tougher, who are responsible for standing up for the people who aren’t able to do the same and advocate for themselves.
If I ever have kids they will darn well be taught that bullies are useless wastes of space and to let words roll off them like water off a duck’s back. But that’s my right as a possible future parent. It’s not my right to say that because another person’s child didn’t learn that, it’s really their own fault if they commit suicide someday and the bullies shouldn’t be made accountable or asked to change.
I’ve said mean things to people who didn’t deserve it on occasion. I probably will in the future. I hope I’ll realize I’ve been a bully and apologize, not wait to feel guilty until I see another email about the loss of a wise, kind man who always had time to reach out to others who had lost a loved one and comfort them.
I’m not criticizing the person who doesn’t IMMEDIATELY get a tough skin. I’m saying it is the HEALTHIEST result if you get a tough skin.
Your friend would be alive if he’d developed that tough skin, right? So how do we disagree here? I have NEVER said it is someone’s FAULT for not learning to be tougher. I’m saying it’s BEST FOR THEM if they learn to be tougher.
You CAN’T make people NOT be assholes. YOU CAN’T. There is no way to control that. You can only control your own response, and teach people to TOUGHEN UP. Teaching the assholes to be kind HASN’T WORKED. It’s been tried and failed. No one wants anyone to kill themselves. Why not teach the victims to be tougher and more resilient? To me, that’s more likely to work.
I am very sorry about your friend, but remember that bullying is just a part there…living with a disability is its own special Hell and it’s hard even under the best of circumstances to deal with that. I am the first to admit that if I were, for example, paralyzed, I would definitely seek to end my own life. I just don’t think I could live like that.
Thank you for bringing up this side of the story. It’s so easy to just assume that it’s possible to “install” this healthy mental attitude- but research and time is showing that it just might not be. The brain is a complicated rabbit hole.You read so many feel-good stories about people overcoming discrimination and bullying, and sometimes I think it tends to cast a shadow of doubt on people who can’t or don’t. It’s frustrating for me, because I see people really try and make all the same efforts as other patients but still not overcome their struggles with depression- it is a true feeling of helplessness as a healthcare provider. Working with patients that have had catastrophic accidents and amputations has made me realize that it really, REALLY, sucks in ways I never considered before. They are battling insurance companies, losing their friends, losing their social roles, and also dealing with pain on top of it. I am very sorry to hear about your friend and I hope that you don’t doubt for a minute that he most likely TRIED to get better- but we as a are the ones who failed.
Well you know what, I was bullied in junior high and high school and even, worse, I was bullied by my own mother which made me feel worthless and ugly and stupid for a very long time. And guess what, I do suffer from chronic depression and I suspect all that name calling played a major part in it. Except one day I decided I wasn’t gonna care about what everyone thinks anymore, people can call me whatever the hell they want. If hey insult me, if they try to belittle me, then those people are of no interest to me whatsoever. They don’t know me, they don’t care about me and I sure as hell don’t give a damn about them. The people who do know me and accept for who I am are the only ones I need to care about.
There will always be bullies, stupid and ignorant people, but the only power they can hold over you is the power you give to them.
Amen, Niennor. You just made my point…if you can get to that point (and hooray for you! that you did!), it is, in my opinion, the HEALTHIEST place to wind up, mentally…it’s a point from where you CAN move on with life and not let other people determine whether or not you are going to be happy, confident, etc. Let’s face it, NO ONE is liked by everyone. Even “popular” people are going to hear negative things from someone in their life, and they can’t let those things ruin their day or life.
Well, I had to hit rock bottom to finally realize I don’t need everyone’s approval, that what I really need is to be true to myself and tp my own beliefs. And the only way for other people to accept me and care for me, is for me to accept myself for who I really am. People judge me cos I don’t believe in religion? Or because I like goth clothes and going to rock concerts? So what? They’re just narrow minded sheep. People don’t like it when I speak my mind? Though luck, because they’re gonna get a piece of my mind, whether they want it or not.
Of course finding confidence in myself isn’t a magical solution to all my problems, I still struggle with my mental condition and I still struggle to try and survive this shitty economy but at least I have myself, I have people who care about me and respect me(even though they don’t always agree with me) and, of course, I have my love for horses.
Oh, and you can call me Monica btw, cos I don’t have a problem with using my real name online either
I seem to recall you writing something about your horses being under armed guard. If you kept your horses on your own property where there was no one there while you were at work all day, would you be so ‘brave’? If you had minor children, would you be so ‘brave’?
If the person who initially observed the starving lived close to the abusers or was well known to them, I see nothing wrong with asking if someone more removed would be willing to make the report.
I have called the humane society about starving horses, but I lived in a second floor apartment with no children or small pets. My horses were boarded at a barn where the owner was home most of the day. The people I reported did not know me until I stopped to talk with them about their horses. While I did give them my name, they did not know in which town I lived (it was not nearby) or where my horses were boarded.
I did not think it was ‘fair’ to report them if they just didn’t know how to properly care for their horses and I could tell them and solve the problem. Of course, I learned from my BO that they were habitual horse starvers and called the humane society the same day.
I have since read that talking to abusers can be dangerous and should not be done. Just call animal control and let them handle it. Even if the problem is ignorance, education is part of animal control’s job. They can tell the owners how to care for their animals and then do follow-up.
“I seem to recall you writing something about your horses being under armed guard. If you kept your horses on your own property where there was no one there while you were at work all day, would you be so ‘brave’? If you had minor children, would you be so ‘brave’?”
Well, I was sort of but not quite joking because my trainer’s husband is a cop, so when the VLC was there, he was always under armed guard
But the truth is, I’m not gonna live in fear of the assholes in the world. It’s a choice. And I don’t think whether or not you have children has anything to do with it, because, again, can someone PLEASE cite me one news story where someone’s child was harmed because they turned the attacker in to Animal Control? ONE news story…where? When has this even happened?
Again, if threats always happened, I wouldn’t be writing this, I’d have been dead four years ago. MOST PEOPLE ARE BLOWHARDS.
I do, however, agree with not talking to abusers…I would simply report. That’s what the authorities are there for.
I don’t consider inquiring if there is someone farther from the abuser who would be willing to make the report to be living in fear. It has crossed my mind to wonder what she would have done if no one had volunteered. I think it best to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she would have done what needed to be done.
If someone is such a lazy piece of crap not to take the time to feed their pony, do you REALLY think they’re going to muster up the energy to come find your kid?
Mmmm. I…am less sure about that than you, for a couple of reasons. The big one is that I have (more than one) friend-or-relative who have to be careful about a crazy, dangerous ex. Sure, you are probably not going to get too much heat from the animal-abusing waste of oxygen that you turn in, but if as a result, the waste of oxygen who has a personal vendetta against you and who has tried to kill you and/or your kids finds out what town you are living in…that’s not a risk I feel comfortable telling people they should take, or calling them chicken for not taking. I don’t know their lives and what they might or might not be able to face, and it is probably worth keeping in mind that someone’s real fear might not be from the neighbor they ratted out, but from something or someone else entirely.
How do you starve a pony?! Dear God, you say the word “food” and they get fat.
Is this a pic of the pony before he was rescued or after? There seems to be plenty of grass in that photo. I know horses cannot just survive on grass alone (or at least not in the environments that we create for them), but I would assume that he’d be in better condition if he was allowed to eat all that grass, even before he was rescued.
Poor thing. Glad to hear he’s in better hands now. I hope he gets a good job loving a little kid and packing it around. It looks absolutely adorable, but then I have a soft spot for large ponies.
My horses live on just grass just fine when they are not in work.
However, issues with their teeth, worms, soreness, whatever can stop them from putting on weight even when there is plenty of food available.
I have a TB mare right now who gained weight to a certain extent when I first brought her home skinny as a rake. Then she stopped and after having her teeth checked it turned out she had huge dental problems causing pain so bad she didn’t gain any more weight.
After her teeth were done she rounded out just fine on senior food + chaff for about three weeks and only pasture after that (I followed my dentist’s feeding recommendation here btw).
So, if you take care of your pastures, don’t overgraze them, control weeds and collect manure a horse can and will live of grass only. A mineral and salt lick of course will go a long way to keeping their nutrition up to scratch obviously, but they usually won’t drop dead or turn into skeletons if they don’t have one unless your pasture is too small or very poor.
