Become an activist.

Now that the media knows, there is no reason not to inform the public that our peaceful protest will be held at the site of the final auction of the remaining horses JCAC seized from Turn 3 Ranch:

Sunday, November 4
MSU Pavilion, East Lansing
10:00 a.m. until noon

The media has been alerted, and now it is up to YOU to show your condemnation of the actions of Jackson County in this case. Supporters have funded the printing of 1,000 flyers for activists to distribute. Make and bring your own signs. Feel free to use anything at all you want from this blog, from the flyers, any photos posted here.

MSU Police have been made aware of our intentions ... there are certain guidelines to follow, but on the whole, they support peaceful protesting by concerned citizen activists. Do not block the entrance, no weapons, etc. Being non-confrontational, truthful and respectful at all times is critical to fair coverage of the story.

Peace for the horses.

The final auction of horses who have been in the "care" of Jackson County Animal Control for the last 7 months is almost upon us.

You are probably reading this as someone who expressed interest in pursuing an investigation into JCAC with regards to the case against Turn 3 Ranch, where in March of this year, 69 horses were seized, and later 84 horses (including the spring foals) were forfeited to Jackson County. Many have found this seizure to be unjust, as proper procedures as outlined in the Right To Farm Act were not followed, because the county's own equine vet found the majority of horses to be at ideal weight or better, but most alarmingly -- many horses sold by JCAC in the past month have been apparently neglected for months by JCAC, infested with parasites, skinny with ribs showing, young fillies testing positive for pregnancy. The former owners have yet to go to trial on the charges against them, but if found innocent, their entire herd -- their livelihood -- will already be gone.

Maybe your only knowledge of this case so far is what the media had to report -- "69 starving horses" -- "half of them pregnant" -- or any of the other misinformation that was published. The pre-trial testimony of horse experts debunks much of the sensationalism that was reported. We know that there were only a dozen pregnant mares, not 37 -- and that the majority of the herd was in good health, with three horses in poor condition coming out of a harsh winter, as well as two horses with injuries that were being treated.

As a statement of solidarity among the agricultural community, especially the horse owners and citizens concerned about the government acting inappropriately, we are asking for your support in distributing information about this case.

Contact me privately (xpbuttercup at gmail dot com) to receive information on a meeting place and time for a peaceful protest, or if you cannot meet us, for a printable informative flyer to distribute in your area. (Looking for volunteers in the Birch Run area for the upcoming horse expo.)

If you have an "in" with a friendly reporter who might provide some news coverage to help expose the case, send this message along. A great deal of misinformation was released in March and April, and most people have not heard what happened to the horses since then.

http://Turn3vsJCAC.blogspot.com/

http://www.GLHorseTruth.com/

I am XP, and I approve of this message. Pass it on.

Stand.

Jackson County Animal Control has made a motion to amend the bond conditions and make it so that the defendants cannot attend the final auction.

Among other unfounded allegations, they state:

iii. At the third sale, it appeared that the horses being put up for auction were sedated just prior to the sale soon after Mr. Mercier and his buddies left the pen containing the horses.

As I was a witness to this alleged activity, I am testifying as to what I did and did not see at the bond hearing this week, as well as several of the other witnesses, who have never been "buddies" with the defendant, but like myself were concerned citizens and potential buyers.

Did you think we would all run and hide? I am stunned that JCAC would make this allegation to attempt to blame the pathetic condition of those weanlings on the defendant. They have accused ME, by association, of drugging young horses.

So now it is not enough to attempt to smear the public image of the defendants... they mean to make allegations against anyone who does not condone the seizure of these animals, and the poor care they have received in the hands of Jackson County Animal Control.

I will stand.

Right to Farm.

This is long, but very well worth the read! Thanks to Bob Reid for this great story.

If you are a farmer or rancher this article is one that you need to pay careful attention to. It is no exaggeration to say that the story I am about to tell you holds the potential to negatively impact the future of your farm. It’s going to talk a while to explain the entire situation, so grab a cup of coffee and start reading.

Recently a case went to court in Jackson County in the state of Michigan. After hearing secondhand how ludicrous and unjust the case was from a number of livestock owners, I decided to take a look at what was happening. When I finished reading the court transcripts and the verdict I was appalled. Not only were the two ranchers being seriously abused, but the precedence set by the outcome of the case was staggering.

What would you say if I told you that if your ranch/farm needs to be cleaned up, your fencing and shelters need to be repaired, and “some” of your livestock isn’t up to par, that I can seize your entire farm, sell all your livestock and keep the money for myself? That’s what Jackson County did and wait until you hear some of the details involved.

Before I get caught up in describing a number of the facts that will leave the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, let me take a second and explain how this case effects every farmer and rancher in our country. For those of you that haven’t had the opportunity to be involved in the judicial system, here’s how it works. When charges are brought before the court, the judge reviews the charges, the laws relevant to the charges, the evidence and testimony, AND previous cases of a similar nature. He uses the previous cases as a benchmark to determine how other courts have applied the laws to similar situations and as a strong source of guidance as to how he should cast his judgment. I’m sure you’re beginning to see the impact here. Should the county you live in decide that they want to seize your farm, claiming that you’re not meeting the standards they expect, they have a much stronger chance of succeeding now by referencing the Jackson County case.

