Natchitoches, LA Racehorse Abuse – Follow Up #2

RACEHORSE ABUSE AND COVER-UP IN NATCHITOCHES, LA…

For all of you who are following the tragedy in Natchitoches, LA – there are still horses at 1955 Williams Ave, Natchitoches, LA and at this time it appears that they will remain there.  It seems like an army of individuals have been working effortlessly trying to save these poor animals to no avail.  Calls, e-mails, texts, and twitts have gone out starting with the Animal Control Department all the way up the ladder to the Governor of Louisiana, we have contacted the national news media from ABC to NBC and CNN even the National Enquirer.  We have even sent e-mails and twits to Anderson Cooper to name a few.

One point that I would like to make is that not everyone on the LTBA Board was aware of what has been happening at the Ryder Ridge River Farm a year ago.  Some, actually, were not made aware of the matter until my original post regarding this matter.   If you look at the LTBA Board Members who are on the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association’s Board, those are the ones who knew.

What we have learned is that no one seems to have the authority to go in and seize these animals except the Sheriff’s Department who seems to find it beneficial to support Clay Ryder and to allow horses to die.  We have also found out that the DA of Natchitoches, LA lives, per Google .02 miles in other words 23 seconds away from the Ryder property.  Is there a good-old-boy cover up going on????

The Natchitoches Times reported on January 26, 2013 that Sheriff Victor Jones, Jr.  “has been investigating complaints of animal abuse at Ryder’ River Ridge Horse farm for over a year and have been working with the son of the owner to improve conditions there.”  It is further reported that “Jones said there were 150 thoroughbred horses on 60 acres at the farm, an area too small to support that number of horses.”  I have received reports from two independent sources that claim the number of horses on this property was closer to 200.

The article goes on to say that after Jones assigned Deputy Rob Walsworth to the case and after the farm was visited by a state veterinarian and representative of the LA Brand Commission “Clay Ryder began working with officials to improve the conditions and began taking some of the original 150 horses to rescue facilities.”  As I have stated in previous post we were aware that Clay Ryder had agreed to work with officials and had originally agreed to surrender 20 horses to the LHRA when in fact he only surrendered 8 of the original 20 horses.  In an e-mail dated January 19, 2013 Sunny Francois, Executive Director of LHRA stated “…Of the original 20 promised 8 were received; after which point the spring grass was coming up…”  So immediately we see that we have over populated acreage, we have an owner who didn’t even follow through with his first promise and a horse rescue that believes the spring grass from over populated acreage will be enough for now between 142 and 192 horses to survive.

The Natchitoches Times further goes on to state “ Walsworth made about 20 visits to the farm during the last year with the last on being Dec. 8.  “Some of the horses were down in weight but there was nothing alarming,”  Jones said.  “And Clay was working with Rob and did everything we asked him to do.”  Below are pictures of some of the horses as of January 15, 2013.

Canvas Spirit 1   Fast Brook 1   TooLights Treasure Side 1

Ask yourself and then ask others “is Deputy Walsworth blind, what was the Sheriff’s Department asking Clay Ryder to do and what was he doing”.  A horse does not get in this condition in thirty days.

The Natchitoches Times also states that “LA State Police then met with Jones and Walsworth and requested they arrest Ryder.  Jones said he told them he would not arrest Ryder because of his past cooperation.”  My question to Sheriff Jones is; “WHAT COOPERATION?”

Bottom line according to the Natchitoches Times, Sheriff Jones is giving Ryder “another 30 days to improve the conditions and step up the efforts to get rid of the horses, to which Ryder agreed”.   There needs to be an accounting of where the horses have gone or are going.  Ryder does not need the opportunity to just move them to a different property.

We know there were approximately 150 to 200 horses on the property in January 2012, per Jones, and that there are about 57 horses still on the property as of January 2013, per Jones.  Let recap Ryder’s cooperation:

January 2012                         150 – 200 horses on Ryder River Ridge Farm

February 2012                           8             horses turned over to LHRA 20 promised

March 2012                                0            horses turned over

April 2012                                   0            horses turned over

May 2012                                    0            horses turned over

June 2012                                   0            horses turned over

July 2012                                     0            horses turned over

August 2012                               0            horses turned over

September 2012                        0            horses turned over

October 2012                              0            horses turned over

November 2012                         0            horses turned over

December 2012                          0            horses turned over

January 5, 2013                       18            horses turned over to LHRA

January 17, 2013                       7           horses turned over to LHRA

January 19,  2013                    14            horses turned over to LHRA

Well 57 horses plus 47 horses equals 104 horses.  What happened to the remaining 46 to 96 horses?  Did they die?  DID 46 to 96 HORSES DIE DURING THE PAST 11 MONTHS?

The LSU Ag Center Research and Extension has a narrative in which the state in part:

The state’s race horse industry was made up of 1,221 breeders who owned 8,897 mares that produced 7,698 foals that were sold in 2011 for $61.6 million.  A total of 90 breeders own 832 stallions that were bred to 10,446 mares, generating income from stud fees of $26.1 million.  The total gross farm income generated from race horse production was $117.9 million.  In addition, 2,390 race horse owners had 14,329 horses with a gross farm value of $171.9 million.  Total gross farm value of the race horse sector was $259.6 million in 2011, not including receipts or fees from racing events or gaming.

 To read the entire narrative click here:  LSU Ag Center Narrative

Not being a resident of the State of Louisiana I do not understand how a state that prides itself on their thoroughbreds can allow them to die from starvation.  We are aware that the Sheriff’s Department, Police Department, Animal Control, Humane Society, District Attorney, Attorney General, Governor and many others are aware of what has been taking place for the past twelve months.

THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN. – 2012 Many, LA 60 horses seized unknown number dead, 2013 Natchitoches, LA 40 to 90 horses missing possibly dead.  What will we hear about in 2014.

 

Racehorse Abuse in Natchitoches, LA – Follow Up #1

RACEHORSE ABUSE IN NATCHITOCHES, LA…

There is a tragedy, ongoing, in Natchitoches, LA and there are so many people aware of the situation and nothing was being done.  You see there is a farm on 1955 Williams Ave., named Ryder River Ridge Farm and a year ago, January 31, 2012, there were about 100 to 135 horses on site and there was a report of animal abuse along with pictures of dead and dying horses.    Ryder River Ridge Farm was listed as the 2009 Leading Breeder on the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association web-site.  The original owner Firal Ryder was a beloved man in the Louisiana Horse Community, unfortunately he is in ill health and son has taken over the operations.  Unfortunately, Clay Ryder, Firal Ryder’s son is not as passionate and caring of the horses. The tragedy, I am speaking of,  is that a year later, January 15, 2013,  there are still dead and dying horses on this farm and no one seems to be able to get the owner/his son to allow an inspection of the property, file charges or seize the remaining horses.  This farm is listed with the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association and The Jockey Club.

The Police Department in Natchitoches, LA along with Animal Control did not have the authority to take actions because the property is parish land and under the authority of  the Sheriff’s Department,  well all I can say is they are well aware of the situation.  Are Clay Ryder, Deputy Wadsworth, and Sheriff Victor Jones friends, probably.  News stations have been contacted, the District Attorney, Office of the Attorney General, and the General Criminal Division for the State of LA have all been contacted.

You may be asking what more could or can be done and in my opinion there is a lot that could and can be done in this matter and in future matters.  The problem is people in authority don’t want to take any action, can’t take any action or don’t want to ruffle any feather.  I am not pointing fingers at any one organization or anyone person within a specific organization, all I am trying to do is put the facts out there, as I see them.