I too have horses that are only on pasture right now. However b/c of the drought we are having in my area of TX (and previous owner’s pasture mismanagement) we are putting out round bales and feeding some supplemental alfalfa pellets to the two retirees. It is amazing what salt and mineral blocks will do for a horse.
I didn’t mean to come across as someone who feels that all horses should be grained every day, all the time. I’m all for pasture alone. I was always taught that like (you said) with proper management, just pasture is ok. Unfortunately, because of the geographic location I’m in it requires a lot of managment and most people are too lazy to take care of the land properly. It’s uncommon around here for someone to be able to support one or more animals on grass alone. I was going on experince but, hey you learn something new every day!
Kudos for countryenglishgirl, without her asking for help, this poor pony wouldnt have been helped at all.
I think someone might feel MORE exposed (then an internet star say) if they live next door to the type of people who starve their animals, and may have to find a “back door” to file a complaint, or get a friend unknown to the offending owner to do it. A neighbor would be a close, therefor easy, target, and any animals even more so. These abusive owners are several bricks shy of a load, and obviously do not value animals. (or people, see previous post) If the girl who is being disparaged here got help through others to this starving animal, she still got the help needed even if indirectly. I know that if one has minor children, one must put their welfare first, and that might require some deviousness to get an abused animal help and keep your loved ones, 2legged or 4 legged, from becoming a target.
I would let a friend of mine “borrow” my camera and she would “accidentally” leave pictures of emaciated horses that she took while she was at work, and I turned them in to the state. For the fat lot of good it did anyone. I don’t have a problem reporting people for abuse and neglect. Sucks to be the only one I know with a spine though.
So while we’re talking about reporting, it’s not horse related, but…
I have twin girls that are turning four soon and one of them occasionally throws EPIC temper tantrums. The last one she had I was waiting all night for the cops to show up at my door because of the way she was screaming “NO MOMMY!! NO!!! NO!!! DON’T MOMMY!!!!” at the top of her lungs.
How do you decide that it’s abuse and not a kid having a tantrum? I don’t know my neighbors and they don’t know me. And as a parent how would you feel if someone called the cops on you because your child was having a horrific temper tantrum and they thought you were abusing your child?
There are lots of horror stories about CPS, but my impression is that they’re generally sensible the same way animal control is. It’d be highly embarrassing for sure, but it’s not the end of the world.
If I were your neighbor, I wouldn’t call for a screaming child. Temper tantrums are normal, even epic ones just mean she’s strong willed and has really healthy lungs. Abused kids generally aren’t permitted to scream at their parents. If I could hear other sounds indicating abuse (such as blows or a parent screaming back), or she was bruised and/or unkempt more than you’d expect from a four year old, then I’d make a call. Of course, my behavior expectations for little kids is pretty low. It’s almost like they don’t have any emotional control or sense of proportion…
(I once saw a little guy, maybe two or three years old, unattended in his front yard. The garage door was open and toys were strewn about, I suspect the caretaker was just out of sight. It was a gorgeous warm summer day, so he did the logical little kid thing and dropped his trousers. And then shrieked at the top of his lungs for sheer joy, grinning all the time. I had to watch my driving, by the time I pulled up at my destination two doors down, an adult had called him back inside. I thought it was funny, but I always wondered if someone else might have seen that as reportable.)
“And as a parent how would you feel if someone called the cops on you because your child was having a horrific temper tantrum and they thought you were abusing your child? ”
Grateful.
I would feel immensely grateful that my neighbor/friend/passerby cared enough about the welfare of a child to call and report screaming and suspicious noises. Embarrassed? Maybe, but in the end, grateful, because we need people out there who are willing to err on the side of caution and watch out for the children or animals who can’t protect themselves. I would also be very respectful and kind to the police who answered the call, because I can’t imagine anything harder than having to come to someone’s house to ask them if they are hurting their children or animals. Heck, if I knew who reported I’d probably thank them as well.
I’m with Charm.
Look, I had a bit of a squirrely reaction at my current barn about bringing Hoover home because “OMG SOMEONE WILL SEE HIM AND REPORT US TO ANIMAL CONTROL.” I said, uh, first of all, we got him from Animal Control, and second of all, if they do, I’ll be more than happy to provide all the documentation about who he is, where he came from, and what we are doing to return him to health. I would never worry about the appearance of an A.C. officer, because I am on THEIR side. Truly, there is not some grand conspiracy out there to steal horses and kids from perfectly wonderful owners/parents. There just isn’t.
A bit off-topic, but that reminds me of a story that my parents tell every now and then. When I was barely a toddler, I was in a mall with my parents, and apparently I wanted a toy. They said no. I fussed a little, but quieted down. As they were walking through the mall to leave, after leaving the store without the toy I wanted, Dad was carrying me and I yelled “Daddy, don’t beat me again!” O_O
My parents said they have never gotten that many glares (except maybe for the time they were buying a dog crate and I rode around inside it while we were in the store… because I was pretending to be a dog), and they were surprised nobody stopped them. I’d never done that before, and never since. And no, my dad has never beaten me. XD Something I saw on TV, who knows?
I see both points of view and if I recall correctly countryenglishgirl was the most concerned for her small children and as a mom of two little ones, I agree. For crying out loud, you can make an anonymous tip to the police, why can’t you do the same for animal cruelty/abuse?
The person who originally outed these horrid people took pictures as best she could to document the condition of the horse and then went to a group that she hoped could help. Regardless of how it was accomplished, this pony now has a chance at a better life.
I think it was also mentioned that it originally came from Donida, if that is the case, there is very little chance that the pony actually was skinny before they bought it.
I know but really, can anyone cite a case to me where someone physically harmed someone’s children as retaliation for reporting animal abuse? I mean, making threats ok but how often has it ACTUALLY happened? If threats were actions, I’d have been dead in 2007 when I got my very first FHOTD-related death threat.
Cathy,
About five years ago I reported a neighbor for a case possible dog neglect to my local Animal Control. They paid a visit to the home, took the dog, and gave the owner my name and address. Two days later my house was spray painted with the word “Bitch” on the front. That same week I received a letter from the owners calling me all sorts of wonderful names. A week later, my teenage son’s car was keyed completely with ” your mom’s a bitch” “die”, etc. Two weeks later my car was keyed. During the next several months my son’s car was ruined after someone put sugar, water, and ketchup (yes, ketchup) in his gas tank. Then someone removed the lug nuts from all four tires, minus the locking one on each tire. Thankfully my son had the sense to pull over when he noticed something wasn’t right. One night the back window of my suv was shattered. Feces was spread on our cars, my house, and thrown into my yard. The list goes on. Although I could never prove it was the owners of the dog, several thousand dollars and many police reports later, it suddenly stopped when they were evicted from their home for back rent.
I completely understand countryenglishgirl’s not wanting to give her name. I was so worried about my son’s safety during my ordeal I was ready to send him to live with relatives. She could have done nothing at all, which most people would do, but instead she researched and asked for help. Her actions, regardless of the method she used, saved that pony. In my book she is that pony’s hero.
I would have had security cameras up when it started.
And yes, I do have 24 hour security cameras on both the barn and where I live. It’d be dumb not to. Their mere presence is most definitely a deterrant.
Gotta say, Animal Control was 1000% in the wrong for telling the epople who made the call. I’ve been begged, threatened, cajoled and bribed, and my answer is always the same: “Oh, heck, I’m a volunteer. The call comes into the office, and I just get the complaint and the address to follow up on. I have no idea who called it in.” I’m wondering if they could be held liable for any of the damage? So sorry you had to go through that.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/49321746343#!/photo.php?fbid=1051633608637&set=o.49321746343&type=1&theater This may be the same pony, doesn’t look skinny to me a few years ago!
That’s him, that’s the pony! Someone commented on the FB photo you linked to and said so. “Hershey” appears to be quite elderly, so I bet you any amount of money that his current owners are going to cry, “He just looks that way because he’s OOOOOLD!” Which all of us Fugly readers know is utter b.s…. I’m very glad he was rescued and is being rehabbed. Hope he is able to make a full recovery.
Does anyone have a news link? I am trying to find something and read more on it.