Some of you may be thinking, “That’ll never happen to me.” Well, you may be very surprised at how likely it could be. The majority of people in our country have no understanding of agriculture and as is common psychologically, they tend to apply their own personal standards to what they expect in others. As crazy as it seems, this means that many city folks expect your livestock to receive the same care as the cute little puppy in their own backyard. The case in Jackson County is not only a perfect example of this unrealistic perspective, but has now set a precedence that will bolster the confidence and authority to take similar actions by agriculturally ignorant local governments across the country.

This particular case in Jackson County involves so many areas of concern that I’m having to spend a great deal of time filling you in on the groundwork before getting to the actual case details. I ask for your patience as I continue and I promise that this entire plate of spaghetti that I’m throwing in front of you will be worth your attention in the end. Unfortunately, I can’t guarantee that you’re going to like the taste.

There are a number of states that have recognized the needs of the agricultural community and as such have passed legislation protecting their farmers and ranchers. Michigan is one of these states. The following are two excerpts from the 1981 Michigan Right to Farm Act.

This first excerpt outlines the more common areas of complaint that the Department of Agriculture investigates. Note that one of the areas specifically defined is “care of farm animals”.
“Subject to subsection (2), the director shall investigate all complaints involving a farm or farm operation, including, but not limited to, complaints involving the use of manure and other nutrients, agricultural waste products, dust, noise, odor, fumes, air pollution, surface water or groundwater pollution, food and agricultural processing by-products, care of farm animals and pest infestations.”

This second excerpt defines the process to be used if the Department of Agriculture finds that the farmer/rancher isn’t meeting the standards.
“If the director identifies that the source or potential sources of the problem were caused by the use of other than generally accepted agricultural and management practices, the director shall advise the person responsible for the farm or farm operation that necessary changes should be made to resolve or abate the problem and to conform with generally accepted agricultural and management practices and that if those changes cannot be implemented within 30 days, the person responsible for the farm or farm operation shall submit to the director an implementation plan including a schedule for completion of the necessary changes.”

The process above makes sense and seems to be a fair way to assure that the people handling farming inspections and problems are hopefully agriculturally intelligent being that they’re employed by the Department of Agriculture. But, what if the Department of Agriculture turns a blind eye to the use and enforcement of these laws at the local level? After reading the transcripts the first thing I did was contact the director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture to find out what their involvement was. Two weeks after telling me that he would look into it, he responded with a detailed description of what they had done.

The director’s response was very bothersome not in regards to what had been done, but rather what hadn’t been done. He stated, “The Michigan Right to Farm Act does not affect the application of other state statutes and federal statutes; and as such, does not affect actions taken by MDA Animal Industry Division or local Animal Control regarding animal neglect, abuse, cruelty, etc.,” Wait a minute! Didn’t we just read that the Michigan Right to Farm Act defines “care of livestock” as part of their investigative responsibilities? Didn’t it go on to define the process that the Department of Agriculture should use if they discover a problem during their investigation? Why are they turning their backs and letting the local Animal Control call the shots? Why would the state of Michigan pass legislation defining these responsibilities and processes if they didn’t intend for it to be applied?

Oh, it gets better. The local Animal Control had filed the charges against the farmers under Michigan Penal Code Act 328 of 1931, section 750.50. In this section of the penal code there is a line that states:
(8) This section does not prohibit the lawful killing or other use of an animal, including, but not limited to, the following:
…
(f) Farming or a generally accepted animal husbandry or farming practice involving livestock.

Now we have the penal code saying that the charges are not applicable to an animal being used in a farming practice involving livestock and the Department of Agriculture telling us that the Animal Control can call the shots even though the Right to Farm Act defines it as the Department of Agriculture’s responsibility for such cases. Furthermore, the Department of Agriculture has developed a “Generally Accepted Practice” manual for the care of livestock. There is definitely an issue here that needs to be resolved at the state level or higher.

Keep what I just mentioned in mind while you read some of the details of the Jackson County case. It is shocking how out of sync the urban perspective of Jackson County’s government is compared to the reality of farming.

On March 13th an Animal Control officer was investigating a fencing issue at the ranch and upon further investigation decided that the condition of the ranch and the state of some of the livestock was unacceptable. As such, she demanded the rancher meet her at the ranch with a veterinarian.

On March 16th she met with the rancher and the veterinarian that he had called, Dr. Sray, who had been the vet for Jackson County Animal Control for 28 years. Looking over the ranch, Dr. Sray noted that there were some horses that had weathered hard over the Michigan winter, but these were primarily the very young horses, which is common, and a couple 28-year-old mares. All of the thinner horses had already been segregated from the herd and penned separately prior to Animal Control’s involvement, so it was pretty obvious that the ranchers were working on the issue. There was also a horse with a wire cut near one hoof that the rancher had been treating himself and one horse that had a sensitive hip that Dr. Sray mentioned should be looked at. After looking over the remainder of the herd, his conclusion to Animal Control was that the farm needed to be cleaned up, but there didn’t seem to be any overall problem that a few weeks of warm weather wouldn’t take care of. This was a reasonable conclusion considering that it was later testified to in court that 56 of the 69 head herd were at or near optimal weight (i.e. 4-5 on the Henneke scale). He also suggested that if she was still concerned with the situation, she should stop by occasionally over the next month and verify that things were improving.