The Board of Directors for the –

 Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association (LTBA), are

President: Dr. Dexter Gary; First Vice President: Michele Rodriguez; Second Vice President:  Jim Montgomery

Board Member:  Jay Adcock, Brett Brinkman, Charlotte Clavier,  Jeff Delhomme, Jake Delhomme, Nathan Granger, Michelle LaVoice, Keith Myers, Val Murrell, Lora Pitre, and Neal McFadden

There By-Laws read in part:

Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association By-Laws

Part A, Section 4

            Upon filing of a written complaint about any member on the LTBA complaint form, an investigation will be performed by the LTBA, after which the member complained of shall be given reasonable notice of the complaint and an opportunity to be heard.  The Board of Directors, after the hearing, upon 75% vote of the directors present, may take any action against the member deemed appropriate to protect the interests of this Association, including the sanctions of expulsion from, termination of or suspension of membership.

 The first complaint that I am aware of came from an individual having direct dealings with the LTBA.  I know the complaint was made and that pictures were produced in January of 2012; was this complaint written I cannot say for sure, but I do know that at least one LTBA board member received notification of this matter.  These pictures were then forwarded to LHRA and then forwarded to me in an e-mail that says in part “…I’m sending you photos I was given from a farm at the following address:…It is another large scale TB breeding operation.  The sheriff’s office is supposed to be investigating.  I don’t get the impression they are taking it very seriously despite the other incident.  Let me know if you have any ideas on how we can push this forward.  I am not supposed to have the photos.”

My response was sure there are things that we can do and the phone lines lit up.  Calling residences that I had meet during the Many, LA seizure was easy, with one of them telling me these were the horses that she was talking about two weeks ago.  I was able to get the phone numbers and names for the Animal Control and the Police Department, both of whom informed me that they were aware of the situation but their hands were tied because the property was considered to be in the parish not in the city limits.  The Sheriff’s Department never returned any of the calls I made a year ago.   Along with making the telephone calls and contacts we worked on getting together a list of horses that should be on the property, along with markings and numbers.  We also began talking about preparing a database of local farms that may be able to help out by taking one or more of the horses.  We were preparing for a seizure twice the size of the one that had just occurred in Many, LA and we wanted to be ready.

For weeks there were calls made regarding these horses and there were even a couple of meetings held and there was information being put together to present to news media and to post on websites and social media sites.  It was finally “agreed” with the assistance of the Sheriff’s Department (and I say that lightly) that the owner would turn over approximately 20 horses over a three day period and LHRA ask  those of us working on resolving this matter to stop what we were working on since the “owner is working with us”.  So everyone involved backed off, I had a couple of follow up conversations with LHRA where I was told that if the owner did not continue to work with them they would call me and then my calls stopped being returned.  I figured that with all of the horses from the Many Rescue and now these horses, they were busy so I didn’t do any further follow up, truly believing that if the problem continued I would again be contacted.

It is now being reported that the owner did not turn over all the horses he promised to originally turn over and that the Sheriff’s Department continues to ignore the reports of abuse and neglect at this property.

Louisiana Revised Statutes. Title 14. Criminal Law. Chapter 1. Criminal Code. Part VI. Offenses Affecting The Public Generally. Subpart B. Offenses Affecting The Public Sensibility. § 102. Definitions; cruelty to animals states in part:

§ 102. Definitions; cruelty to animals

The following words, phrases, and terms as used in R.S. 14:102.1 through R.S. 14:102.4 shall be defined and construed as follows:

(1) “Cruel” means every act or failure to act whereby unjustifiable physical pain or suffering is caused or permitted.

(2) “Abandons” means to completely forsake and desert an animal previously under the custody or possession of a person without making reasonable arrangements for its proper care, sustenance, and shelter.

(3) “Proper food” means providing each animal with daily food of sufficient quality and quantity to prevent unnecessary or unjustifiable suffering by the animal.

(4) “Proper water” means providing each animal with daily water of sufficient quality and quantity to prevent unnecessary or unjustifiable suffering by the animal.

(5) “Proper shelter” means providing each animal with adequate shelter from the elements as required to prevent unnecessary or unjustifiable suffering by the animal.

(6) “Proper veterinary care” means providing each animal with veterinary care sufficient to prevent unnecessary or unjustifiable physical pain or suffering by the animal.

(7) “Livestock” means cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, burros, asses, other livestock of all ages, farm-raised cervidae species, and farm-raised ratite species.

Why hasn’t the Sheriff’s Department done their job?  He has been provided with pictures and he has been on the property!  Is he not aware of the laws of his own state?  We know for a fact that 26 of the 100 horses on this property a year ago have suffered cruel treatment, did not receive proper food, water or veterinary care and that they are horses, that is a minimum of 26 counts.

 Further, Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association, By-Laws state in part:

Part C, Section 1

 (A) Foal Accreditation: In order to have a foal accredited as a Louisiana Bred Horse, the following requirements shall be fulfilled.  The foal must be born in the State of Louisiana.

1.    The foal’s dam must be domiciled in the State of Louisiana and meet the appropriate residency requirements based on her designation as an imported, a resident, sale, departing, in-foal, or barren mare. All mares entering the program must be registered with the LTBA upon entry into the State of Louisiana and upon each transfer of ownership thereafter. As set forth by the LTBA rules, failure to register a mare and her domicile in a timely manner shall result in penalties and/or in the mare’s foals being denied the status of an Accredited Louisiana Bred. All mares are subject to inspection at any time.

 and a letter on their web-site states in part:

LETTER ON Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association WEBSITE:

 March 10, 2009

Dear Member,

At the recent Board of Directors Meeting the board voted on and passed a number of adjustments to the way mares are inspected as well as amendments to forms and fees. Listed below you will find guidelines of when a mare may be inspected, as well as a list of required forms and fees associated with the failure to complete and file the required forms.

 Guidelines of when a mare may be inspected:

1. New mares; within 30 days of form being filed with the office.

2. Mares going out of state to breed with foals at their side; before leaving and after the August 1st deadline of returning.

3. Mares without foals; on their return or after August 1st.

4. Anytime there is a Change of Domicile of the Mare.

5. Mares with early breeding dates may be inspected during the last three weeks of December.

6. Complaints received on a case by case basis.

We know that these mares are being inspected on a regular basis, for domicile purposes, but unless the inspector is blind, and in this matter he was not, the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association is aware of the abuse and yet they continue to register horses from this farm and list this farm in their directory.

Is there more that could have been done, yes.  There is the Louisiana Racing Commission.   Some of the horses owned by this farm are still racing.  If the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association had reported their findings to the Louisiana Racing Commission the trainers licenses could have and should have been revoked and the horses would not have been allowed to race.   The Louisiana Racing Commission’s web-site states in part:

Louisiana Racing Commission

The Louisiana State Racing Commission was created by legislative act in 1940.   The Commission is composed of thirteen members, one representing each Congressional district plus 2 at-large and 4 representing each of the parishes where live racing is held.  All are appointed by the Governor, subject to State Senate confirmation.

The official domicile of the Commission is in New Orleans, and its’ office is currently located at 320 North Carrollton Avenue, Suite 2-B, 70119-5100.

The Racing Commission’s legal mandate is the forceful and honest statewide control of horse racing for the public health, safety, and welfare by safeguarding the citizens of Louisiana against corrupt, incompetent, dishonest and unprincipled horse racing practices.