Why on earth would you keep a show pony you can’t afford to feed instead of selling it for $2,000? (I’m sure you could get that amount for a cute pony some horse-crazy girl can win blue ribbons on.) For the pleasure of starving it? Some people are just insane. . .
Because they loooooooooved the pony sooooooo much and he wasn’t THAT skinny…he’d be okay…they’d be so SAD if they had to get rid of him…
My parents did something similar with their cat. She had hyperthyroidism. They wouldn’t get the cat the surgery to fix the problem ($$), didn’t want to pay for meds ($$), but they loved her SO much that they couldn’t haver her put down. You could cut yourself on the cat’s backbone before they finally put her down. Why did they finally put her down, after two years of her body slowly eating itself? She couldn’t hold her bladder anymore.
Someone on AH found this: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1051633608637&set=o.49321746343&type=1&theater believed to be the same pony back in ’09
Corrected the link… yes, that is the pony. And now you all know…he lived at Donida. High end facility. He was NEVER neglected before and NEVER looked like this.
This is the photo the “owner” posted of the pony on auction horses.
Look at those feet… That pony looks miserable but the photo looks to have been taken at a better time than the more recent one..
Just wow…
I’m confused. Are you saying the owner posted the picture as an example of the GOOD shape the pony is in? That pony has NO flesh on it– neck is atrophied, hind legs indicate weakness, and the backbone is clearly visible. If he’s a two in that picture I’ll eat my hat. (It’s light blue, Life is Good motto…) I don’t care how cute the little girl holding the pony is, that is a starving pony.
OMG – seeing those pictures made me want to cry…. I mean, I don’t understand how you can even DO that to a pony! For an owner like myself that starts going on about her pony being “skinny” shen I can see just the slightest ammount of ribs, my little mind cannot even figure out how this could happen! Ponies can live on air – even the older ones don’t need much maintnance – although I have seen older horses bouce right back after their owners have been educated on the subject of equine dental work.
(if anyone wants to see what I consider a “skinny” pony to the point where I’m about to have some grain added to his feed program, check out Felix’s blog – http://felixfjord.blogspot.com/ )
Yes, they posted this photo to prove that the pony was “fine”… Aghhh
This very picture is what terrifies me in this day and age when “free horses” are literally falling from the sky. Any idiot with a patch of yard can get a horse for free and destroy it within months. In the past when I was much younger, the purchase price of horses kept the idiots from getting one. Nowadays, there is nothing but common sense to stop them. This is when I would be ok with having to register livestock (like we do dogs) and prove you’ve had a vet out once a year to check on it’s condition. Not the NAIS movement, just something to require the merest bit of oversight for a local ACO. Not a popular idea I know and I am usually anti-big-government-fixes but common sense seems to be in short supply these days.
This is why I could never breed/sell horses. I talked to a breeder once who said “as long as you’re at a high enough price point you’re sure to get good people buying.” Not true!
Here is a story to share with your breeder friend. Even if the first buyer is good, define good- has the money?
Expensive horses get passed around and end up at slaughter. I know this is the story of a race horse but it was expensive! so just because you have money to buy a horse does not mean you are committed to it.
Crystal was adopted from J & M Horse Rescue in B.C.
Crystal has an interesting past. Her official name is Hurricane Linda. Foaled April 21, 1996 in Kentucky with lineage that traces back to Secretariat, and Northern Dancer. Her winnings at the various racetracks in the United States totalled $108,890. She was purchased at a claiming race for $50,000 in 1999, by a couple that were later charged with California’s largest vault theft of 12.8 million dollars. As these charges went to court, all the horses involved with this couple were in limbo until they could be sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2001. Crystal was sold at this auction for $26,000 to another racehorse trainer in California, and that is the last piece of information I am able to find. How did she come to Canada and end up where she did? Who knows? But what I do know is that she will be forever loved, cared for and treasured at her new home.
I agree wholehartedly, just becuase a purchser has money does not make them a good home.
I was recently offered a 12yo gelding who was a retired “A” jumper. The owners had paid $80,000 for him, and had him imported from Europe. 2 years later, he’s got arthritic ankles, and cannot comfortably TROT, let alone jump – totally crippled. Horse was offered to me for $2,000, which I would have been stupid to pay. These owners live in the bog city, drive expencive cars, pay $1600 a month for board for their other 2 horses, but somehow need to offload the horse they
ruined on an unsispecting buyer.
I know sometimes horses have unforseen problems that do leave them crippled at a young age, but it’s you’re responciblity to either send them somewhere safe for their retirement, or humanely put them down. Selling the poor guy down the road, where the next stop (or 2) is going to be the meat truck is just a total shame.
OMG did you SEE the photo the owner posted to auctionhorse to *prove* she was caring for this pony?!?! And kids were RIDING it?! Ignorance at best, but cruelty no matter how you look at it. So sad. I had a skinny shetland once from a neglect case, it took all of 5 minutes to fatten her up . . .
OT, but I’m hoping someone might be closer to this situation. Saw this posting on the Dayton, Ohio Craiglist this evening. Looked up the website also. http://www.serenityhorserescue.net/index.htm
BEWARE of serenity horse rescue!!!
Date: 2011-06-27, 7:02PM EDT
Reply to: sale-tpj8s-2465910457@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
shula woodworth picked my horse up april 1. june 21 i went back to see him. the horse has lost 200 plus pounds, had fungus all over his legs, was getting eaten by flies in the field and hadnt had his feet trimmed at all. she refuses to give the horse back even tho she is not providing proper care for him!! help! please never refer her to anyone and never bring a horse there.
What, is it the name? Because Serenity in WA is a wackjob too…
I emailed the original poster and just heard back from her/him.
Anyone in Ohio have any ideas what s/he can do?
On Jun 27, 2011, at 7:46 PM, xxxxxxxxxxxx@aol.com wrote:
yeah its been a nightmare. they cant do anything because there is food on the premises. she is just not giving it to my horse. and shes given him no vet care
—–Original Message—–
From: JR
To: sale-tpj8s-2465910457
Sent: Mon, Jun 27, 2011 7:30 pm
Subject: BEWARE of serenity horse rescue!!!
Have you contacted your local humane society and/or animal control?
This is very sad.
Good luck!
http://dayton.craigslist.org/grd/2465910457.html
I’m in Dayton, and yes from what I have heard this place is bad bad news. I have a friend who used to have a contact there- I messaged her to see if she might be able to help. The friend reported them for not feeding and bad fencing last year- nothing was done. I’d be willing to “adopt” him to get him out if it would help- no one there knows me. It’s a shame because I’d love to get my autistic stepson and stepdaughter into therapeutic riding, but I can’t support that place!
This is a video that was put up by serenity horse rescue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO_m3t_6HuI
One of the horses in the video was reported stolen. They also say in the video that they do not have a good place for keeping horses/ that they have inadequate fencing etc. They show “stalls” made of pallets, and everything is turned out in nylon halters, etc…its bad.
Wow… just… Wow.
Please donate to our rescue, because we keep our horses in poorly built stalls, broken fences, fields full of mud, and barns which are falling down and a fire hazard. We care THIS MUCH! We will take anything, even if it means that we will wind up killing it when it lands on one of our uncapped T-posts! (those darn caps are 50 cents a piece. Outrageously out of our price range!) Please help us take in more horses, or they might end up in a bad home, OTHER than our bad home!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Serenity-Horse-Rescue-Duped-me/301026999915628
Ohio Humane Statute:
959.13 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
(A) No person shall:
(1) Torture an animal, deprive one of necessary sustenance, unnecessarily or cruelly beat, needlessly mutilate or kill, or impound or confine an animal without supplying it during such confinement with a sufficient quantity of good wholesome food and water;
1717.01 DEFINITIONS
As used in sections 1717.01 to 1717.14, inclusive, of the Revised Code, and in every law relating to animals:
(A) “Animal” includes every living dumb creature;
(B) “Cruelty,” “torment,” and “torture” include every act, omission, or neglect by which unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering is caused, permitted, or allowed to continue, when there is a reasonable remedy or relief;
Under these statutes, she’s guilty. Having the food on the premises doesn’t give her a free pass – she has to actually distribute it. Same with vet & farrier care. Check with the Ohio Dept of Ag – in my state, the DoAg licenses horse rescues. If local law enforcement/AC won’t get involved, go up the food chain to the Dept of Ag. The local media is also useful. Good luck!