Rather than follow the professional advice provided by the vet that they had used for the past two plus decades, Animal Control contacted the Department of Agriculture, requesting a second opinion. Although it appears that this is pushing the issue more than should have been appropriate, it is what Animal Control did before the DA vets arrived that is very unsettling. Animal Control took it upon themselves to obtain a warrant to seize the herd and all related property, disregarding the professional opinion of Dr. Sray by lying on the affidavit that there was a conflict of interest because Dr. Sray was a personal friend of the rancher and had known him since he was a child. Both Dr. Sray and the rancher each testified in the trial that neither had said such. Dr. Sray had only been to the ranch approximately six times over the past two years to provide veterinary services, they did not know each other socially, and the rancher had not been born or raised in Jackson County. In the warrant Animal Control justified the seizure based on inadequate care and abandonment.

After seizing the ranch, Animal Control called in a local Horse Rescue. After the Horse Rescue visited the farm they wanted nothing more to do with it. They said there was no justification for seizing the farm.

From what you’ve read so far I’m sure you can see that this entire case didn’t hold any water in front of any person with an ounce of agricultural experience. You can’t abandon a 69 head herd through an entire Michigan winter and have 56 of the 69 in good shape come spring. Young and old horses weather harder than others, so when spring comes around you segregate them from the herd and give them some extra attention. That’s common sense and that is what was being done on this ranch (The yearlings had been rated between a 2 and 3 on the Henneke scale.). But, when agriculturally ignorant people get their hands on something like this, they see it quite different. The problems for the farmers were only beginning.

Once the case got to court things only got worse. The case was ruled by Judge Joseph Filip, who admitted to his ignorance in the realm of agriculture and whose actions and judgment substantiated the fact. With no understanding of horses, the prosecution bombarded him with unreasonable expectations for animal husbandry and put great effort in avoiding any distinguishing between livestock and pet care. An example of this was the testimony of the second Horse Rescue that they brought in after the first group wanted no part of the situation. This Horse Rescue was run by a woman who ran a small hunter/jumper boarding and training ranch. She testified that in her opinion proper care of horses requires that each horse has its own stall, each water bucket should be emptied and scrubbed daily, and each stall should be stripped and freshly bedded daily. Can you imagine the cost of trying to run a farm or ranch in this manner? Most of us would go belly up within the first year.

Needless to say, being agriculturally ignorant the judge took it all to heart. Instead of looking at the 56 of 69 horses that were in good shape and using common sense to realize that this ranch could not have been abandoned, and instead of looking at the thinner horses penned separately and realizing that this meant that the ranchers were obviously working with these animals, his focus remained on smaller images rather than the overall picture. He had the audacity during his judgment to mention his concern that the ranchers had purchased used horse blankets and that this could be an example that they were in over their heads as far as their ability to care for their horses. In his inept, agriculturally ignorant judgment he also stated his opinion that even though 56 of the horses had no problem in anyone’s eyes, that the issues with the others was just the tip of the iceberg and they shouldn’t wait for the additional 56 horses to undergo similar problems. Unfortunately, his judgment gets worse.

Pay careful attention to this part of the judgment. All of us have been in similar situations and this precedence puts us all at risk.. They charged the farmers with three counts of FELONY TORTURE. These poor guys have not only lost everything they’ve worked so hard for, now they’re looking at the possibility of serving time in prison and here’s why.

The first count of felony torture involves a colicky mare. She had been having gas colic issues for about four months and had dropped a great deal of weight, but being one of the farmer’s favorites, they were working with her and trying to avoid having to put her down. The court concluded that her emaciated state was causing her pain and anguish, which is the definition of torture in the eyes of the court and therefore the charge stands and the defendants will be tried on this count.

The second count of felony torture involved a filly that had had a wire injury around the right rear ankle. The farmer, who had many years of experience treating his own livestock, had been trying to treat it himself without much luck and had already made an appointment to take it into the vet on March 21st. The court concluded that this injury had caused the animal great pain, which is the definition of torture in the eyes of the court, and therefore the charge stands and the defendants will be tried on this count.

The third count of felony torture involved a yearling colt. When Dr. Sray initially came to the farm at the behest of the farmer, the farmer had asked him while he was there to take a look at the yearly colt because he seemed to be a little sore in his rear hip. Dr. Sray checked him out and although it didn’t seem to be too severe, he recommended that the farmer take him in and have it x-rayed. Two weeks after Animal Control seized the farm there was an accident with the colt and he was down, apparently trampled. He was sent to Michigan State University where it was determined that he had Osteochondrosis, which many believe is a genetically instigated degenerative disease of the bones.