Some of the ways the Racing Commission accomplishes its’ legal mandate is by assuring the public and horsemen of Louisiana that:

1.   each racing association conducting a race meeting is licensed and operated by responsible management, and does its utmost to provide the patrons, horses and horsemen the best possible facilities it can afford;

2.   the wagering management, clerks and equipment inspire patron confidence in the betting system;

3.   every owner and trainer seeking to enter a horse in competition is licensed, is a person of good character and is financially responsible;

4.   every horse appearing in a race is the animal it is represented to be on the program, is carrying the correct weight as assigned by the track handicapper, and is physically fit and able to participate in a race;

5.   every race run represents a true competitive effort by every participating horse and rider;

6.   during the running of any race no rider commits any act that would unfairly tend to make the race anything other than a true competitive test;

7.   no one responsible for the custody of a competing horse has administered, or allowed to be administered, any prescribed medication to it within a specified time prior to the race; nor administered, or allowed to be administered, any illegal substance to it at any time;

8.   no one who may be able to affect the outcome of a race is under the influence of any illegal substance or alcohol.

If the LTBA had notified the Louisiana Racing Commission they would have had an opportunity to more closely examine the animals coming from this farm and possibly pulled the trainer’s license then the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association could have terminated the Farms membership.

Part A, Section 8

Any member who is (1) convicted of a criminal offense which would be a felony under the laws of the United States of America or of the State of Louisiana and is not pardoned or has not completed probation or parole supervision, (2) convicted of a criminal offense which would be a misdemeanor under the laws of the State of Louisiana, which offense is related to the sport of racing or to the business of breeding, and is not pardoned or has not completed probation or parole supervision or (3) under a final order of the Louisiana State Racing Commission suspending or terminating any racing privilege or right in this State, the Board of Directors may terminate the membership of a member of this association by a 2/3 majority vote of the Board of Directors. Upon such termination, the member of this Association shall not have initiation or application fees returned or dues returned.

I am also aware that the Jockey Club could have gotten involved since they are in charge of the pre-race inspection.  Their web-site states in part:

Welcome to The Jockey Club!
The Jockey Club is the breed Registry for Thoroughbred horses in the
United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The organization is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, and it fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its subsidiary companies and by providing support to a wide range of industry initiatives.

 THE JOCKEY CLUB

THOROUGHBRED SAFETY COMMITTEE

RECOMMENDATIONS

AUGUST 22, 2010

Recommendation: Pre-Race Inspections

InCompass Solutions Inc. has developed a Pre-Race Veterinary Exam module offered through its Race Track Operations (RTO) system. The software enables regulatory veterinarians at racetracks to record the details of racehorses’ pre-race soundness inspections in a secure central database, and it is provided as a free service to any jurisdiction that agrees to share its pre-race exam data with association and regulatory veterinarians at other tracks that are using the system.

Sharing the results of pre-race inspections among regulatory veterinarians provides valuable insight into soundness issues that may require closer evaluation. As horses increasingly move among racetracks for competition, the regulatory veterinarians charged with evaluating racing soundness of our equine athletes can review the confidential results recorded by colleagues and obtain a more complete picture of racing soundness.

The Thoroughbred Safety Committee calls for

“The immediate use of the pre-race veterinary examination module and the sharing of inspection information by all racing jurisdictions, regulatory veterinarians and racetracks performing pre-race inspections.”

The system contains the following features to aid in the pre-race inspections:

• previous inspections are stored and saved for an inspection “past performance”

• previous inspections, past performances, and entry and program data are automatically loaded for each horse and race

• centralized location of information related to the inspections of a horse is accessible only through a secure log in and user ID for regulatory veterinarians

Further, the Thoroughbred Safety Committee calls for

• The transparency and reciprocity of all associated “lists” kept by various racing officials. The RTO system provides a mechanism for racing officials to share the following lists at no cost to the commission or racing association.

o Vets

o Bleeder

o Nerve

o Starter

o Paddock judge o Deceased

o Problem

o Ineligible

o Stewards

o Claiming

The Thoroughbred Safety Committee believes that any insights about the particular traits, behaviors and histories of racehorses that can be gained through sharing of lists among racing associations are invaluable to the health and safety of the horse, rider and all personnel involved with the handling and care of a Thoroughbred before, during and after the running of a race.

I have also been made aware of the fact that on or about May 10, 2012 the Stewards at Delta Downs fined Trainer, F.C. Ryder, the sum of $100 for failure to have Piroplasmosis test for his scheduled starter, Cee Ya Sunday.

Is there more that could have been done, I believe the answer is yes.  The Louisiana Horse Rescue Association who’s board members are:

Louisiana Horse Rescue Association (LHRA)

President:  Patrick Richmond

Board Members: Michelle Rodriguez, Theresa Arroyo, Jason Boulet, Dr. Mustajab Mirza,     Judy Agular, Sandra Salmen,

Executive Director:  Sunny Francois

could have reignited the fire a lot sooner.  Those of us who knew about this matter last year were told in March of 2012 that it appeared the owner was going to work with LHRA and would be delivering 20 horses within the next week and that we would be contacted if the agreements were not followed through with, but for now we could stand down and give the owner an opportunity.  Well here we are in January of 2013 and we are finding out that less than half of the original 20 horses that were committed to be turned over were actually turned over and the death and dying has continued.

If you look at the connection between the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association it is so muddled that they appear to be one in the same organization.  Both organizations use the same post office box and the same bookkeeper, LHRA Board Member Michelle Rodriguez is First Vice President of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association,  LHRA Board Member Theresa Arroyo is the LTBA’s bookkeeper,  LHRA Board Member Jason Boulet works for the fairgrounds,  LTBA helps LHRA out financially, and the Executive Director of the LHRA is on the payroll of the LTBA as a IT Consultant.

Earlier this week (January 15, 2013) I saw a post on Facebook from a friend regarding this farm and the death and carnage and at that time was made aware that the situation had not gotten better, the owner was not working with LHRA and the Sheriff’s Department had yet to do a formal investigation and to report what was known by so many.  After a number of individuals (mostly friends of RMR) making an untold number of phone calls, hundreds of posts on Facebook, Remember Me Rescue (out of Burelson, TX) renting a helicopter to photograph the carnage and finally contacting the Louisiana State Police access to this property was gained.

Between January 15, 2013 and January 19, 2013 LHRA made many posts to the Facebook pages, for the most part thanking people for their donations (in excess of $2,700 and $1,200 in supplements), yet few if any posts were made as to what steps people could take to rectify this matter.  There was a Facebook post which states “We hope that the organizations who have assisted in bringing this situation to a head will also be available to assist in the efforts to provide transport/homes/medical care and financial resources to the horses.” 

On January 15, 2013, I made a post regarding this matter and LHRA made facebook posts and comments regarding that blog post which in part states … 3. LHRA has never had joint meetings with anyone regarding the horses in Natchitoches. We have had conversations with authorities on occasion, trying to push for investigation and seizure. We have accepted horses from the breeder as he surrendered them. We were successful in obtaining 26 horses this year.  

Sunny Francois, Executive Director of LHRA admits in an e-mail dated January 19, 2013 (7:19 PM) “…Of the original 20 promised 8 were received; after which point the spring grass was coming up…”  Well excuse me for calling foul but spring grass does not come up overnight especially when you have 100 horses grazing.  Further stated in this e-mail Ms. Francois states “that we have had the state vet visit the property three times, that we have had the Sherif’s Office to the property, that we have had the Brand Commission to the property and all have cleared it.  As a secondary measure we began to work with the farm owner…”.  Ms. Francois further states in this same e-mail “We’ve now taken 47 horses off the property, more than anyone sitting at home complaining about the situation has done.”  Of those 47, eight were received in February of 2012, eighteen were received around January 5, 2013, an additional seven were surrendered on Thursday the 17th and fourteen were received on the 19th , so 21of the 47 horses were received after the Facebook post that reignited the fuse and after those “sitting at home complaining” started complaining.  Those of us “sitting at home complaining” would have been there in a heartbeat if we had been ask at any time during the past twelve months.