Do you still happen to have the CL ad poster’s email address? The ad was removed, but I may be able to put her in touch with someone who can help. I have a friend with a contact there who just got back to me. She is willing to try and help get the horse out.
The link above is not for the Serenity Rescue in Maple Valley, WA. Serenity in WA has done a lot of bad business in the past! Apparently there have been changes to the BOD and book keeping, but I’ll never trust them. The founder still has over 30 horses and no job, plus she can’t handle the horses.
I’m from the Cincinnati, OH area. This place has ALL KINDS of a bad reputation. I wouldn’t go near them with a ten foot pole.
Feel free to lookup similar stories and post details on ‘Serenity Horse Rescue Duped Me” on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Serenity-Horse-Rescue-Duped-me/301026999915628
The auction horse board is made up of many independent members. Thank you to the ones who were part of saving this pony from starvation. There are good people on that board, and then there are some that appear to be good but their actions should be questioned.
A few months back someone from the board went out to a known hoarder’s property where there were 10 – 12 horses and ponies that the hoarder needed to rehome because she was reportedly out of funds to care for them. Certain auction horse board member came back saying all the horses were being cared for and in good weight. Below is the starved pony I got from said hoarder. Please note that she IS NOT wearing a halter. This pony had not had any handling or care in months – she was thin, full of parasites and had a halter growing into her face. The horses had no blankets, no shelter, and very little food. Was she turned in to AC? NO! The people at AH claimed that the hoarder was just having a hard time and the horses were being cared for. There were at least two other horses I know of that were more than 200 pounds under weight when they were removed from the property in Kent, WA. I don’t even know the hoarder’s name since she refused to give me a bill of sale for the pony or even an adoption contract. I am happy to report that all the ponies and horses were rehomed. I went by the property over the weekend and did not see any animals there. More people need to speak up about neglect instead of try to protect the neglecters.
My photos aren’t showing up
Fugly this is off topic, but can you please give me advice – it involves a very uncared for horse.
In the beginning I found an ad on craigslist for a 14yr old arabian gelding, with an english/western saddle & tack & tack box with lotions, potions ect. For $1000. I was a bit skeptical at first, I thought I’d just try to contact that seller and see what the situation is since the horse is boarder near by. I contacted her by email and the owner told me that she’s had this horse for 13 yrs and that she doesn’t have time for it anymore and that was the reason she was selling it – and if the right person looks at the horse, she’ll sell him for less to a good home.
So I made arrangements to go see the gelding. Unfortunately life happened and I had to cancel. Later in the week I was down in the area and thought I’d stop by the boarding stables to see if I could see him – he’s pasture boarded. I wasn’t able to see him from the fence, but I talked to the barn manager. (The barn is owned by the next door neighbor who is in his 90′s, and managed by his neighbor who is 60′s – 70′s and in poor poor health.) She told me that if I wanted to see the gelding, that the owner was going to have to come out because she didn’t want anything to do with that gelding – that the owner hasn’t come out in over 2 years to see him. She gave me real attitude on the subject. She then told me she didn’t own any horses until recently, where she got 2 on backboard, and she was going to see which one would work out for her grandkids to ride. but that they haven’t been ridden in awhile and she didn’t know much of their training history. One was a 20yr old red quarter horse mare (BEAUTIFUL!) Well cared for, no swayback or hay/broodbelly, and looks like she should be 3 yrs old. The other was a 5-6yr old black & white 14.1hh mare whom she said her grandkids have already taken a liking to. She said she wasn’t looking into selling them – yet, but leasing them out, especially the paint mare to get more miles undersaddle on her. So I stayed around, we talked me, and I made an agreement to work with the paint mare for $1. lease.
Oh god Fugly, she might be pony sized and cute, but the horse has no ground manners – pushy and no concept of personal space, drags you ect. Undersaddle she is similarly pig mannered. Put any leg on her, and she TAKES OFF! Wants to run run run run run! Throws her head and fights the bit, doesn’t understand going slow or WHOA DAMMIT! and doesn’t steer too well either. I felt bad being in her mouth so much/hard handed, but after riding her once, my arms felt like they were going to fall out of their sockets. I seriously cringe at seeing her being a kids horse for green kids under 10 yrs old. Another lady who boards there and has ridden the pony mare has the same opinion.
Well hanging around the barn, you meet people….and hear talk. So far what I know is that the paint pony mare was originally owned by same lady who owns and was trying to sell the 14 yr old arabian. Nobody has seen this owner is YEARS, and it is likewise as hard to get ahold of her (I’ve tried calling her and leaving messages, but she never gets back with me). Apparently she bought the paint mare and boarded it with the arabian while she was under backboard at the time for the arabian. When she did come out to see the horses, she came out with her kids/friends and they tacked the two up, and just ran them through the fields, no real working them, just letting them run crazy. Then didn’t come out to see them, only to do the same thing, months later. The manager told me that for a long time her father was paying her board for the arabian. Talk is that the arabian is under months of backboard, and that the manager of the barn wants nothing to do with the gelding and has quit feeding him feed/grain.
I took a walk out to the pasture with a boarder and she showed me the gelding…….he looks like a walking skeleton. 400+lbs underweight. Can see every rib and his hips look like they could cut glass. Enormous worm belly, and hooves that are soo long and cracked/crumbly, I almost wanted to cry looking at them. (I’m a farrier student, bad hooves really affect me now). There is plenty of grass for him to eat, but I have no clue as to when or if he’s ever had his teeth done or when the last time he has been wormed.
What do I do fugly? My heart aches for this gelding, I honestly do not see him surviving the next MI winter. It’s such a sticky situation. I would like to keep riding the paint pony mare, but she is no kids horse and I don’t know exactly how to tell the manager that & i don’t know exactly how to breach the subject of the arabian gelding seeing as how there is drama already around him and the manager’s attitude about him and his ‘owner’. I’d offer to take him off her hands but I can’t find a job (someone please hire me! SE MI) so I can’t afford board on a horse unless I worked it off, I can’t do much, but I can work on his hooves and give him wormer and soaked timothy cubes, and look into getting his teeth done.
I’m just afraid, if I do speak up on it, she might just altogether kick me off the barn grounds and cancel the lease. It wouldn’t hurt me terribly – but it would give me the opportunity to go after & the owner with the humane society for not taking care of the gelding. I just don’t want it to get to that point.
Oh lord…
OK first of all, what do you do? Maybe someone will hire you
Secondly, it sounds like a mess HOWEVER you know what I’m gonna tell you…you HAVE to report the barn for animal neglect. If he’s that bad, it’s your duty to do it. If you do that, and you want a horse to work with in your area, I’m gonna bet I can find a FHOTD reader who would LOVE to have you come out and help with theirs, because most of us really like to be around people who speak up for animals in need. So that is my advice. The runaway poneeez is going to be its own train wreck, but the gelding could be in imminent danger of death – so he has to take top priority.
Other option, heck, where are you? I bet I can find another reader in your area who’ll happily go out and nose around and report the barn.
I just want to work with animals, I’ve got two years done for a 4 yr degree in equine science, and just finished my first year into a 2 yr degree for farrier science & business. Being a poor student, I never taken lessons on a consistent basis, I did do two years on IHSA english equitation/ hunter under saddle. I’m fine with walk/trot/canter & beginning jump. Also have been taking wilderness horsemanship (trail) classes at my school.
I did muck out stalls all last summer at a different barn, I’m not doing so at the same place this year because I really disagreed with new barn owner. (bought cheap grass hay that looked like straw which he wanted to get down to almost two flakes a day and up their grain instead, paddocks are dustbeds with no hay thrown during the 6 hrs their out – someone is going to colic, and colic bad) He also paid me under the table and gipped me – wanted to pay me only 20 hrs a week and did.
I wouldn’t mind even working at a feed store, or with other livestock, like cows, pigs, goats, sheep and so on.
I’m in SE MI, the ‘Downriver’ area as it’s known.
The manager called me in to help out and muck stalls tomorrow – heck not quite sure if she’s even going to pay me, just said, my one barn helper is sick in the hospital, cane you come tomorrow. I can try to get cell pictures of the gelding tomorrow.
