BUILDING A STABLE ENVIRONMENT SINCE 2001 ®

Hope For Horses has taken in well over one hundred horses in the past three years.  One of them was a big bold Thoroughbred mare we called “Kate.”  She had an impressive lineage, having been bred by the Whitney family and born at Greentree Stud in Lexington, Kentucky.  She was the daughter of Topsider, a son of Northern Dancer.  But Kate, like so many other Thoroughbreds, didn’t make it at the track.  Her unimpressive wins led her to a life as a brood mare.  And by the time she came to Hope For Horses, she was just another feedlot horse on her way to slaughter.

Kate was a difficult horse.  She was big, and used her size against her handlers.  She could land a kick with a back foot somewhere near her head.  She didn’t like to be handled and suffered from PTSD.  When left in a trailer for more than a few minutes, she would try to burst out of it, because to her every enclosure was a starting gate. 

On December 30, 2007 Kate somehow broke her leg and had to be euthanized.  The next day the office was already closed for the New Year’s holiday, but Hope For Horses staff and volunteers still came to say goodbye.    

Two Horses leave, thirteen stay behind

I see the bad moon rising.

I see trouble on the way.

I see earthquakes and lightning.

I see bad times today.

     -- John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Two new complaints were filed with animal control.  One woman stated that the horses at 96th and Waller were trying to break through the flimsy wire fences to get to the grass on the other side.  Another caller reported that she had just driven by the Gale property and there didn’t appear to be any food or water available, and the horses appeared to be eating their wooden feeder boxes.  She  had called many times before, and was angry and frustrated with animal control for not taking action sooner.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Diana Martin was getting antsy.  She knew there would be a meeting with animal control in a couple of days that would hopefully resolve her concerns, but she decided to take one more look at the horses anyway. 

She arrived at Diane Ellis’ house around noon and they began filming the horses next door. 

She thought if they could just get a vet to take a look at the horses’ living conditions, animal control would be convinced to take action.  So they contacted Dr. Linda Hagerman, who agreed to look at the horses as best she could from Ellis’ side of the fence.

Dr. Hageman drove out to the property and peered over the fence, but she couldn’t really determine anything definitive from that vantage point.  She left to take another call. 

Shortly after Dr. Hagerman left, a horse that hadn’t been seen in a while - a handsome bay Arab stallion - appeared from around the corner.  This horse was clearly in trouble.  His penis was engorged with blood and it appeared to be infected.  They called Dr. Hagerman to come back, but she was busy.  They tried to reach animal control but no one was available to come out. 

Meanwhile, the County was gearing up for the meeting on January 3.  Animal control supervisor, Lisa Drury, was trying to get caught up on email before the new year started.  She checked her messages for a response from the prosecutor’s office.  Drury and her staff had asked the PA whether the lack of shelters on the property constituted sufficient pain and suffering to justify proceeding with a warrant.  The PA’s office had responded saying they would need medical evidence from someone willing to testify in court. 

Monday, December 31, 2007

At 8:00 AM Diana Martin called 911.  The dispatcher indicated that he didn’t know if they could respond, but he would check with his sergeant.   Diana then called animal control and said she would wait on the phone while an animal control officer was contacted. 

At 8:30 AM Diane Ellis called animal control asking that someone respond immediately. 

By10:22 AM Officer Davidson had been dispatched to the scene, and called in to confirm that he was at the property.  Martin showed him the video they had taken the day before and asked about a collapsing shelter in the muddy paddock where two white mares were being kept. 

At 10:39 AM Officer Davidson left the property to request a search warrant.  Dr. Jack Gillette was contacted and he agreed to examine two of the horses.    Clearly, one of them was the horse with the injured penis, but Officer Davidson seemed concerned about an “Appy pony with injuries to its rear leg,”  which Dr. Gillette described as “inflamed and swollen.” 

Around noon, Dr. Gillette completed his exam.  His report stated that the horses were knee-deep in mud, with mud caked on their legs and bellies.  He said there was no sign the animals had been fed recently because he didn’t see any hay on the ground.  He felt the stud needed immediate attention, and “the foal appeared debilitated to such an extent that it should also be removed.”  Although the baby was still nursing, the mare was not removed.  There was no mention of the Appy pony with the injured leg in Dr. Gillette’s report.

Around 3 PM, animal control posted a Notice to Post Cruelty Bond, and Hope For Horses was contacted to remove the horses.  But before that happened, Dr. Gillette indicated that he could have the horses cared for right away.  By 6:30 PM, both horses were loaded into the trailer and left for a private citizen’s farm.   

Thirteen more horses remained on the property.  Dr. Gillette said they should probably be removed as well, and suggested that Dr. Hagerman do a medial evaluation as he would not be available.   

Chapter 4 ...

IMPOUND AT WALLER ROAD - CHAPTER 3