LHRA further posted on Facebook on January 19, 2013 “ … We will try to put something on our website in the next day or two giving the full story. At this point we understand that the elderly gentleman who started the farm took wonderful care of it and the horses. He is now in a nursing home and his son has taken over, and the farm is in the condition we see. That really is about all we know. Horses that the founder bred are still racing and winning currently.” Further Patrick Richmond posted on LHRA Facebook Page “ LHRA is having all of the new rescues, including the 14 that just arrived vetted at  Richmond Plantation on Monday, thanks to Jessica Duncan and a team of vet students from LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. … We will also be hosting the local news, State Police and the Livestock Brand Commission.”

On January 21, 2013 at approximately 6:45 PM one of LHRA’s Facebook Friends posted the following on their Facebook Page:

I understand there will be a press conference this afternoon re: Ryder horses.  Please be certain to tell them why no follow up was done at this farm, why nobody bothered to walk the property.  And most of all, please give all the credit to Remember Me Rescue out of Texas.  If it were not for them all these horses would have died and nobody would be the wiser.

This is the response from LHRA:

Louisiana Horse Rescue Association Catherine, apparently you don’t understand anything. If you don’t have permission to “walk someone’s property” it is called tresspassing. If you take horses without permission it is called theft. The 38 horses LHRA saved were voluntarily turned over long before any other rescue saw a chance to make a buck slipping away and started trying to generate funds for themselves. LONG BEFORE. How many Ryder horses has LHRA rescued?? 51!!!!! How many has any other mouth-flapping rescue taken in – NONE, a big fat 0. So get off our back, we work within the law, we aren’t the animal police, and the ONLY thing we are interested in is the welfare of the horse. Instead of wasting time on facebook, why don’t you actually do something that helps a horse, like asking your congressman for better laws on this. Please unlike our page, it will save you lots of time.

They further went on to say:

 All of the horses we have were turned over to us before anyone “jumped in a helicopter”. Explain your other rescue begging for donations for these horses when they have not rescued a single one – I’ll go check the mailbox, but I think I know what I’ll find from them. I call that fraud. We work really hard to do what we do, we have been in constant contact with the local authorities – the law – to little, but some, avail. Is it an ideal situation – no, not at all. Perhaps if you knew what we have been up against you would be less critical and actually try to help us.

 Is this really how the Horse Racing Industry in Louisiana wants to be known?  Some of us sitting around complaining were trying to help a bad situation from getting worse and we were there last year and were sent away.   I personally have shed many tears this past week, because I was one of the few who had the proof a year ago, I knew who took the pictures, I knew who knew and I trusted.  I am sorry for every horse that has died during the past year on that farm.  I am Sorry.

I would like to personally thank everyone who helped out this past week making telephone calls, obtaining telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, for your support and encouragement, and for passing on this information to make sure that we could save as many of these horses as possible.  Special thanks to Donna and Dallas Keen and Remember Me Rescue for renting the helicopter and photographer and Vicki Morgan for keeping us updated.

The question remains, why was this tragedy allowed to go on for as long as it did?  There were so many people who knew what was going on and resources available where this type of behavior should have been stopped a year ago, starting with Sheriff Victor Jones.  Last year we had the Many, LA issue and this year we have the Natchitoches, LA issue.  What is wrong with this picture?  Who dropped the ball first?  The problem is that Louisiana may not be the only state that has these types of issues when it comes to abuse of horses and other animals.

 

 

Horses on Williams Road, Natchitoches, LA

I was so hoping that with the publicity of the “Many 60” incident I would not hear about another farm with those conditions for a while, but I was wrong.  The Many horses were seized on January 7, 2012 and by January 22, 2012, I was already hearing about another farm in the same vicinity, Natchitoches, LA.   My mistake was trusting that something was being done to protect these horses, after personally speaking to and reporting the incident to Animal Control, Humane Society, Sheriff’s Department and Police Department along with speaking to LHRA, and knowing that the Louisiana Horse Racing Association was aware of what was happening at this farm.

A little over two weeks after the seizure of the 60 horses in Many, LA, I was contacted regarding a Thoroughbred Horse Farm in Natchitoches, LA.  For those of you unfamiliar with Louisiana, Natchitoches is maybe a 40 minute drive from Many, Louisiana.  This first call was from a Natchitoches residence that had read my article about the Many 60 and was wondering if the horses from Natchitoches had gone to Remember Me Rescue in Texas.  Being told, by the resident that five of the horses had gone to Texas, I believed that the Natchitoches horses were being monitored and arrangements had been made for those horses safety and not knowing the severity of the situation I concentrated on the Many 60 incident.  Boy was I surprised when I received another request, on January 31, 2012,  to look into the Natchitoches horses by yet another concerned horse lover and was provided pictures of a couple of the horses.

2012-01-25.Ryder mare          2012-01-25.Ryder yearling

The farm in question was the Ryder River Ridge Farm, located on William Road in Natchitoches, LA.  This farm is owned by Fiaral L Ryder who has been a part of the Thoroughbred Association for at least 17 years.  The Farm Subsidy report shows that F. Clay Ryder owns 25% of the farm and Ashley Ryder owns 75% of the farm.  Ryder River Ridge Farm in the past has had a very reputable reputation.  Mr. Fiaral Ryder was very involved with the Louisiana Thoroughbred Association and Thoroughbred Charities of America (http://www.tca.org/test.html). Ryder River Ridge Farm is listed in Thoroughbred Times, Stallion Directory and owned two of the Top Sellers 2011 Louisiana Annual Yearling Sales.  It is reported that this farm is home to over 100+ horses.

At the time this matter had been originally brought to my attention, I was informed that Mr. Fiaral Ryder is an elderly gentleman, in ill health, and whose son Clay Ryder along with his business partner Adam Janick were taking over the farm operations and there were rumors that he, Clay Ryder, was attempting to sell the farm.  Clay Ryder has been reported to have told individuals that he was sending five horses to Texas and donating the remainder of the horses.  In reality it appears that Clay Ryder is following Mr. Ford’s example and placing healthy horses where people can see them and has refused assistance with placing the horses.  He is forcing authorities to work on gathering information and proof in order to obtain a search warrant and ultimately seize the horses who survive this ordeal.

In late February or early March of 2012, I was informed that Mr. Ryder had agreed to deliver some of the horses to LHRA and that there were to be follow-up visits to his farm to inspect the conditions of the remaining horses.  I was ensured that there were now procedures in place to monitor these horses so I agreed to not proceed with posting a blog regarding this matter, that was my mistake.

With the condition of the horses being in question and the pictures that I received, a year ago, there is no telling how many horses have perished during the past year.

It is now January 15, 2013 and this farm is still operating and from what I am hearing there are still horses dead and dying.  I am personally aware that the Natchitoches Parish Humane Society, the Natchitoches Animal Control, the Sheriff’s Department and the Police Department along with the Louisiana Thoroughbred Association and the LHRA  have been made aware of the conditions of the horses.   I know that there have been joint meetings with all of these groups discussing this matter.

All I can say is shame, Shame, SHAME, on all of those individuals and organizations who have been aware of this matter for over a year and promised to follow-up but did not.  I will not make the same mistake again, I will not trust when someone says there are actions in place and to please not post a blog.

