This is what emaciated looks like.

Heartbreaking, disturbing video screencaps ahead.

This is the living dead.

Hiker discovers starving horse [link]
KOB.com | Aug 13, 2008

Jacob Romero was hiking on a road from Los Lunas to the Manzano Mountains Tuesday when he came upon something that broke his heart: A horse so emaciated that each of its ribs could be counted. Romero stayed with the horse for a couple of hours giving it water and then tried to get it some assistance.

"We called the state police, we called a livestock inspector, we called the sheriff – nobody showed," said Romero. Eyewitness News 4 notified Animal Protection of New Mexico which, in turn, contacted the livestock board. A representative of the board is supposed to look at the horse Wednesday.

Brace yourselves... I've seen a lot of graphic photos in recent weeks, but I can't believe this mare can even blink, much less stand and walk.

Update on abandoned mare.

Emaciated horse rescued in Valencia Co. [link]
Valerie Castro, Joshua Panas | Aug 13, 2008

With help from the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department's helicopter, a starving horse can now rest easy in the care of professionals. The emaciated horse was spotted late Tuesday wandering east of Valencia County High School. And when rescue teams were organized to pick up the animal Wednesday morning, it was nowhere to be found. After driving the dirt roads and asking if anyone had seen the horse, the animal was finally spotted, covered in flies.

April Riggs of the New Mexico Livestock Board says there's no telling where the mare came from, but she says chances are she belonged to somebody. "She's in bad shape, so I don't think she's been out here that long. I think she might have been dumped off or just let out of the backyard," Riggs said. The horse is currently being treated in Valencia County. Animal Protection of New Mexico is offering up to a $5,000 reward to anyone with information about where the animal came from or how it ended up in such bad shape.

I don't think I've ever seen a horse in worse condition—alive. Generally when horses at this stage are rescued, there is so much internal damage that euthanasia is the only kind thing to do.

What a horrendous fate—being turned loose to die. At least someone could have given her the gift of a bullet a long time ago... this is incredibly sad.

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Look what I found!

Neighbors with lanterns and pitchforks!

Alleged Animal Abuse In Polk County [link]
Jason Law | Aug 1, 2008

In the middle of a fenced in field in Polk County, a freshly dug grave conceals the body of a horse that neighbors say died from severe neglect. "Everyday you see these horses, they're almost starving to death. You see their rib bones, their back bones, their tail bones. They walk around. They look pitiful," says neighbor Denver Fields. According to residents on Upper River Road, three horses have dropped dead on this property in just under a year. The most recent casualty occurred earlier this week when one horse fell over and went untouched for four days. Denver Fields and his wife have made several calls to police, hoping for some kind of intervention to save the animals. "The horses are ultimately suffering for it. They're literally dying over there," he says. Jeff Scott lives next to the horse farm. One look he says and it's clear—these horses are starving. "They don't feed the horses. They've gone all winter long without being fed. Maybe a couple of bales of hay here and there. Just neglect. Real bad neglect," says Scott. Sheriff Bill Davis tells News 12 his department has received multiple complaints. "I've seen the sheriff over there two or three times telling them [to feed the horses]. They'll feed them for about a week then that's it. It's back to the same situation," Scott says. Another neighbor who declined to go on camera says he has donated hay to his neighbor just so the horses would have something to eat. Fields and Scott say the horses barely survived last winter. They're not sure if they can make it through another one.

Want to see these STARVING horses? Get a load of this:

Some of the article comments seem to be posted by the owner:

I can not understand what gives any of you the right to post such hateful comments. You have no idea what kind of person I am. I have had to bury three of my "family members". I have had to endure the grief that my two children have shown for the loss of each one. I am not "evil" or a "killer."

There is always two sides to every story. I will let you and all the "concerned" citizens know:
Horse #1 died of a heart defect diagnosed by a vet.
Horse #2 died of old age, he was close to 40. He had to be put to sleep when he was unable to get up after he had laid down to rest. They do lay down to sleep.
Horse #3 had a kidney condition which she had inherited from her mother. Just like a human, when a horse goes in to kidney failure the go down hill quick. Treatment by a vet was not enough and we lost her.
These horses are in no way abused. They are very well bred horses and have always been well cared for. It was a shock to them to leave a home they had been at all of their life and be moved to a smaller field. I am sure some of weight loss is stress related.
As far as letting the horse lie without being buried for days, you try coughing up 300$ and finding someone with a backhoe that is not on a job elsewhere to come out on the spur of the moment.

