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.