Horse Seizure Follow Up – SixthEdition

Recap of what we saw

One year ago today, some 60 horses were seized from C & S Farms owned by Mr. Charles Ford, in Many, Louisiana.  When those involved with the rescue arrived at the farm they found devastation, dead and dying horses and dogs.  These animals had been neglected and starved to death.   It was heart breaking to see the carnage and destruction caused by Mr. Ford’s actions or should I say lack of actions.  Approximately 85% of the horses seized on January 7, 2012 were able to be saved and are alive today and in happy places.  These horses suffered from and were treated for dehydration, malnutrition, internal parasites, skin conditions and pneumonia along with other problems.

Mr. Ford has plead not guilty to the many felony charges; one count for each horse or other animal that died as a result of starvation and abuse; and numerous misdemeanors filed against him.  It is reported that his attorney has requested that the felonies be reduced to misdemeanors but, thankfully, the DA’s office refused.  The jury trial for Charles Ford is set for January 22, 2013.  There will be no punishment great enough for Mr. Ford, but I believe that his sentence should be creative, he should have to spend his days working to pay for all the expenses incurred by those who were involved in the rescue and for all those currently taking care of these horses while spending his evenings and nights in jail, for years to come.  He should also be banned from ever owning a horse of any type ever again.  He should be banned from having anything to do with horse racing.

 

Follow Up RMR FB   William (Bill) Young, was the trainer at Mr. Charles Ford’s farm and I believe he should take some responsibility for what occurred.  I understand that he didn’t own the land or the horses but he could have reported the problem earlier, he could have alerted the owner’s of the horses who were entrusted to Mr. Ford’s care, especially since he was in contact with at least one owner, he could have gone to the authorities himself.  I am aware that there is a question as to when the abuse was first reported and how that played into the devastation, but the reports did not come from Mr. Young who would have had firsthand knowledge and would have been considered a knowledgeable person.

 

DSC_2148  The monies it has cost to care for and rehabilitate these horses is currently in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The time that has been spent to form bonds and for these horse to regain their trust in humans is hundreds of hours all filled with love, patients and care.  Some horses have had to undergo surgeries, while most have had to be on special diets until their systems regained their strength and became accustomed to food.  Some of the horses took to human contact and love quickly while others had to learn how to trust all over again.  Some of these horses are being trained in other disciplines while others will only be pasture friends, because of their health issues.

DSC_2186    There have been so many people who have worked hundreds of hours during the past twelve months to ensure the well being of these horses and a few that I would like to specifically mention, because, I believe that without them none of these horse would be here today.   I would like to thank Sunny Francois with Louisiana Horse Rescue Association and Donna Keen with Remember Me Rescue, and to  Dr. Mirza and his students from Louisiana State University Veterinary School.

Ransom #1It is hard to write this follow-up because it turned out that this was not the isolated incident I thought it was, but it was the first one where I was on the scene.  During the past twelve months I have learned so much about the Race Horse Industry, and yes it is an industry.   I have received a number of calls and e-mails regarding other race horses being neglected and found that it is almost impossible for individuals or rescue groups to take action.  If the owner doesn’t relinquish the horses voluntarily then there must be such a public outcry before anything gets done.   I have received pictures of dead and dying horses, have called police departments, sheriff departments, neighboring farms all the time giving the owner the opportunity to remove evidence of abuse and neglect.  There are inspectors and horse racing officials who know about these incidences but the abuse continues.

If you want your voice heard in this matter you may send a letter to Judge Stephen Beasley, c/o District Attorney Don Burkett, District Attorney’s Office, 495 South Capital Street, Many, LA 71449.  Please write “Attn: Karen Williams” on the outside of the envelope.  Your letter must be received prior to January 22, 2013.

Horse Seizure Follow Up – Fifth Edition

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Hi all, they call me Lil’ Bit here in Alvord, Texas.  I was found by the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association and Remember Me Rescue in Many, Louisiana, along with about 68 of my friends.  That place in Many, LA was called C & S Farms.  They didn’t take real good care of me and my friends, but those of us who made it out of that horrible place are now happy, eating regularly, have a clean place to sleep and a safe place to play.

When we were first found I must admit that I was real scared of all these people who showed up.  There were people taking my pictures, touching me, putting this cold thing on my chest and belly trying to listen to my insides, it was real scary but they also brought us food which made things better.  Then they started putting us in trailers and we were on the move, this scared me a lot.  I didn’t know where I was going but there were a couple of my friends with me so we tried to reassure each other that this was a good thing.  When we finally stopped we were at Remember Me Rescue in Burleson, Texas.  My buddy Ransom told me everything would be alright but I wasn’t as trusting as he is.  At RMR our lives began to change, you see that is where we meet Lilly.  Lilly feed and talked to us each day and every day.

Then one day Lily told me and my friend Ransom that we were going stay with her friend Amanda in Alvord, Texas.  We were loaded on a trailer again and I must admit that I was scared.  Ransom tried to act like he wasn’t scared but I know he was.  The ride to Alvord wasn’t that bad, and when we got there boy was it nice.

                                                                            Amanda is our foster mom and we now have a foster grandma, Patty.  We are so lucky; Amanda and Patty come out to see us each and every day.  We get feed on a regular basis and we get to play, but like all moms’ and grandmas’ they make us behave.  I keep an eye on everything though.

 

 

 

This here is my friend Ransom, he is such a ham.  Really he is my rock and keeps me from being so scarred.  Ransom is more outgoing than I am.  He is also more trusting.  Ransom has grown a lot in the past two months and people say that I have grown too.  I don’t know about that but I do know that I am not hungry all the time anymore.  Our home in Alvord is really nice

Mom and Grandma have told Ransom and me that we have to learn our manners and we are working at it, there is just so much to learn.  I love my foster mom and grandma very much but I still get scared when new people come around.  They always tell me it is okay, but it is very scary.   I think I did real good today when the lady came out to take our pictures I let her touch me and you know what I realized mom might be right so I let her pet and love me a lot.  I don’t think she got a picture of that though.

I have also found out that I love having my hair brushed.  When I was found my hair hadn’t been brushed in a really long time and my coat had rain rot.  I realized that I can get my hair brushed more often if I go and play in the dirt.  Mom and Grandma always want me to look my best so they will brush away all the dirt.

Ransom likes playing with Mom.  They keep talking about this thing being broke and I am not so sure about that, it doesn’t sound so good, but hey what do I know.  For Mom and Grandma I will give it a try.

Hey did I tell you about our other friends out here in Alvord.  There are these two things they call kids, one has hair that is the same color as mine and the other has darker hair like Ransom.  These kids come out and play with us and                              give us a lot of love also.  We are told that we have to behave around them and to be careful and we try, so far so good.  There are also a lot of other horses out here.  Ransom gets to play with one of them and when I stop being so scared I will get to play to, but right now I like just watching.

Ransom and I would like to say thanks to everyone with Louisiana Horse Rescue, Remember Me Rescue, Lilly, Mom Amanda, and Grandma Patty.

Here are some other pictures of Ransom, look at those big ears.  Please don’t tell him that I posted the pictures of his ears, I think he may be a little sensitive about their size.

 

Horse Seizure Follow Up – Fourth Edition

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This past week I had the pleasure to visit Remember Me Rescue in Burleson, Texas to follow-up on the horses from the horse seizure in Many, LA.  I believe this composite says it all, all the horses are regaining their health, they are happy and content and above all loved.

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Horse Seizure Follow Up – Third Edition

Horse Seizure 2nd Follow Up

A little over three weeks ago there was the seizure of 60+ horses in Many, LA.  After asking numerous times as to the status of criminal charges and being told that no one knows the status I decided to call the District Attorney’s office myself.  I spoke with Don M. Burkett, District Attorney for the 11th Judicial District Court.  Mr. Burkett informed that “to date there were no charges filed” and there was no court date scheduled.  He informed me that usually a formal investigation is performed by the sheriff’s department or state police but this matter is primarily being handled by the Sabine County Humane Society and volunteers who are now putting the information together.  He further told me that LSU Vet School is preparing an individual report on each animal and he does not have those reports yet.  When he gets all the information he will make a decision as to how he is going to proceed.  Anything less than a capital offense he will most likely file a bill of information but he has not made a definite decision not to put it in front of a grand jury first.