This entire case involves so many unbelievably ugly precedents that it is difficult to take it all in. If you treat your own injured livestock, per this case you can be charged with felony torture. If you don’t want to put down that beloved colicky horse that is losing so much weight, you had better reconsider because you may be charged with felony torture. If one of your animals starts showing signs of lameness you had better put it down quick or you may find yourself facing felony torture charges if it is determined to have been a long-developing issue. If your younger and older horses lose weight from wintering outside, beware; you could lose everything you’ve ever worked for.

Here’s one last note. Following the judgment, a bond hearing was held in which the court offered to allow ownership of the herd to remain in the farmers’ hands if they paid Jackson County $143,000 cash within 72 hours. This amount was determined based on Animal Control’s claimed expenditures to date and an estimated three months of continued care before the criminal trial. Animal Control’s itemized list of costs is posted on the farmers’ website if you care to take a look. There are some pretty outrageous numbers, but the one that floored me was their claim that they’re feeding these horses 42 square bails AND 6 round bails PER DAY. Rumor has it that Jackson County is hurting financially. This is only speculation, but could this entire thing be simply an elaborate extortion scheme? Regardless, as I said before, this whole plate of spaghetti is leaving a very bad taste in my mouth.

Folks, this is not a horror story written for entertainment. This is something that is happening and it’s the first stage of a very ugly cancer. It has to be cut out before it has a chance to spread or it WILL eventually kill the farming community in our country. The voice of a single farmer can seldom be heard beyond the limits of his own land, but the united voice of the farming community can rage so loud that it is heard all the way to the steps of the White House. If this story hasn’t brought you to the edge of your seat in anger, ask yourself what you’re going to do when it happens to you or someone you love.

The next step is to make our voices heard. Write to your congressmen and senators. Tell them that if they want your vote, they better get involved. Talk with the leaders of your organizations and associations. If you know lawyers experienced in agricultural cases, have them contact the farmers now appealing their case in Jackson County and preparing to face their criminal trial. If you know lobbyists in Washington, tell them to start stomping their feet. Have your leaders contact every media they can come up with, whether magazines, television, newspapers, or websites, and let them know that we won’t tolerate this type of abuse in the farming community. If you have an emergency fund in your organization, send these farmers some money. They’ve lost every penny they have and it’s up to us to ensure that they can afford the best possible legal defense in both the criminal trial and the appeal of the forfeiture trial. We have to pool our resources and turn every bit of aid we can come up with to ensure that this precedence goes no further.

God bless you all and I pray that you will stand with me in defending our rights. Here’s the website for the farmers: www.glhorsetruth.com

Another great letter published.

Jackson Citizen Patriot has published several opinion letters shifting the focus from Turn 3 to JCAC for potential abuse. Another one was posted today:

Animal control looks out of control

Posted by Jackson Citizen Patriot
October 28, 2007 06:22AM
Categories: Voice of the People

OWOSSO — We need more voices of the people heard concerning the Turn-3 Ranch horses.

It is about time the news shows the truth about the care of the Turn-3 horses after animal control took them over. I would like to say what it looks like to someone who does not live in that county.

All appearances show an animal control out of control. How can these horses be sold before there is a trial proving guilt of the owners? How is it that trucks, trailers, feed bills, health records, registration papers, medications, saddles and anything else in the barn can be taken by animal control? Why did the news focus only on the older mares that lost some weight through the winter? There are many more questions with no answers.

What is happening to animal control? This kind of thing is going on in other states, too, not just Michigan.

Animal control needs a new shelter. In the eyes of many, it looks like these horses and equipment are taken and sold to go toward the new shelter. People want answers. Where are we going to get those answers if not from Jackson County?

If this is allowed to go on, will every horse owner live in fear of someone from animal control coming on their property to take everything they own for any reason they can dream up? What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

— Carol Palembas

More about the auctions:

County rushes to sell horses before trial

Posted by Jackson Citizen Patriot
October 23, 2007 09:59AM
Categories: Voice of the People

SPRINGPORT — After reports that horses that Jackson County Animal Control ran through a livestock auction last month looked skinny and lacked basic care, I went to a recent auction. While this batch of horses seemed to be fed adequately, it appeared their hooves were very overgrown and that they had signs of intestinal worms.

Where is the money going that Jackson County demands for the "care" of these horses, which it is now selling for as little as $100 a head? Just read the newspaper: Officials are replacing their condemned, filthy and disease-ridden animal shelter with a highly criticized, $1.3 million move.

They're doing this on the backs of horses unjustly taken from their rightful owners, who have yet to go to trial on the charges made against them. No warnings were issued. No attempt was made to investigate why these horses would be thin. Instead, animal control rolled in and took over the farm, animals, vehicles and whatever it could get its hands on. County officials found a horse-ignorant judge who believes, among other ridiculous notions, that you must not care about your animals if you buy used tack.

Visit the forums at GLHorseTruth.com. Every animal owner should be angry. Innocent until proven guilty is not the modus operandi for Jackson County. And the nation is watching the outcome of this case.