How do I report them? – the city that the barn is in is on the brink of fiscal shutdown. The only thing running is the schools. The community center, library, senior center are all shut down because of no money. The shelter begs for money or cat/dog food on craigslist and often says they don’t have money/food for the next few days…. If I were to call them, they might just blow it off as there is no money.
Do you want me to say the city / barn name on here?
I’m going to post this and let’s see if someone local can help you out on this. MICHIGAN?
Yes Michigan.
I got two photos today on my cell while he was out in the pasture, they’re not the best, but it’s what I could take in the time I had, the rest turned out to be a blurry mess because of me trying to move fast. (Do you know how hard it is to run over 5 acres in muck boots, in 85 degree weather to not be seen & take less than 10 mins doing so?) x_x I’m sure a boarder or two saw me and thought I was fricken nuts’.
How do I post them?
Upload to somewhere like Photobucket and post the direct link – the one starting with http. I will make them show up.
Okay heres the first one. Accidentally cut off his head – if it were in there, you might get a better picture of his skinny knife neck he’s got going, cause even for an arab his head looks huge.
The second one is of one of his bad hooves. All of them are in pretty bad shape, but this one gets to me – if you look by the heel, going down it cuts into his hoof about an inch +, and then runs down in a jagged line to the toe. Probably got too long and broke off. Also, it’s hard to see, but that black line on the left that runs up most of his hoof is a crack – and his hoof moves with it when he moves or puts weight on it.
While he’s definitely not in what I consider acceptable condition, that one is a long way from skinny enough that you are going to get anyone to do anything about it. This one is at the level where the only hope you have is to buy him and upgrade his care…it’s unlikely anything would be done unless he dropped a whole lot more weight.
How much experience do you have with professional show barns? I know of a couple of hunter barns in the SE MI/Ann Arbor area. Also, check with your school. Even if you didn’t finish your equine science degree (you mentioned having 2 years in), many schools will still help you find job placement. Professors and instructors know people
I don’t know what you would define as experience in the way of show barns. When I first started learning how to ride, I took lessons at an arabian show barn on their old show horses and then when I was at university for equine science, I was on the equestrian team/IHSA and the trainer’s barn was a show barn, but it wasn’t really different than the other stables I’ve been at other than they didn’t turn out their horses (don’t want those pricey ponies to hurt themselves! @_@) and they put on schooling shows every month or so and then a big 3 day event every fall.
I had asked several of the professors before I had left school – but this school is out of state, in IL. The head of the dept. came from standardbred racing, and while she could give me the names of the tracks in OH, not so much in MI. The others had never lived or really shown in MI.
As a volunteer humane investigator who seized 6 horses last week that were all 1s and 2s (the only mare was barely a 3) and had the owner ask both my partner and me “You really think they’re that bad?” while feeding them moldy bread in front of us (WTF?), my suggestion is to GET PISSED!
It’s a public boarding stable – “Gee, God only knows who called animal control or the humane society” (blink innocently). My call came from a contractor who was doing work on an adjoining property. The property these horses were on was at least 2 miles back from the road on a long driveway on a completely hidden property – they never would have been seen “from the road”.
Call someone, anyone, everyone (but let them know you’ve reported to multiple agencies) – the sheriff, animal control, humane society. Be factual but persistent. You have horse friends – everyone knows someone who knows someone, and someone will know the right person for you to get in touch with. Get your friends out to the property – get them face to face with this horse, and *they* won’t be be able to sleep at night until something is done.
My husband barely knows which end to feed, but we needed another tow vehicle, so he came along. He went in the paddock with my partner to get photos, while I was talking to the owner, sheriff, AC, etc. He had 6 fairly friendly but pretty lacking in manners horses gathered around him like ” Whatcha got? Are you going to take my picture? Can we eat it?” Ever since, he is talking about how to modify his truck to be able to better tow a trailer (like he needed an excuse to work on his truck LOL), and was talking about the whole thing at a family party this past weekend (no details) but still super amusing to everyone who knows I’m the horse nut, not him. But being there, seeing the horses’ condition instead of just seeing pictures and hearing me talk about it, made it very real for him. He *gets* it now.
As Fugly mentioned a few posts back, the property owner’s …rear end… is on the line just as much as the horse owner’s. You cannot have a horse on your property and not feed it and care for it, regardless of how much back board you are owed, or how you feel about the horse’s person. Owner in my state is defined as “any person who (a) has a right of property in an animal, (b) keeps or harbors an animal, (c) has an animal in his care, or (d) acts as custodian of an animal.” Owner’s duties: Each owner shall provide for each of his animals: (a) sufficient quantity of good quality, wholesome food and water; (b) adequate shelter and protection from the weather; (c) veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering; and (d) humane care and treatment. If your state has similar statutes, the property owner is cooked on c & d under definition of an owner, and a & c under owner’s duties.
One of our transporters took video of the horses on his iPhone at university while I was taking still photos. How awesome is that in court? You can miss the best angle with still photos or they might not look that bad, but a video captures everything. My partner and I investigated a case last year that just went to trial, and the first defendent was recently convicted on 8 counts of animal cruelty and 16 counts of animal neglect for starving 5 horses, 2 of which did not make it. I can tell you that photos and clear documentation of your timeline and interactions with this horse and everyone associated with it are essential. Even if you email yourself, or have a running Word document, note the dates, times and content of your interactions. Whether or not it goes to court, it will prove a history of neglect and that is critical.
I am about as soft and squishy as they come. I hate to ruffle people’s feathers and don’t like to prejudge people. I may go in with honey instead of vinegar (I call it my best Brenda Leigh (from The Closer)), but I’m not leaving until they understand that this is not OK, not acceptable and we are going to have a plan to remedy the situation in place before I leave. I only had to get assertive with one woman over the phone after she kept putting me off for weeks. When I finally got on her property, she looked me straight in the eye, and said “You handled yourself real well with an old b*%^h like me.” I have had ACOs tell me that my approach is much different that other ACOs or humane investigators, and I get a lot more cooperation from the people I talk to than their bosses or other HIs do.
Good luck.
True it is a boarding stable, but I’ve been the only new person on the block so to speak for awhile. This is a boarding stable that used to be big into showing in the 80′s, but has fallen off the map since then and the only people who know about it are those who are horsepeople in the area or managed to drive by it by chance – because you can’t even google it online to get it’s address. All the other boarders are older – there isn’t no one even close to my age running around with horses here.Plus I’ve been the only one talking about him, everyone just shakes there head (in sympathy) when I talk about him, and they KNOW that he’s not being taken care of, but no one speaks up. People ask, hey, who are you, how’d you get here, do you board a horse ect. and I have been telling them that I originally came here looking at the arabian gelding….and then ended up leasing the mare. So if it did go public, I am the likeliest target.
The manager is scatter brained, and the boarders know it, but she’s good to their horses and because of that, they don’t seem to care about the gelding or don’t want to start shit – the barn has reasonable prices, the stalls/buildings are up-kept, and has some 20 acres of good grass pasture for turnout – all of which is lacking in other nearby boarding facilities.
Please understand that I am NOT criticizing you at all – I am the same way! But perhaps being one step removed would offer a different perspective.
True it is a boarding stable, but I’ve been the only new person on the block so to speak for awhile. This is a boarding stable that used to be big into showing in the 80′s, but has fallen off the map since then and the only people who know about it are those who are horsepeople in the area or managed to drive by it by chance – because you can’t even google it online to get its address. . . . . So if it did go public, I am the likeliest target.
” So if non-horse friends come out & see the gelding, they’re more likely to make the call themselves because they have NOTHING invested in this situation – they’re not attached to the horse, and (blessedly) have no concept of how barn drama works. To them, starved-looking horse = call to AC/humane = fat & happy horse in field with butterflies & rainbows = I can move on with my life with a warm fuzzy.
Bring some friends out (horse people or not) – the more, the merrier! It spreads out the likelihood of you being blamed for the call. Besides, as I told the ACO I worked with last week who seemed embarrassed to admit she didn’t know much about horses: “Horse people are unique in that they will look at a horse and think ‘Hard keeper, little ribby but coming off a rough winter, hasn’t shed out….we’ll give him some time to get back up to weight’. However, when lay people look at a horse and go “Holy Mother of Equus, that’s a skinny horse!”, it is usually a REALLY dangerously skinny horse. And those are the people we LOVE on animal cruelty juries!