Mr. Burkett went on to say that once it is determined what the charges are and if they intend to file a bill of information, Mr. Ford will be notified to come to court for arraignment, at which time he will probably plead not guilty.  Depending on what grade of felony or misdemeanor he is charged with would determine how fast this matter went to trial.  If the charges are misdemeanors Mr. Ford will be in court relatively soon if the charges are felonies he could not say when Mr. Ford would be in court.

When ask how he thought he would charge Mr. Ford, I was told that the law says that there can be a separate count on each animal but he is not going to try to just generate a lot of paper work.  “I may group the charges by severity.”  Mr. Burkett also told me that the main focus has been on the horses but there were dogs, some who were dead, and other livestock on the property, which he also must take into consideration.

Mr. Burkett says he has given a lot of thought to this matter, but doesn’t have the files needed to proceed.  He further indicated that Mr. Kelly, from the Sabine Humane Society, was in his office yesterday and that Mr. Kelly “appeared to be a rather prompt kind of a guy” and would be diligent in his follow-ups.

During our conversation Mr. Burkett also indicated that he had received a number of calls on this matter; even a call from a Senator whose conversation went to the argument of outlawing the slaughtering of horses, comment being these horses could have gone to slaughter.  Some see this situation as the platform for legalizing horse slaughter houses.

Mr. Burkett further stated that this situation was not exclusive to Many, Louisiana and said that he has heard of people around the United States, who due to economic reasons are just opening their gates and letting their horses go, he has also heard that research centers are having to lock all gates and entrances to cotton, hay, and other fields to keep people from opening those gates and dropping off their horses.

Mr. Burkett went on to say that slaughtering horses is horrible but when the market condition is like it is today what do you do?  He further stated, “this guy, Mr. Ford, was in the business of the construction of lake houses and wharfs and one day he went to an auction bought a horse made some money and then decided to go into the horse business.  It is his understanding that a lot of the horses were not owned by Mr. Kelly but were there to be trained by Mr. Ford’s trainer”, William (Bill) Young.  Mr. Burke then said “he did have a licensed trainer and “we will need to take a look at him, also.”  He then went on to say that the LA Training Commission will probably yank his license and it’s not like Mr. Ford had some high dollar horses and people weren’t lining up to buy the colts.

Mr. Burkett stated that he “doesn’t think he (Mr. Ford) went into it with the intention of just breeding.”  We ended our conversation with Mr. Burkett saying he will take the evidence he receives and will apply the facts to the law as they apply.  He has no preconceived feelings or ideas and will wait for the facts.

With all of that said, I have asked the rescue associations and the persons fostering the Many 60 if they have heard from Mr. Burkett and the answer was a very loud “NO”.  Mr. Kelly of the Sabine County Animal Shelter has been in touch with the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association and has requested reports and documentation but the LHRA has not received one call from Mr. Burkett.  Those fostering the Many 60 and LHRA and Remember Me Rescue would like to put a voice to those reports.  The reports do not account for all of the hours of care that these horses are requiring nor do they list all of the monies that are necessary to care of them and future care and considerations are not addressed.

Throughout the last number of weeks I have spoken with, received e-mails and received facebook messages regarding the Many 60.  There have been comments in support of and against the Sabine County Animal Shelter.  There has been one area where all are in agreement and that is everyone feels the District Attorney will let this matter fall through the cracks and that Mr. Ford will not pay for his actions.

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Horse Seizure Follow Up – Second Edition

Horse Seizure 1st Follow Up 

The original report posted on facebook indicated that there were 60 horses that needed rescuing; in reality there were many more than sixty.  Sixty-Eight horses were actually rescued, eight of whom have since passed away, despite the best efforts of those involved.  The number of horses that died on the property, prior to the seizure, is not known for sure, but it is estimated that more than twenty horses died on the property.  It was reported to me that there were two carcasses found by the volunteers upon arriving at the property and another five carcasses were located after the rescue ended.  Twelve graves were also located.  I have heard that during mid to late 2011 there may have been as many as 100 horses at the C and S Farm which is located onHillcrest Roadin Many, LA.

C and S Farm is owned by Charles and Suzanne Ford. They also owned or were the custodian of the horses, pigs, goats and dogs on the property.  Mr. Ford’s daughter has posted on facebook that her parent’s requested the assistance of the Sabine Humane Society as early as November of 2011 and states “I also know she gave permition to come onto the properity and do what ever was need to be done.it just seems funny that no help was offered by your organization until the day before the tv stations came out. yes you offered hay that day and my father sent to get the hay the same evening it was offered by your organization. the horses were not hid by any means. most of the time the horses were next to the highway..”

Below are pictures that represent the view to C and S Farm from the highway.

      

Mary Brocato, who in on the board of the Sabine Humane Society, was not at the rescue site on Saturday “since someone had stay at the shelter to answer the phones and help with the adoptions of the dogs and cat already there”.  Ms. Brocato was on site on Sunday and when I decided to do a follow-up I called Ms. Brocate.

When I contact Ms. Brocato to ask “who made the first complaint” I was told that Mr. Ford’s wife Suzanne came in on November 11, 2011 and informed the Humane Society the Mr. Ford was not taking care of the horses that were on the farm.  She asks that the Humane Society go out and check on the condition of the horses.  Larry Kelly – Animal Cruelty Investigator of the Sabine Humane Society followed procedures and called Mr. Ford to inform him that a complaint had been filed and that the Humane Society would need to inspect the horses.  Within two to three hours of this call Larry Kelly and Lisa went to the location that was reported to be where the horses were.  Mr. Kelly and Lisa meet with Mr. Ford at the stable area and examined the horses in this area.  The horses in the stalls did not appear to be in real bad condition and there was a small amount of hay in each of the stalls.  Mr. Kelly informed Mr. Ford that the horses were not being feed enough and ask if any hay was needed.  Mr. Ford said that he could use some assistance with hay and arrangements were made for Mr. Ford to pickup six rounds of hay.  Mr. Ford picked up this hay later in the day.  A couple of weeks later Mr. Ford was contacted again and informed that arrangements had been made for him to pick up an additional hay.  Mr. Ford chooses not to pick up this hay.  Mr. Ford also never mentioned that there were possibly 60 additional horses that were in need of care, he only showed the horses in the stable area which is down the dirt road and over a cattle guard.

Ms. Brocato also told me that she had heard that prior to the seizure Mr. Ford had given a man down the road 8 horses and that a couple of people have come to the Humane Society and tried to claim some of the horses as theirs.

When I ask Ms. Brocato if she thought that all of the horses had been found on the acreage she told me that the Sabine Humane Society has spent the week searching the property.  No additional horses have been found but they were catching pigs that have been running all over the place.  I then ask about the cattle that had been on the property and Ms. Brocato told me that a Mr. Garland Peterson was claiming that the cattle were his and he was just grazing his cattle on the land.