— Shantell Coats

Yet another one:

Horses not getting high-priced care

Posted by Jackson Citizen Patriot
October 07, 2007 06:03AM
Categories: Voice of the People

BROOKLYN — I attended the Napoleon auction for the Grass Lake horses Sept. 15 and was appalled at their condition.

These horses appeared skinny and wormy, and had horrible feet. These animals were not the recipients of $22,000-per-month care. As a lifetime horse owner and hay farmer, I felt compelled to donate and deliver $500 worth of hay April 10 and got a close look at all the horses on that farm at that time. Other than shedding out their winter hair, these horses were in no better condition Sept. 15.

I would like to know if all the donations were taken into consideration when coming up with the total dollar figure of $143,000 for compensation.

It was not my intent to donate something only for the county to charge someone else for my generosity. Nobody took my name and, to my knowledge, there was no record of who I was or how much I donated. Did anyone get a receipt for anything? I certainly didn't. Leelanau Horse Rescue is a nonprofit organization, and any donation made should be tax-deductible.

These animals have not received the basic care that a $150-per-month pasture boarding facility would give, and Jackson County Animal Control is not paying board. To state that it costs $300 per month only for feed for each animal is outrageous. Believe me, these horses didn't even see a quarter of that.

— Kathy Brown

JCP ~ your readers are aware of the situation. When will your reporting reflect what your readers have witnessed for themselves?

Breaking news.

On the GLHorseTruth.com website discussion board:

Matt Mercier
Oct 25, 07 - 7:23 PM
3 year old Turn 3 mare aborts after Tom Moore sale

Breaking news. Just got off the phone with the purchaser of the 3 year old Grulla mare at Tom Moore's sale.

She was confirmed pregnant a couple of weeks ago. Well this afternoon she aborted a 5 month old colt fetus. The vet report will be released ASAP. His opinion at this time is inadequate nutrition for the mare.

This is one of the mares who was impregnated while JCAC was in charge of the farm. She was sold (as a 4 year old, no mention that she could be pregnant) at the Tom Moore sale in Onsted about three weeks ago.

New and newsworthy.

Although the media often claims that JCAC cares for 80 horses now that the mares have foaled, the July forfeiture order makes reference to 84 horses. After seeing the flyer for the upcoming Tom Moore sale and reading that Jackson County is offering only 34 horses at this "final" auction, the question arose of where 14 missing horses might be.

This email exchange might lend some insight to that topic:

To: XP
Date: Thu, Oct 25, 2007 at 1:31 PM

I was told that on Sept 14th or 15th the same weekend as the first Auction at Napoleon . I was in a discussion of with the trainer who had acted on behalf of the Leelanau Horse Rescue. She said "they ( the Rescue) were given 12 of the horses and that now they would have to be responsible for them for the rest of their lives" , I was told where the horses went was out of there hands, I was also told it wasn't the judges fault, and that the county had over $90,000.00 in to them and no other choice. I asked about foster situations as a possible solution, She said that would be impossible because then they would have to send people all over the place to monitor them. I would think that it would be easy enough to check the facts. The county seized the animals they must be accountable for where they ended up...whether dead or alive I believe you would be able to access the county records through the freedom of information act.

On a personal note I find this entire fiasco a tragedy, for the horses, for other horse rescues, for the owners , and the tax payers. This was a text book case in how not to rescue horses and what not to do with them. The public was left to believe this was a rescue and so donated accordingly, this was not a rescue this was a seizure of property, which is often sold at auction. These horses were treated no differently then a car or boat as far as I'm concerned , there is no good spin you can put on this.

--------

From: XP
Date: Thu, Oct 25, 2007 at 2:32 PM

Wow ... as far as I know, the defendants were not made aware of this arrangement ...

May I post this email on the blog?

Can I pass your information along to people who are working on the case against JCAC?

Thanks for the info ... this case gets stranger and stranger.

XP

--------

To: XP
Date: Fri, Oct 26, 2007 at 9:40 AM

You can pass on the information, I have no idea why this should be considered a secret. Why can't you just call Laura Steenrod or Leelanau Horse Rescue or the County and ask them. I mean if there intention was to rescue these horses then why would they hide the fact they actually RESCUED 12 of them? Right now I am worried about the 100's of TB's that are going to be sent to slaughter due to no more TB horse racing in Michigan. We have a huge problem and the facts are 100's are in eminent danger. A paddock or pasture with hay and water look a hell of a lot better then a slow torturous trip through Canada or to Mexico .. CANTER is in desperate need of FOSTER homes and donations but I think a heck of a lot of people who may have donated are questioning horse rescues in general, I know the last thing I want to hear is that $100.00 of my money is just going to keep enough meat on a horse so it can go for a $150.00 to the meaters. I personally would rather put a bullet in a horses head then send it through a cattle auction house, it would be much more humane.

The forfeiture order is on its way to me, but it is believed that the judge ordered Jackson County to SELL all of the forfeited horses to repay part of the taxpayers' debt. How do Jackson County taxpayers feel about JCAC giving these horses away?

We're still looking for 2 horses unaccounted for.

Write to WILX TV.

Here is a WILX news story you can respond to, posted March 30, 2007.