All the other boarders are older – there isn’t no one even close to my age running around with horses here. Plus I’ve been the only one talking about him, everyone just shakes there head (in sympathy) when I talk about him, and they KNOW that he’s not being taken care of, but no one speaks up. It’s sounds like they might be jaded, or have drunk too much of the barn manager’s Kool-Aid, or are too ashamed to admit they haven’t stepped up to rock the boat, or their give-a-damn’s busted. None of these are valid excuses for standing by silently while this horse has been slowly starved to death because of something completely out of his control – he doesn’t write the board checks; why is he being punished? Every barn you go to will have a different culture and a different philosophy – this is an opportunity to determine what you believe in and stand for, and test drive it with fairly low consequences. You don’t have to worry about retaliation against your personal horses, or have to scramble to find them a new barn if the BM kicks you out. No one can take away your home, loved ones or property for making this call. Besides, do you really want to be at a barn or friends with people who will stand by and let a horse starve to death?
The manager is scatter brained, and the boarders know it, but she’s good to their horses and because of that, they don’t seem to care about the gelding or don’t want to start shit – the barn has reasonable prices, the stalls/buildings are up-kept, and has some 20 acres of good grass pasture for turnout – all of which is lacking in other nearby boarding facilities. Bullshit. She is d e l i b e r a t e l y not feeding him. Nothing scatter-brained about it. And she’s good to their horses until she gets a wild hair and starts treating their horses the same way….
If you don’t want to make the call, then buy some hay yourself, throw it in the back of your truck and come & feed him every day. Soak some grain and stand there while he eats it to make sure he gets it. If anyone asks what you’re doing, tell them calmly and neutrally. “He looked hungry.” If the BM pushes, then say, “Gee, I was trying to do something nice out of my own pocket since you’ve been so kind to me with the lease on your mare. You know how people can get a notion without knowing the full situation – I would hate for someone to call Animal Control and shut the barn down for starving this horse to death……” I would have to wash my mouth out with bleach after that speech, but if she really is taking excellent care of the other horses, it’s a vendetta thing and just needs to be managed.
Several years ago, in a VERY wealthy suburb near me, an owner staked out a horse that wasn’t running fast enough at a nearby track in his front yard and refused to feed it until it starved to death. His other horses were fine, and his neighbors drove by several times a day and did nothing either. Vendettas cannot be explained, just managed.
Good luck – I hope this provides some alternative ideas for you
So I called animal control yesterday…… I just reported my next door neighbor. I’ve had the conversations, “he looks skinny” what are you feeding him? Maybe if you do this he’ll gain some weight. I keep a bucket on my side of the fence with water for him as I think he doesn’t have that most of the time. She ignores that and me. Horses here are on dry lot year round here. He’s eating the frigging sage brush. He’s lost a bunch of weight I’d say 2-3 on the body score, he’s a cute Grade gelding. I know he’s not a hard keeper.
I feed mine on a schedule I never see her do that. I think she does what she feels like and to hell with the horse. I’m tired of him “talking” to me when I feed my girl I feel guilty and angry. (I know from experience not to feed him)
So I turned her in. Do I care what she thinks of me? Nope, now I don’t have to feel guilty or angry at myself. I did the right thing and that’s what matters. I figure what is she going to do to me? Not speak to me? No loss there. Take away my birthday? I don’t count those anymore. I’ve probably saved three lives, his because he’ll get some real food and hers & her 7 yr old from being a Darwin award winners, they ride double, no helmets and in shorts & flip flops on the roads around here. Hopefully animal control will do the right thing. It’s in their court now.
GOOD FOR YOU!
See, it may NOT help…BUT at least YOU can live with yourself now that you did what you could, legally, to help.
OMG. I distinctly remember that pony off of FB (if that is indeed the pony). Happy packer. And FAT may I add (if that is indeed the pony). If that is indeed the pony, has the person that has him make a positive ID? If that is the pony I wonder if the Blakes would be willing to help the fella. If he was mine I know I would (after I disposed of a few waste of oxygen breathers……) Donida is a high quality place and I’ve seen their horses. So the owner can’t go, “Well I bought him that way.” Ah, no. Not when their facility is open to the public and everyone can see the care the horses recieve….. I know it’s too much to ask of King county, but please ban these idiots from owning anything that they can lable a ‘pet’ and/or breaths, requires care, general $$$ to up keep please. I can just see it now, they get a slap on the wrist. Disgusting. And than people wonder why people keep up this behavior. Punish someone via their wallet and just see how quickly they clean up their act.
The pony is Hershey. I have NO DOUBT the Blakes will help him if needed. NOTHING at their farm EVER looked like this. I am sure they are horrified.
I don’t know if King County will preclude these people from owning *any* animals in the future. They had two dogs that looked just fine. But, as we all know, that poor pony was so bad that KCAC seized it, on the spot. Not only do I feel sorry for that poor pony, but the kids. It’s not their fault. They were/are little.
Hopefully, King County will order that they not own any equines in the future.
I work for a barn that also does pony rides and most of the ponies we have were rescues. You’d think it would be difficult to starve a pony (LOL you should see all our fat little buggers) but some of these guys came in looking terrible. It really breaks my heart because all of them have turned out to be such loveable, wonderful ponies who take the best care of any child we put on them. Lucy, our newest, came in scared, almost untouchable and I don’t think her feet had ever been done. Luckily, the former owner of our barn is an investigator for animal cruelty so we call her and she directs the police right to the asshats’ doors. Btw, this is my first time posting so let me just say: fugly, I love your blog. We need more people like you out there willing to out the idiots who treat horses like machines or objects. Keep it up!!!!
Hey Fugs,
Don’t know if you’ve seen this, but I’m a member of Horse.com & on their facebook page they have an album full of nothing but happy, healthy senior horses, thought you might like to pass it around to the “Skinny because he’s old” people you encounter
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150211857068283.326731.56880838282
Marvelous, thank you so much for the link!
I adore old animals (and most old people), they have such dignity and stories to tell…
Interesting reply from a self proclaimed supporter of bullies. Hypocritical much?
Bullies are people who harass those who don’t deserve it. If you can’t tell the difference, well again, I possess no power to create logical reasoning skills in your brain.
OT, but I’m hoping someone can give me some advice.
My mare is 10 yrs old and in really good health…however, ever since spring hit, she’s lost a lot of weight (you can see the outline of ribs, her tailhead and withers are prominent) and can’t seem to maintain it once she’s gained some back. I’ve been working with our vet since I noticed it, and we’ve had bloodwork, fecals, and the whole nine yards to see if there’s something internal going on. Nope, she has a clean bill of health. She’s up to date on all of her shots and worming, her teeth are done on a regular basis, she gets fed Purina Health Edge on a daily basis (we’ve added a cup of corn oil to her grain in an attempt to get weight back on her), and she’s on 24/7 pasture turnout…but I still can’t get her to get back to her normal-looking self.
What can I do to get her weight back up and then help her maintain it? Our vet isn’t sure what’s causing this since all of the tests we’ve had done come back negative and she’s bright-eyed and alert as ever and just recommends upping her calorie intake. How do I do this safely without risking a colic?
The safest thing always is to buy hay pellets and soak them. Most horses will scarf them right up, especially if you have warm water to make them with.
Now I’d look at stress…she doesn’t have anyone in the pasture harassing her, does she? Is she a thin skinned mare who is swishing the weight off freaking out at the flies? If so, they have these great fly sheets that actually have fly spray in them. Last two things – ulcers? allergy panel?
We’re heading to the feed store today, so I’ll pick up a few bags. She lives for mash, so I don’t think getting her to eat it will be an issue.
She has one pasture mate, but they spend the majority of the day ignoring each other. They’ll run and buck at each other every so often, but they’re more content to Hoover up the grass than play or fight. As for the flies, it’s a real possibility that some of the problem stems from that. We keep her fly sprayed, she does wear a fly sheet (it’s also for sun protection since she’s a perlino) and fly mask, we just put down a few bags of the fly predators, and we’re about to install a spray system in our lean-to…but I think getting her a fly sheet with the imbedded fly spray would be a better alternative to the plain ol’ fly sheet we’re using right now. Any brand recommendations?
We had her scoped for ulcers and didn’t find anything. But now that you mentioned it, I’m going to schedule her to see if she does have any particular allergies that may be playing a role in this. I’m kinda kicking myself for not even considering that.