Last week Ms. Brocato told me that she wants everyone to know that the Sabine Animal Shelter, run by the Sabine Humane Society has a small staff, Lisa Butler is the manager, Sarah Ritchie is the assistant manager and there are three inmates who work full time at the shelter.  Larry Kelly is on the Board of Directors and is the Animal Cruelty Investigator; Willie Kinney works for the City ofManyand the Shelter and is the Animal Control Officer for the city.  These individuals have worked diligently and long hours in coordinating the rescue, locating the horses’ papers, matching pictures and paper work and now caring for the nine horses still under their control and custody.  Decisions were made, on Sunday, by the Humane Society as to who toke which horses. Ms. Brocato assured me that the Sabine Humane Society was very involved in the rescue and will remain involved and follow up on the well being of all of the horses rescued. On Saturday, January 21, 2012 Ms. Brocato informed me that the four horses which were still in the custody of the Humane Society would be transported to Remember Me Rescue either Monday or Tuesday.

When I ask Ms. Brocato about the donations the Sabine Humane Society had received for the Many Seizure she stated that they had received funds, goods and services.  During our conversation she told me about, and then sent a FB message listing the following donations, Thom Basset of Providence, Rhode Island (cash donation), Nate Wagley of Many (cash donation), Candy Magee of Franklin Tennessee paid half of the feed and supply bill at Family Farm and Garden in Many, Family Farm and Garden discounted everything that “we” bought for the horse rescue effort (feed, wheelbarrow, padlocks, chains, feed buckets, water tanks,…just to mention a few things), Billy Henry of Lake Charles called and donated 22 round bales of hay, Jeremy Bowman from near Lufkin drove to Lake Charles, loaded the hay and drove it to Many at a discounted price, Bruce Taylor of Ft. Jessup donated and delivered three rolls of hay, Marion Hall and Shannon Clements-Hall donated sacks of feed and wormer.  We’ve had donations ranging from $25 to $500 and even one for a $1,000.  Bruce and Jan Tatum donated labor to clean barns and prepare stalls and paddock areas for horses and are fostering a colt.  “The list goes on and on.  These are only a few of the kind, generous people who have reached out to help these rescue horses and to help the shelter with limited resources and personnel.”

It is my understanding that the Sabine Humane Society and Animal Control no longer have any of the Many 60 in their actual possession.  They will however continue to collect donations and supplies for the horses which remain in the Many andNatchitochesarea.  Any donations clearly marked for the Many 60 will be used to assist and disbursed to these horses.

In speaking with other individuals, in the community, I was informed that there had been calls to the Humane Society, at least, one may have even been prior to Mrs. Ford visit to the Humane Society.  I was also told that the Humane Society was told that there were “a lot of horses” on this property all prior to January of 2012.

The debate as to when the Sabine County Humane Society was first notified will probably go on for some time.  There will be those that say the Humane Society did nothing until others got involved and those that say the Humane Society did not know the magnitude of the matter until January 2012.  The bottom line is Mr. Ford, his family and trainer, William (Bill) Young knew and possibly others in the community knew.  Is there anymore that could have been done prior to the seizure itself?  I think there are additional steps that could have been taken and everyone needs to be prepared in case they are confronted with a similar issue.

If you follow the steps below you will make a difference:

1.  Document what you see.  Pictures speak volumes so if you have a camera, take some pictures, if the only camera you have is on your phone use that one.  Make written notes of what you see and when you see it.

2.  Find out who the Animal Cruelty Investigator is in your area and give them a call and accurately describe the abuse you are reporting.  When you give your report be reasonably accurate, you do not want to appear to be inept.

3.  If there is no action taken, follow-up with a letter detailing the abuse.  It will be hard to do but keep emotions out of the letter.  Also, you may want to mail the letter, certified return receipt, so you will have proof as to when you sent the letter.

4.  Follow up again in a couple of days.

5.  Ask your friends if they have seen the animal(s) in question.  If they haven’t encourage them to go by and to then report their finding to the Animal Cruelty Investigator.

6.  If you still don’t get any response, follow-up again, and remember to only state the facts as you know them.

7.  If there is still no action taken and the Animal Cruelty Investigator hasn’t followed up you will need to get more aggressive by:

  • Calling the police/sheriff’s department
  • Post on facebook (post pictures if you have them)
  • Contact your local television station and newspaper

8.  If all else fails contact the nearest horse rescue organization and ask them to get involved.  Some humane organization officers are mostly familiar with small domestic pets and they misdiagnose the horse’s problem and a horse rescue organization can educate the officer if necessary.

9.  Get involved, stay involved and make some noise.  Check on the animal as often as possible.

There are some things that you MUST NOT DO when you are confronted with this type of situation, and they are:

1.  Do not enter the property where the animal(s) is located, you do not want to get arrested for trespassing.

2.  Do not feed these animals; you do not want to be blamed on giving them something that made them sick.

3.  Do not threaten anyone, just state the facts.

4.  Do not personally remove the animal(s) in question.

I found an excellent article titled “When is it horse abuse?” This HorseAid article (www.igha.org/abuse.html) discusses the abuse and neglect of horses.  It also shows how to determine if the horse is being abused or neglected.  It is worth reading and bookmarking for future references.

There are other areas that need to be address and will be talked about in future follow-ups so check back.

Horse Seizure 3rd Follow Up

 

Horse Seizure Follow Up – First Edition

Horse Seizure in Many, LA

On January 8, 2012 I posted my first photo journalism article regarding the Horse Seizure in Many,Louisiana and since that time there has been an outcry of emotions.  Comments have been made supporting the efforts and all those involved and comments pointing fingers.  These comments, both positive and negative left me with questions and I decided that I needed to follow up with these horses and issues.

This follow up like the original article was supposed to be short and simple; well what did I know.  Due to the length I have decided to post the follow-up in sections and I am going to start with the horses that remained in the Many, LA area themselves.  As of Saturday, January 22, 2007, there were four horses with the Sabine County Humane Society, one horse with Jan Tatum, in Many LA, one horse with Anita Walker in Many, LA, two horses with a Mr. OC Charles, inNatchitoches,LA.  The horses that are at LHR and RMR will be talked about later.

I started out by visiting with Mary Brocato’s farm where four of the horses were being kept for the Sabine County Humane Society.  Two of these horses had been fostered out and after about a week they were picked up and taken to Ms. Brocato’s farm.  With good intentions, individuals are volunteering to care for the horses not totally understanding their conditions and the care they need.  Without having the proper nutrition, for who knows how long, all of these horses have to have their feedings monitored along with their water intake.  These four horses are showing signs of healing

                               

and are beginning to show their personalities; this one thought that if he went down he would get more attention, it worked the first time.

 These four are now at Remember Me Rescue and looking forward to a new beginning.

Next stop Mary and Allen Kelly – Old River Farm.  When I arrived at Old River Farm I was introduced to the 4-H Club that was there.  Today’s lesson was on the body conditioning scoring chart and what to do if there are animals that are not being cared for properly.  Mary had done her homework and had printouts and pictures for the children, she also used the horses which are in her care from the Many 60 as live examples.  None of these horses should have had to go through what they did but their ordeal is now being used as a learning tool at Old River Farm.  These children and their parents were very interested in all of the horses and where they were.

We discussed the worst of the worst and the hopes for all of these horses’ futures. These four horses are doing much better; their diet is being closely monitored.  They are receiving regular feedings, water, exercise and the love and attention that these precious animals desire.  These children will be following their care and will be a part of their recovery.

 

After my meeting with the children Mary, Allen and I walked down to the barn.  We discussed the future of these horses and all the other horses, there seems to still be some questions about some of the horses identity, but through microchips this should eventually get straightened out.  Mary and Allen’s concern were those that I had previously heard by others, with the drought and the cost of hay rising is this the first of many more seizures to come.  We also discussed the cost of fostering or adopting these sixty, right now there are vet bills and special feedings and the time.

         

Anyone who is thinking about adopting or fostering will need to make a time and financial commitment but from what I have seen so far the amount of love that you will receive in return will be so worth it.

