There is a special hell for people who abuse horses, at least I'm hoping there is. I've seen too much of it and with the 24/7 communications cycle of cable television and social media you can't go a day without seeing examples of abuse that just turn your stomach. It makes you wonder if humans are the failed species of the planet.
The latest episode was outed this weekend when a report on a horse facility in El Paso County, Colorado came to light where the owners just did not abandoned horses to die,.... they were present in the midst of these horses dying and threw tarps over some of the carcasses and left the horses that were alive to live in layers of manure without feed let alone any semblance of proper care such as hoof care. Sheriffs Office responding even said that feed was available on the property.
KKTV Channel 11 news in Colorado reported that a local women discovered a dozen dead horses in a nearby barn and eight other horses in varying degrees of mistreatment, most if not all of the surviving horses severely malnourished.
Imagine walking into a barn only to lift tarps discovering dead horses in varying degrees of decomposition. The lady, Diane Ragula, described the scene, "Some appeared to be malnourished with their ribs showing. Many suffering from foundering of their hooves; four of the horses were inside the barn, walking around the bodies of the dead horses, living in feet of manure that looks to have been collecting without cleaning for years. “I’m pissed. I’m pretty mad and these people just don’t seem to care,” Ragula said.
The Horseaholic website reports that Cutting World Champion and leading sire Dual Peppy is among the abused and neglected horses in the Black Forest, CO horse facility, which had advertised cutting horses for sale.
El Paso County Sheriffs Office responded and after their preliminary investigation they released this statement:
There has been a great deal of outcry about the situation involving the horses in the Black Forest area. We recognize this to be an emotional issue for many citizens, and in light of that, the Sheriff’s Office would like to provide some additional facts about the case.
Friday, September 19, 2014, members of our Investigations Division and our Mounted Unit, skilled in the investigation of animal cruelty and neglect cases involving horses, responded to the property off of Burgess Road to conduct the initial investigation.
After our investigators arrived on scene, they determined that while the appearance of the animals was visually disturbing, none of the horses were in immediate danger and none of them had to be euthanized. As such, investigators had no legal right to seize the horses at that time. We are looking into the cause of death of the deceased animals.
Members of our Mounted Unit are in contact with the horse owner, who is cooperating and receptive to working on a plan of action for continuing care of the animals and improving their living conditions. They have been provided with fresh food and water, (which they had along along) and the owner is making arrangements to further clean up the property.
Rest assured, had any of the animals been in imminent jeopardy, they would have been removed from the location. The Sheriff’s Office has had to do that in previous instances and would not have hesitated in this case should it have been necessary. We have a number of large animal rescue groups we work with in those cases.
The Sheriff’s Office truly appreciates the outpouring of concern the citizens have shown in this case and will make use of the generous offers should they become necessary.
I don't understand the comment that there was feed and water apparently on the premises all along? And that the Sheriffs Office determined that the remaining horses were not in imminent danger? I would have to think that if the owners killed 12 horses already through neglect, then why weren't the other horses, who were obviously malnourished, considered in danger right then and there?
The video below is the initial news report of the incident.
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