Learn the facts about horses and the owners before opinions are formed. Donkeys are not meant to be obese animals. He is also 25 years old.

Went to court Wed. with vet records on ALL the horses. We were there maybe 2 min.—case dismissed!!

I can't say what these horses looked like over the winter, but with neighbors who are out of touch with reality enough to think that they look emaciated right now, a shaggy winter coat might have put them right over the edge!

Beyond skinny. Another sad story.

Another new case, this time from Oregon.

A couple of stories about these horses follow.

Malnourished horses taken into custody [link] Aug-11

Three owners are under arrest for animal neglect after sheriff deputies find malnourished horses... Seven horses were on less than two acres of land, and four of the horses were healthy. Three, however, were not and taken into custody and transported to approved local foster care facilities. The three owners of the horses were arrested for animal neglect.... they were booked and released.

Interesting to note: in this case, it appears they only removed the horses pertaining to the neglect charges, and not the healthy ones as well.

I only point this out because of my research into the Turn 3 Ranch case where the county seized 69 horses plus the land, vehicles, tack and items it took from the off-site residences of the accused. Things seem to have been handled much differently in Oregon.

Sheriff Says Horses Were Neglected, Malnourished [link] Aug-11

... deputies there are investigating an animal neglect case involving several malnourished horses. "Three of seven horses on the property were examined by a local veterinarian. Two geldings and a mare were seized for malnourishment and neglect." Local volunteers assisted with transporting the horses to approved local foster care facilities. The three owners of the horses were arrested for Animal Neglect II.

Difficult to say at this point what factors may have contributed to the present condition of these horses, and why the other four seemed to be doing well in comparison.

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Rescuing horses requires more than a big heart.

The means to feed them is pretty important, too.

Sad news story out of Florida.

Brief synopsis of news story:
Don't rescue what you can't care for

Full article from July 29:
Dozens of horses need homes now

NOTE: Video on news site shows
many more malnourished horses
than photo gallery does.

Now, I'm not one to call a skinny horse STARVING ... but I see worse than simply "underweight" in that video!

Authorities in our area would have seized the horses and pressed charges against the owner of this rescue.

This is one image from the photo gallery. I'm starting to think to myself, maybe ALL of them are not as skinny ...

But then I kept looking.

The nearest horse, on the right, is in thin, poor condition. Even in the distance, I can see very pronounced spines.

So I decided to watch the accompanying video.

We get a pretty good look at this horse, as she walks it past the camera, through obstacles. Another very thin horse.

Another really thin one, on the left in this screencap. Spine and hip bones clearly protruding. Ignore the size of the belly (not a good indicator of body condition); note the young foal lying in front of her.

What are the chances that these mares were bred—by any ungelded colt on site—while at this "rescue" home?

She has just passed that skinny horse (right behind her now) and approaches this one, in similarly bad condition. You may not see ribs, but there is no fat padding along the spine or tail head, and you can see how thin the hindquarters are in relation to the "fat" (post-pregnancy) belly. And look, another young foal.

What are the chances that these mares received adequate care and feeding throughout pregnancy?

A final screencap ... some hindquarters (second from left) show adequate roundness, while others (pretty much every other horse visible here) clearly drop away from the spine and tailhead which is a sign of extremely poor condition.

This is another time I agree with some of what the Fugly Horse of the Day blogger has to say, especially concerning what is a rescue and what isn't. (I do not agree with her anti-slaughter stance.)

I'm not out to pick on this poor woman who has by all accounts had a rough streak of luck. I don't think I'm better than anyone.

I'm here in hopes of educating those who might otherwise believe that they can run out and "rescue" unwanted horses since they've got a few acres for them to live on. Horses are very expensive to maintain properly.

I know the costs of hay and grain for two horses. The costs of dewormer, vaccinations and routine farrier care. Fly spray and joint supplements as needed. The cost of emergency farm calls when a horse is critically sick or injured.

It's not just about money, either, but the amount of time spent checking over legs, hooves, skin, eyes, vitals for any problems or changes on a regular basis. Keeping water supply full and clean, applying fly spray, separating some individuals to give supplements as needed, etc.

There is no way that over 60 horses are getting adequate care from ONE person working full time and also supporting dozens of other animals including cats, dogs, poultry and smaller livestock.