Community Responds to Abandoned Horses
Reporter: Jessica Aspiras
Email Address: jessica.aspiras@wilx.com

This is the face of one of 69 abandoned horses at Turn Three Ranch in Grass Lake. Some so undernourished their bones can be seen clearly. At the Napoleon Livestock auction on October 20, weanlings born under the care of JCAC also had bones that could be clearly seen. What excuse do they have for the appalling condition of these young foals that may have been separated from their mothers too soon?

But thanks to overwhelming donations from the community - the future looks more promising for them.

"I've probably tried to field over 100 phone calls in the last 24 hours. People willing to donate anything from farmers with large quantities of hay willing to bring us large quantities of hay," says Laura Steenrod of Leelanau Horse Rescue. Still looking for an account of how much hay was donated, as the amount of hay purchased by JCAC was far beyond even a generous estimation of how much hay that number of horses would consume in the given time frame.

However the primary concern at this time is monetary donations. Certainly a valid concern. You speak of "overwhelming" response--how much money was donated that was meant for the care of these horses? Why was this not considered when Jackson County offered a bond request of over $134,000 which gave no account of the donations of money or hay to date?

"What the financial donation enables us to do is enables us to once something does get filled we can move on to the next thing instead of putting out there we need vet wrap and end up with 200-300 rolls of vet wrap."

The horse ranch was taken into the custody of Jackson County Animal control a little more than two weeks ago after a dead horse was found. A horse that had recently died of natural causes, a common and sometimes fatal condition known as colic, unrelated to malnutrition or abuse, and was awaiting removal. JCAC did not necropsy the horse, so it would seem there was no question of neglect there.

It's estimated the horses had not been fed or watered properly since last fall. A false allegation, made by one horse expert who was brought in after several other horse experts did NOT find reason to impound the animals. Apparently, JCAC shopped around for a vet that would say what they wanted to hear.

"The survival rate right now is pretty good. There's still exceptions when we start treating such as worming them can cause adverse reactions," says Kim Luce of Jackson County Animal Control. Is this why so many of the horses appear wormy, or have been confirmed to be infested with internal parasites, six months after the seizure? Did you assess that worming them wasn't worth the risk, and neglect to provide this basic medical care? There are ways of worming that are less risky to the horses' sensitive system, such as administering a partial dose and then treating again soon after. Where is the evidence that this was done? Evidence exists that auctioned horses had massive numbers of three different types of parasites.

Currently 30 mares are pregnant. But the outcome for the foals is not as good. We've been over this ... the defendants did not breed 30 mares. After the seizure, stallions were allowed access to mares and fillies who may be bred for 2008 foals. But by JCAC's own accounting, only 10-12 foals were born this year.

"We're hoping for 100 percent survival rate, but due to the fact that these horses have not received the right nutrition, the foals are going to be high risk." They have yet to report to the public the death of any horses with the exception of the injured paint colt they euthanized, AFTER cancelling vet appointments made by the defendants and waiting until weeks later to provide medical attention to the colt.

While the cleanup effort has been ongoing for weeks, it's not expected to be finished any time soon.

"Basically these horses are living in a garbage dump," says Steenrod.
A dump, that for now, is home to 69 hopeful animals. And where the majority have remained throughout the summer, allegedly in small pens without grass, while about 80 acres of grassy fields have gone to waste. They could have safely and inexpensively put up temporary horse fencing--there are products made for this purpose, for camping--yet did not. It is reported that most of the same hazards that were considered part of the reason for the property seizure are still in place at the Maute Road farm today.

My comments have been added, in red, to help with your letter writing. It is best to put things into your own words, and important that you print out and mail your letter through the postal service rather than just email it.

Jessica Aspiras, Reporter
WILX-TV
500 American Road
Lansing, MI 48911

Time is of the essence.

Guest blogger of the day.

This time around, words in red are those of Terry Dishman of Oklahoma, who is one of many people watching this case unfold from another state.

JCAC Ordinances.

http://www.co.jackson.mi.us/Agencies/animalShel/ProtectionOrdincance.pdf

See how many of there own ordinances they are in violation of - AMAZING!

ARTICLE 1.
PURPOSE

The Board of Commissioners furthermore recognizes that animals require legal protection, that the property rights of owners and non-owners of animals need to be protected, and that the health, safety and welfare of the people in Jackson County will best be served by adoption of "The Animal Control and Protection Ordinance."

They signed it, why do they not enforce it?

Refresher course in your own definitions:

ARTICLE 2.
DEFINITIONS

"Animal Control Manager or Manager" means the person, under the general supervision of the County Administrator/Controller, who oversees the daily
operation of the Animal Shelter. He/she is responsible for preparing and monitoring the departmental budget and ensuring compliance with appropriate legislation, supervises the work of employees at the Animal Shelter and Animal Control Officers, and assists in any classification as necessary.

"Animal Control Officer" means the person under the supervision of the County Administrator/Controller, and the immediate supervision of the Animal Control Manager, who shall enforce this Ordinance and the Laws of the State regarding domestic animal control, dangerous domestic animals, and protection of the people and domestic animals of Jackson County.