Don’t kick yourself…this stuff is challenging and can be expensive!
A few years ago, my 28 year old got thin and we drove ourselves NUTS. Turned out she had thyroid issues and needed a high protein diet…she was back to fat at 29. But it did take a while to solve the mystery!
Being hypothyroid myself, a thyroid disorder is actually the first thing that came to my mind. My kind is supposed to make people/animals gain weight (I didn’t, the discovery was pure happenstance), but hyPERthyroid can certainly cause weight loss (in fact, someone commented on this thread about a cat with it that turned into a skeleton). I wouldn’t be surprised if your vet has already screened for that but it can’t hurt to ask. Good luck!
No kidding! There are definitely times when I wish they could just tell us what’s going on to make it easier to fix!
Honestly, I don’t mind the expense. I just want to make sure that she’s happy and healthy. Besides, this is why we invested in insurance for her, so the cost isn’t as bad as it could be.
You could try treating for ulcers anyway and see if it helps. Does her appetite seem the same as before?
Losing weight can be a sign of insulin resistance or Cushing’s, I believe. These conditions are treatable, fortunately.
Losing weight was also the main symptom for my horse a couple of summers ago, and his tests all came back negative, too. But nothing put the weight back on him or slowed its loss. Alas, it turned out to be untreatable lymphoma, which they finally were able to diagnose via palpation, after finding nothing the first couple of times. I hope your mare has a happier ending.
A couple of guineas or chickens will cut the fly population IMMENSELY. Added bonus w/ chickens: free eggs!
Ulcers came to my mind, too. I have a mare with ulcers, and not being able to keep weight on her was a huge indicating factor. Others were girthiness, pinning her ears when asked to go forward, and nervousness in a stall (she was fine turned out). I am, however, on a budget and full-fledged ulcer treatment was not an option for me ($1000 a month, and most vets recommend 2 months for best results). My vet recommended treating with UlcerGuard (essentially the same product as the Gastroguard, but half the amount) for 8 days, and then feeding a gut product along with a low carb/high fat diet and all the hay she can eat. The result? My formerly snippy mare is now a snuggler. Her favorite job in the world is taking care of small children and trail riding and it’s clear she just enjoys her life so much more. A changed diet has made a huge difference in her. She eats 2 cups of Buckeye Gro-N-Win (a ration balancer…all the nutrients without the carbs) and 1 cup of Equi-Jewel rice bran (I chose this because of the added calcium carbonate, which helps soothe the stomach, but other rice bran products work well) for the fat content, and the SmartPak SmartGut (It has pre/probiotics, as well as an antacid), and free choice hay.
I got GREAT results with U-Gard and it is totally freaking cheap!
Ulcers was one of the first things that popped into my mind when this whole thing started, which is why we opted to have her scoped. This may come out wrong, but I almost wish it was ulcers because at least I would know what the problem is and how to fix it by now.
I totally hear you. I hate NOT knowing!
Like others, my first thought was ulcers, then maybe thyroid issues.
Have you had her tested for atypical myopathy? I wouldn’t have thought of it, if I hadn’t read about a case just this morning. Apparently it can affect horses that are pasture boarded, in the spring and fall. Weight loss caused by muscle atrophy is one of the symptoms. I’m guessing your vet would have seens other symptoms and tested, but just in case…
I hope you’ll figure out the problem and find a solution soon.
I’ve got a 12 year old mare with a similar problem. She’s 12, was fat and happy at the beginning of April when the BO went to look at her, then 6 weeks later when she went back to pick her up as she had been so nice at the viewing she bought her, the mare was stick thin, terrified of people and had a bad wound on her near hind where the flesh was coming out of the hole. The sellers never told what happened, although apparently a vet had seen it…yeah, maybe seen it, sure hadn’t treated it well…anyway, the BO got her back up here to Canada, from Kentucky, we worked on the leg, pressure bandage and antibiotics, had her wormed and vaccinated over the first couple of weeks, gave her free choice hay, feed, at first put her out alone, but she stressed, so put her out with others, but she got picked on, so now she’s out where she can see other horses. She hasn’t put any weight on. Her leg has healed, her coat is nice, she’s slightly calmer, but even after a week of 24/7 nice grass, and other weeks of 12 hours a day grass and free choice hay at night, nothing. Hay pellets is the next step as we have some in for a 17yr old who has dropped a little bit of rib-coverage but is otherwise nicely conditioned. We’ve no idea why she’s not gaining, and neither is the vet.
Do the hay pellets…I have literally NEVER had this fail. Not even once, so far!
I was in a seminar last year, and this topic came up. There was a recent study published (and I have no idea how to find it) that simply soaking your grain before feeding it will help them gain weight. Doesn’t matter what the formula is. Please check with your vet before doing that, but they eat grain and drink water all the time, so I can’t imagine it would harm her. Good luck!
You know why I think that works? Undiagnosed dental issues. Soaking feed means chewing doesn’t matter…Also, great way to make sure the horse doesn’t get dehydrated as sometimes they don’t drink enough.
I had a friend with an Arabian mare (older) who was losing weight. She thought it was teeth and had her floated. Still no weight gain. Got the opinion of several vets before one said — teeth. Apparently she had some hooks way in the back that the first vet missed. The floating drills are nice — but sometimes they don’t work as well as the old fashioned rasps.
My dentist uses both…I love that. And I agree, it’s like vets – GET A SECOND OPINION, particularly if YOU think there’s something more than the first vet found.
I will try soaking her usual feed as well as the pellets. And recommend a dentist visit!
Train wreck waiting to happen….
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002575380316&sk=wall
There are 300-odd ponies on a property in Victoria, Australia. All are incredibly inbred, coming from three mares and a stallion allowed to indiscriminately breed for years. Government has ordered them gone by Feb 2012. A young lady by the name of Jodi has stepped in and began selling the ponies via facebook, all manner of people have taken them on, with no handling, and no background checks of people. Three welfare organisations offered to help, but every attempt at assistance was deleted, and every comment taken as criticism. Mares will be in foal, naturally, and none of the colts have been gelded. There have been no assessments, no veterinary involvement and no training of these ponies.
There is a 15 year old girl on the Vichorse forum now asking what to do with her 6yo unhandled STALLION. Because naturally you go to the forum for help with your wild horse, right? Instead of paying for proper training, or better yet, save your money for a well-handled and trained horse without nuts! This is just a nightmare – so many people with no experience jumping in. Someone will get hurt or killed, and of course it will be the horse’s fault. These are WILD ponies, with no knowledge of people and any number of unknown health problems.
Quest Equine Welfare is stepping in to help geld, their VP is a vet (but naturally they are far too heavy on the PR “give us money” chant) and TREW and Project Hope are also offering to help, but I fear the damage is done already. There was another facebook page (now deleted) where people had bought them for children, one even showed a pic of a 2yo “rescue” pony with a tiny kid on it!!!! Yikes.
There are far too many do-gooders in this world who just don’t know what they are getting into. I don’t think they realise how dangerous this situation is! One injury, or worse, and they could be sued through the roof.
So please think twice before you step in for a “rescue” like this. Handling and re-feeding should be done only by experienced people, gelding, hoof care, dental and worming taken care of and some proper handling BEFORE the horses are offered for adoption. And not sold willy-nilly via a bleeding heart facebook page!
Is that a huge fucking boat next to that skinny ass pony?!
I wondered that too…..certainly looks like it!
If you are talking about a boat next to Hershey, then, yes. There were 2 very large boats on the property. Also, there was a Class A RV, a very nice, newer (I think Dodge) truck and a newer Ford Mustang, convertible.
That is what always kills me…when they are NOT poor. So what the hell is the excuse then???
Ok, Fugs, there’s this horse I drive by sometimes, and it’s skinny. I mean, bones showing, and wormy belly skinny. Not only that, it’s being tied up, by a rope to it’s halter, in the yard to graze, and there is no fence between the horse and the highway. Sigh…..I know, a wreck waiting to happen. So I call Animal Control. AC lady tells me, oh, we know this horse, and it’s not a horse, it’s a jackass (ummm, I know the difference, and it’s not) and it’s ancient. As in older than 11. THIS is what I’m told by ANIMAL CONTROL. That ancient is more than 11. So that gives it a reason to look like shit?? Oh, and apparently, this owner has been staking his “horse” out for more than 11 years, and the horse knows not to get the rope tangled around it’s legs, AND it knows that if it gets loose, not to go into the highway. This is what the animal control officer told me. I kid you not. I was at a loss for words, if AC won’t help the poor guy, who will??? This is in Georgia, BTW…. Arggggg….