I can point to many current neglect cases where there are charges pending against owners whose horses are in this condition, or not even as bad.

Please, if you feel the need to send money, support the Estates Feed store in Naples that is donating feed until the horses can be placed.

Or maybe a local vet who will geld all the colts for a reduced fee.

This isn't a rescue. This is a needs-to-be-rescued. If you're in the Naples, Florida area and can give one or two horses a good home, please check into that.

In closing, I wish her, her family, and all of her animals the best.

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Screencaps from news video.

If you try to make out the tattoo, you may miss what I did the first time I watched the video ...



Poor old gal has NO TEETH! Yeah, that will definitely make a difference in how you manage and provide available forage.




This brutal camera angle shows her poor condition as well as any could.




However, these other horses, which the video clip infers were seized from the same farm, look more than adequately fed.




I know I caught an awkward stance here, as this young-looking horse had just stood up from rolling, and comes quickly straight for the camera so I captured what I could. Still, from all angles, she appears well fed and healthy from what I can glean from the small bits of video ... the media focus was certainly not on the horses that looked fine.


I do not condone animal abuse or willful neglect.

I also do not believe it is right for law enforcement and/or the government to take one's property—especially considering the other four horses seem to be in very good condition—and sell or otherwise dispose of it before the accused is convicted of any crime. It goes against what our judicial system is supposed to represent.

Without having any additional information, but simply playing devil's advocate for a moment ...

• Do we know how long this horse has been with these owners?


• Do we know what measures were being taken to get this horse to safely gain weight?

It is possible to pick up a horse that looks like this at nearly any weekend livestock auction. Horses are being given away because owners cannot afford to feed them. They could have picked up this horse in an attempt to save it.

Attacking the owners without knowing the full story is a knee-jerk thing to do. Personally, I would like to know what led to this seizure. I would like to know why authorities seize horses that are plainly in good health if just one is questionable.

This is especially important for any horse owner who has older, hard keepers who sometimes fall below preferred weight suddenly, anyone who takes in neglected animals to rehabilitate them (which must be done slowly—neighbors may see the same "skinny" horse for weeks, with a slow gain not apparent to the untrained eye). You could lose your horses and any other possessions that the government chooses to seize, spend your savings to clear your name, lose your job while enduring prolonged court battles ... and even if you prevail and win in court, your horses will be long gone.

Speak out against the abuse of horses, but also speak out against the abuse of American citizens' rights being trampled in front of us.

No arguments here.

This horse is not merely skinny.



Yes, older Thoroughbreds are notorious for being skinny, hard keepers.

But she is malnourished, plain and simple. Whatever they were doing, wasn't working.

The attending vet gave her a 40% chance of survival.

You can't throw hay and grain at a horse in this condition without dire consequences—she needs to be slowly, slowly brought back around due to the stress on her internal organs.

More as the news (the real news from those involved, not the written-for-ratings version from the media) unfolds surrounding this case.

The video is here:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1111405973/bclid1137706675/bctid1703414360

As an aside—I'm concerned that the tendency seems to lean toward taking ALL of the animals, including healthy ones, and dispersing them (the rescue claims to be looking for homes for them) before the accused go to trial.

Remember: innocent until proven guilty. Proof is important.

Comments on the news story already harken to villagers with lanterns and pitchforks, but personal experience and knowledge of the conditions at local horse auctions tells me that I should hear both sides of the story before rushing to judgment. Here is the comment I added to the article feedback:

I would love to hear the horse owners' side of the story. I was one of few who thought that Jackson County should not have seized the 69 allegedly neglected horses at Turn 3 Ranch and it turns out I was right—a judge ruled in their favor and ordered Jackson County to reimburse the owners. (It couldn't return the horses as it sold them all, some to slaughter!)
The media convicted the owners on unsubstantiated rumor, such as saying they hadn't been fed or watered for months, but the sworn testimony of the case led to the dismissal of the felony torture charges. Check turn3vsjcac.blogspot.com for more.
I will reserve my judgment on this case until I hear both sides, but a photo I was emailed of one of the horses shows an emaciated horse. Perhaps they did receive her in that condition; have you seen some of the horses at auction these days? The owners will have to prove that they were taking measures to improve her condition. I don't believe the authorities should have seized any healthy horses on the premises.

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