Who's protecting the animals? not JCAC

"Neglect" means to fail to sufficiently and properly care for an animal to the extent that the animal's health is jeopardized.

"State of Good Health" means free from disease and illness, and in a condition of proper body weight and temperature for the age and species of the animal, unless the animal is undergoing appropriate treatment.

"Torment" means to cause, by an act or omission, unjustifiable pain, suffering, or distress to an animal, or cause mental and emotional anguish in the animal as evidenced by its altered behavior for a purpose such as sadistic pleasure, coercion, or punishment that an ordinary and/or reasonable person would conclude is likely to precipitate a bite or attack.

Early weaning [blog owner would like to add: forced weaning at auction house, made extremely stressful situation worse and could lead to stress colic, many consider 6 months the standard age for weaning]

"Veterinarian" means a person licensed to practice veterinary medicine as required in or under the Public Health Code, Act No. 368 of the Public Acts of 1978, being 333.18811 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, such other applicable State or Federal Law.

ARTICLE 3
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS DUTIES,
AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Section 3.1 The Jackson County Board of Commissioners shall employ an Animal Control Manager who shall direct Animal Control as necessary, and in accordance with County budgetary and personnel policies.

Section 3.2 It shall be the responsibility of the Animal Control Manager and/or Officers to enforce the provisions of this Ordinance.

Does this sound like "DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO" to ya'll?

Section 3.5 Animal Control Officers shall act reasonably and with the exercise of judgement in the enforcement of the State Law and County Ordinance in reference to animals.

What was reasonable about any of this to begin with?

ARTICLE 7
PROHIBITIONS AND REGULATED CONDUCT

Section 7.1 It shall be a violation of this Ordinance:

6) To physically mistreat any animal by deliberate abuse, or neglect to furnish adequate care or shelter, including veterinary attention, or by leaving the animal unattended for more than twenty four (24) hours without adequate care.

Is this not what they did to the mare who had aborted her foal, and to the colt that had to be euthanized, due to ACs cancellation of vet appointments? Has adequate care been provided to the horses going through the sales barn? [blog owner: I feel the internal parasite infestation not adequate treated by JCAC while the animals were under their care falls under neglect, comparing a normal common parasite load to the mass expulsion of at least three types of parasites by horses dewormed after the auction]

10) To interfere with, hinder, resist, oppose, obstruct, issue a false report or molest an Animal Control Officer in the performance of his/her duties, or for any person to remove any animal from an Animal Control vehicle or Animal Shelter property without permission of the Animal Control Manager or Officer.

Is this not what JCAC has been doing all along? Follow the money trail!

11) To fail to comply with the requirements of this Ordinance or Federal or State Statutes applicable to keeping of an animal or a facility where animals are kept.

JCAC is in violation of it's own ordinances!

Section 7.3 It is unlawful for any person to fail to provide medical care when an animal is in pain or distress, including but not limited to the following:
1) In a state of emaciation.
2) Unable to rise and walk
3) Unable to urinate or defecate.
4) Crying out in pain.
5) Unable to eat or drink.
6) Suffering from unattended broken bones, wounds, burns or contusions.
7) Painful or difficult breathing.
Passing blood in urine, feces and/or vomit.
9) Presence of maggots or infested with other parasites.
10) Severe skin disease.

Farrier work and not to mention the underage bred fillies due to JCACs ignorance of animal husbandry and the release of studs to roam at large. Hasn't a vet preg checked already to confirm? [blog owner: yes, the 3 year old grulla mare at Tom Moore's auction was pregnancy tested and found to be bred for a 2008 foal, although the defendants had not bred any of the mares this year]

ARTICLE 13
VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES
Section 13.1 In the event of a violation of this Ordinance, the Animal Control Manager, his/her deputies or other law enforcement officers may issue a citation or seek a warrant for the person in violation, summoning him/her to appear before a district court within the County to answer the charges made regarding violation of this Ordinance.

SOOO if the County Commisioners are the fathers of this ordinance it is time for the County Commissioners to start issuing citations to ACOs - Don't cha think? [blog owner: good luck getting a reponse from the Board of Commissioners]

How many more violations can you find???

Adding one more from the same ordinance, although it applies to dogs it should apply to the horses too:

ARTICLE 7

PROHIBITIONS AND REGULATED CONDUCT

Section 7.1 It shall be a violation of this Ordinance:

2) For a dog in heat (estrus) to be accessible to a male dog except for intentional breeding purposes.

Keep up the good fight!!

Thanks for the guest article; good to know folks outside of Michigan care about what is happening here.

Morning update:

Here's a couple more -

Section 3.4 Animal Control Manager and Officers shall wear satisfactory identification and carry a picture identification card when enforcing this Ordinance and State Laws.

No where does it say T-shirts [blog owner: a reference to money allegedy required to pay for t-shirts for the rescue volunteers, part of the forfeiture bond money]

Section 4.1 The Animal Control Manager shall operate and maintain an adequate facility as a shelter to receive, care for and safely confine any animal in the Officer's custody under provisions of this Ordinance. The Animal Shelter shall be accessible to the public during the days and hours in which County Offices are open and/or such other hours as may be authorized by the Board of Commissioners.