Well, this is when you post the pictures and the address and the phone number of the local A.C. to the Fugly Blog and let our fine readership get something done about it. You also alert local media.
Report them to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. They have their own horse-knowledgeable inspectors and staff and work directly with the state veterinarian office. They have the authority to seize animals if need be, even if the local AC doesn’t get involved.
Georgia Department of Agriculture
Equine Division
Monday – Friday | 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM
404-656-3713 or 800-282-5852
Actually, some horses and probably more ponies can learn to be staked without becoming tangled. I had a pony that I sometimes staked out for over thirty years without her ever hurting herself. If this horse has been being staked out for 11 years and has not injured himself, I doubt that he is in much danger of doing so now. A horse on a stakerope often have more room to move around that a horse in a stall or small paddock. If he is being tired securely, he is no more likely to get loose than a pastured horse. Pastured horses sometimes break through their fences. Skinny and wormy is an entirely different matter. AC should have acted on those conditions.
This one particular pony of mine could also be turned loose in the yard and knew not to get into the road or the garden. I expect that this is much more rare and do not advocate turning horses loose. (She really was an exceptionally intelligent pony.) When we were weaning her foal, we put her in a lot west of the house and her filly in a lot east of the house. Between them there the sheds and yard west of the house, the house and it’s yards, and the yard east of the house which contained the garden. The mare got loose and went tearing toward her daughter across the west yard and the back yard. Her daughter heard her coming and was at her fence in line with the back yard. Between them was the garden which ran the length of the backyard and house. My mother did not ride and only tolerated the ponies and horses. She became inordinately bent out of shape whenever she found hoof prints or dislodged/browsed plants in the garden. I thought, “Oh s**t, we are in trouble now!” Much to my surprise and relief, the mare turned and ran down the west side of the garden, across the front, and back up the east side to where her daughter was waiting.
People need to learn the difference between animal neglect and different styles of animal husbandry. I once had someone complain to me about some ponies (not mine) that did not have the hair on their fetlocks and heads trimmed and were being watered from a bathtub. They WERE being watered and the bathtub was not scummy. They were a bit plumb, but not obese, shiny and healthy looking. They were on a grass lot, so did not have mud balls in their fetlocks, and they had shelter. I could see nothing wrong with the way these ponies were being kept.
The owner posted a close-up shot of the pony, who he believes is just fine. That’s the problem with ‘belief’ right there – facts don’t make any difference, even if you can PHOTOGRAPH them yourself! Thank you to all involved in rescue of this hardy little trooper. Some calories, some hoof trims, a little Pergolide, and he will live out his days in comfort.
To the whole debate about the dangers of reporting animal abuse:
Listen up folks. I’m a librarian. Do you know what we public employees deal with every day, just for doing our jobs? Screaming, swearing threats. Violent outbursts. Character assassination, threats of legal action and other nastiness. Teachers, librarians, postal workers and especially cops; we deal with trashy people daily, and our name is one our NAME TAG– it’s not hard to find out where we live.
Yet, we continue to do our jobs, and fairly few of us come to harm.
Suck it up and do the right thing. Even if your car gets keyed, you’ll know that the very real possibility that saving an animal’s LIFE is worth far more than a new paint job (which insurance covers anyway).
*applauds*
Sorry to hijack, but if anyone can help this guy out… I’m on the west coast or I would look into it.
http://www.wfsb.com/story/14988820/horse-to-be-euthanized-if-not-adopted
Thanks!!
Life’s A Beach
http://36andsingle.blogspot.com/
I reported my next door neighbor recently. About a year ago, they had a very old horse given to them by another neighbor–as far as I can tell, a hoarder who calls herself a rescue–and the buckskin gelding was very old and thin. Of course, their kids rode him all over, despite his bad health. They fed it plenty of hay, not realizing, I suppose, that the poor old horse couldn’t eat–I’m guessing he didn’t have any teeth–but they never listened to me whwen I pointed out the obvious. Who knew over a year’s time he could become even thinner? But he did, until he was a walking skeleton for about a month. I should have reported them for that. I didn’t, but another neighbor did–repeatedly (she is my hero). Nothing was ever done, because the horse technically had food, water and shelter. He just couldn’t EAT the food (and where I live (out in the sticks), old horses just look like that, don’t you know?) However, when the old horse finally went down and couldn’t get up last month, and my next door neighbors let him lay out in a rainstorm for almost 24 hours dying and unable to get up, THEN I called animal control. I would’ve called earlier, but I thought the poor thing was dead (I’m still haunted by that). I live out in the middle of nowhere, so you can imagine how much sympathy my call garnered. The deputy called me back and informed me that “it ain’t against the law for an old horse to die.” No shit, Sherlock. I would’ve killed him myself–I even called and offered to do it the day before when he first went down. But leaving an old, malnourished horse to die for 24 hours in a rainstorm? That’s torture. I’m still pissed about it. I don’t know if it was my phone call and the deputy’s visit that did it, but about an hour later, the vet came out and finally put the poor thing down. Sometimes I hate people. PS–said deputy proudly reported to me that he had been there on several visits previously based on phone calls about the animal’s condition, but that my neighbors were “good people doing their best” for the old horse. Dumbass.
I gotta tell you, I couldn’t live somewhere where law enforcement was that ignorant…I think I’d have to move, or I’d lose my mind. I am so sorry you had to watch that.
Came across this “rescue” while looking for a new pet to welcome into my home, thought it might be found interesting…
Advert on kijiji
Website
Thats not a rescue, its a sells page!
There are 2 very skinny horses near me. Several people have complained to animal control over the last several months. The owners have put tarp up on the fence so a person couldn’t see the horses from the road. My truck is hi, so I can see. Unfortunately, There is no side of the road to pull off to and take pictures of the horses….What do you suggest?
I suggest you ALL go in, as a group, to animal control and bitch. Point out that the tarp was put up to hide the horses. Tell them if they don’t take action, you’re going to the media with this. You guys have pics from before the tarp was up?
Has the ENTIRE world gone mad?
No, the sane folks are hanging out here on the fugly blog until the crazies have gone into hiding at the proclaimed end of the world… (no offense meant to anyone who may believe an end-of-the-world prophecy)
Hm, maybe they thought ponies work like cars – when you need to go somewhere, you just fuel up. The rest of the time they can just sit there and don’t need to be filled up ‘coz the fuel will just go stale inside them…
…or something along these lines o.O
The Animal Control told me that several people had called, I do not know any of them. I have no Pics, as there is no place to park. I have called personally 3 times. They have never seemed interested, Just say that several people have complained. If I get anywhere with the media I will let you know.
This is totally OT but Fug I wanted to thank you – I’ve learned a lot from your blog and I am happy to report that today I finally got it – I learned how to feel the lead changes without looking. Your post “let’s talk lead changes” really helped. My mare was having a hard time picking up the correct lead going on the left. She was so good at picking up the wrong lead I couldn’t feel it. My previous horses were so dead broke push button that I never really learned to feel it. Followed your advice and FINALLY worked it out. Thanks!
That’s great! I am glad that worked for you. And thanks for letting me know!
The latest from Auction Horses: the owners offered to eat Hershey as a way to get out of the situation. (This may be culturally acceptable elsewhere, but it won’t fly in the USA).
“Hershey is recovering at a local vet. I saw pictures yesterday. There are sores all along the topline and he has a lot of rehab ahead of him. He is 25 but age has nothing to do with his condition. It is nothing other than lack of care. If anyone had any doubt about this situation not being dire, it was, more than anyone would have thought. The owner actually asked AC if they could just shoot it and eat it. There is nothing to even eat. This pony is a bag of bones. Sickening. ”
25 is not old for a pony; 40 is. Had this pony been sold to a proper home he would likely still be in work, fat and sassy and toting devoted little rugrats.
THEY WANTED TO EAT HIM?
I swear, seriously, EVERY time I THINK I have heard it all…I haven’t.