 

The last stop of this weekend was at Anita Walker’s place.  Anita’s daughter, Carmen, and I spent a lot of time together two weeks ago and both fell in love with Baby Hope.  Baby Hope was so shy when I first meet her; she stood in the corner of her stall and didn’t want anything to do with any human being.  It was originally thought that Baby Hope was three months old and now I find out that she is actually seven months old, she is just so small for her age.  Today, you could still see her shyness but she walked on a lead, would let you hug her and you can see that she will be a little heart breaker as she heals.

This is us trying to get Baby Hope out of her stall two weeks ago. 

And this is Baby Hope today.

           

Baby Hope has some issues that keep her questionable for a full recovery.  This poor baby has lots of stomach ulcers and a hernia.  Her feedings must be monitored very closely along with her water intake and her urination.  She will probably need surgery as soon as her strength improves.  Anita would like to thank the Many Walmart; she went in with Baby Hopes first prescription and was informed that this prescription in liquid form would cost $1,000 but if she got the pill, crushed them up and added Karo syrup it would only cost $100.  Anita opted for the pills and while the prescription was being filled the pharmacy ask if this was for one of the Many 60 and she told them yes Baby Hope was a Many 60.  When the prescription was completed the pharmacist told her that Walmart would pick up this script.

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it over to Jan Tatum’s place but I was able to talk to her on the phone.  She is fostering a big 5 year old Gray, Old Stonewalls Cowboy, who is 17 hands tall.

This gray doesn’t have a lot of body fat like the rest of the Jan’s horses but is now getting some Alfalfa cubes mixed in with the hay.  Jan told me that originally she and her husband had said they would just foster until other arrangements could be made but now they have fallen in love.  During the past two weeks Jan’s niece has come over almost every day and spent the weekend to have more time with Cowboy.

Jan said when she hollers his name “he knickers back at me”.  They are also working daily on his muscle tone.    Jan was able to get some hay donated from friends and family, on short notice, that she would like to thank.

Mr. OC Charles who resides in Natchitoches, was at at the seizure and he has two of the Many 60 in his possession.  I have left Mr. Charles a message and will post a follow up on these two when I hear back from him.

I have spoken with many people about this seizure and the one common concern is the fear that this seizure, of this size, is the first of many to come.  With the drought and the rising cost of hay will other breeders and owners face financial hardships and will their horses suffer?  I have contacted and received information from, Mary Borcato who is on the Board of Directors of  the Sabine Humane Society, Dr. Mirza of LSU Veterinary School, Mr. Burke the District Attorney for the 11th Judicial District in Louisiana, Remember Me Rescue and Louisiana Horse Rescue and information from these contacts and interviews will be posted every couple of days throughout the next week.  Please check back in a couple of days for the next follow-up.

Horse Seizure 2nd Follow Up


Horse Seizure in Many, LA

Yesterday, January 7, 2012, was a day that I spent half my time asking, as others were also doing, how could anyone let this happen?  Through Facebook I was following the posts regarding the 60 horses that were seized in Many, LA and on Friday when I saw that Donna Keen from Remember Me Rescue was heading to Many the next day I called and ask if my photographic skills would be useful.  The answer was a definite yes, so early Saturday morning I headed to Many, LA, never envisioning that I would set down and want to write up my experience of that day.

After the four and a half hour drive and then turning down a dirt road, going over a cattle guard and wondering if I had missed my turn I came upon the stables of the O’l Home Place in Many, LA.    By the time I arrived Donna and others had already viewed the horse that were stalled and had moved on to view and evaluate the horses that were pastured, so I began photographing my experience.

At one point in time, I would believe that this facility was a great location but had been allowed to deteriorate.    The equipment was broken down and rusting, moldy hay and it appeared that the stalls had not be mucked out in months if not a year or more.  There was a wall of tack that had been left in the elements to dry rot and there was trash everywhere.

In the stall area there were twenty horses and I was told that these were the healthiest horses of the bunch and instead of the reported 60 horses there were many more.  The horses that were in the stall area, when I arrived, have a good chance of survival.  Even though they are Thoroughbred they will probably never be able to race.  In some cases their health issues today will hamper them for years to come, this doesn’t mean that they will not be fun loving horses and great pets. The horses in the pastures are a different story and have a questionable survival rate.  A large number will probably have to be put down for humane reasons.

On today’s visit there were representatives from three or four different rescue services, from three different states, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. The Humane Society and the LSU Veterinarian and his assistances were there along with horse lovers who came out to assist and drop off supplies, KTBS, Channel 3 also had a reporter on site for part of the day. Also there was a gentleman who was identified to me as the facility’s trainer who in my opinion is as responsible for these horrific conditions as the owner.

The hay that was on the premises was old and moldy and not fit for the horses to eat. One group showed up with 50 bales of hay and bags of pellets.  With the number of horses we are talking about this will not last long, but it is a start and probably kept a number of horses alive for yet another day. Part of the hay was put directly in the pastures and after much discussion it was decided to put the rest of the hay in one of the empty stalls after pallets had been put down.  This decision was made due to the fear that if the hay was left out in the fields the horses would over eat and make their precarious situation even worse.  We know there will be volunteers out tomorrow to make sure the horses are feed and taken care of and arrangements will be made to monitor the feeding until all the horses are either fostered, adopted, or otherwise disposed of.

After being checked out by the Vet and locating paper work and Coggins, five horses from the stall area left for foster care in Mississippi.  In the afternoon, the little three month old baby found a foster home about 15 to 20 minutes away and left in the evening.  Depending on paper work issues one possibly two will be in foster care in Texas, at Remember Me Rescue and heading there hopefully on Sunday.

Besides being malnourished some of the issues these horses are facing include infections and heart problems along with the hours of grooming it is going to take to get these guys and gals presentable.  Below are pictures that represent just a small portion of the problems these horses have.

   

  

After all of the horses in the stall area were evaluated by the LSU Vet and the first five on their way, horses were re-organized, temporary fencing was moved and then we proceeded to one of the pastures and began rounding up the some of the ponies.  Most of these were easy to round up, all we had to do was to run the water into the troth and shake a bag of pellets and there they were willing and ready to be loaded into the trailer.  One little guy did give us a run for our money, figuratively and literally speaking, but in the end he too was caught and then they were all taken back to the stall area, where after reinforcing the area at the end of the stalls they were released to be evaluated tomorrow morning since the sun had, by the time we had gotten back, gone down.

  

On our way over to the pasture to pick up the ponies I thought to myself this is basically a puppy mill but for horses and when we arrived at the pasture, to my surprise there were kennels and at least one dog still in the area.  The dog that I saw appeared to be a Beagle but since I am not an expert I may be wrong, either way the dog appeared to be as malnourished as the horses on the property.  Now while we were handling all of this we also had cattle visiting throughout the day.

  

This is just one day and there are many more days to come and many expenses that will be incurred.  One of the most troubling aspects of this whole event is that during the day we were told that the trainer has indicated the owner will try and retain ownership of some of these horses.  The Humane Society representative did tell us that this was his understanding and that in the end the Judge would make the final decision.

Was there a bright side to this day, you may be asking, yes there was.  These horses, with the conditions they are living in still have compassion and love for us, humans.

 If you can foster one of these great animals send an e-mail to remembermerescue@live.com.  If you cannot foster but can contribute a little something please send your contribution to Remember Me Rescue, 4100 Conveyor Dr., Burleson, Texas.  You can also donate via the website www.teamkeen.com.  Any amount will help out, if enough people who have only a dollar donate that dollar, it will add up real fast.

Horse Seizure 1st Follow Up