If T3 is the designated JCAC shelter for the horses, why is it not accessible to the public as stated? Once again in their ordinances.

I know in this state we have open Commissioners meetings every month and a posted agenda. Has any one contacted the Commissioners to be in a meeting and put on the agenda to address concerns? I go would flood the meeting area with all the concerned citizens I could get and let the media know too!

Just one more after thought - if the Commissioners have signed on to these ordinances and are not willing to enforce what they implemented - are they not as guilty as JCAC? These are elected officials take it it to the voters and take it up the chain of command! Time for a RECALL!

Terry Dishman - Oklahoma

P.S. Feel free to use my name and state, I fought for this country and its citizens rights for 20 years. I'm a retired military vet (1994) of Viet Nam, Grenada, Panama, and Desert Storm. This just chaps my jaws. I belong to a Cattleman's Association and the AQHA.

Out of the frying pan...

In the past several days, there have been some HEATED discussions on the message boards that boil down to this: if the horses had been properly cared for in the first place, JCAC would not have stepped in, so I can't blame JCAC for their actions.

This analogy is similar to a young woman wearing a short skirt and getting raped, and the theory that she wouldn't have been raped if she hadn't been wearing the short skirt, so it must be her fault and you can't really blame the rapist, she was "asking for it."

I have shared what I believe to be true as well as what I've witnessed with my own eyes on this blog.

I have spoken to a couple of people who saw the horses shortly after seizure. I know that some of them looked very, very bad. I'm not trying to say that Matt and Jim were doing everything right and JCAC chose to pick on them.

Instead, I am looking at the actions of JCAC from the time they first entered the property and posted a notice for the owner/manager to contact them (3/14) and the time of the ex parte seizure (3/21) and the fact that they are supposed to give a warning and 30 days to fix things, and follow up. I think it was premature to seize the farm and that a "fix-it ticket" would have saved Jackson County taxpayers a lot of money. I believe it violates the Right To Farm Act. I believe that the farm was following GAAMP* for Equines. Although things may have not been handled the way other equine professionals would have handled them, I do not feel, based on the pre-trial testimony I have read, that they were torturing horses.
*GENERALLY ACCEPTED AGRICULTURAL AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Since that time in March, a lot of things have happened that are very suspect. The forfeiture hearing, for one ... you can have your horses back, even though you are accused of torture, if you pay $134,000 in trumped-up fees? (Don't forget the donuts.) That sounds suspicious and highly unusual. The horses were kept on the very same farm that JCAC claimed was dangerous, unsuitable, and according to passersby the farm has not been "improved" much. Allegedly, young horses are being kept in small dirt paddocks, while over 80 acres of grass pasture could be utilized but is untouched.

The final straw that prompted my full scale involvement, was seeing these horses with my own eyes, six months after the seizure, looking the way they did at the auctions. There is no excuse, none at all, for the condition of those weanlings, and for them putting a mare and foal through the trauma of separation at an auction house ... just appalling. Many people have contacted me who would rather not be named, do not trust the defendants, yet are still upset with JCAC's actions.

And that is where my focus will remain ... on the fates of these horses, and the repercussions that should arise from this case. Imagine, for a moment, if you will, if the defendants are found not guilty on the charges. ALL of their horses are already GONE. It has been reported that a kill buyer was bidding at the first auction, the only one I missed. There can be no justice if property and/or livestock can be liquidated BEFORE a trial takes place!

10 horses missing!!

In the transcripts of the forfeiture, you will see that the judge orders Jackson County Animal Control to sell the horses to the public in order to recoup their expenses.

By JCAC's own account, after the foals were born, they had 80 head of horses.

19 were sold at Napoleon Livestock in September.

7 were sold at Tom Moore's in Onsted on October 6.

10 were sold at Napoleon Livestock on October 20.

Now, Tom Moore's catalog announces 34 will be sold on November 4 at the MSU Pavilion.

Where are the missing 10 horses that JCAC is required by law to SELL to the public to recoup the taxpayers money, not give away to volunteers, friends or family?

Who's in charge?

State officials "we" have been able to reach have referred us back to Jackson County officials as far as finding who JCAC is accountable to.

These are the email addresses of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. This is publicly available information. Write to them and demand an explanation for the condition that horses in JCAC's care are in. Demand accountability. Demand a third party investigation of the premises which JCAC found unsuitable for horses, but has not removed the horses from. We need the investigation done prior to the final scheduled auction on Nov. 4, so time is of the essence!

Jackson County Board of Commissioners
CHerl@co.jackson.mi.us
DLutchka@co.jackson.mi.us
PDuckham@co.jackson.mi.us
ejpolesk@co.jackson.mi.us
JVideto@co.jackson.mi.us
JShotwel@co.jackson.mi.us
GMahoney@co.jackson.mi.us
mbrown@co.jackson.mi.us
PASmith@co.jackson.mi.us
mway@co.jackson.mi.us
delwell@co.jackson.mi.us

Copy to acting County Commissioner:
RTreache@co.jackson.mi.us

Let them know how you feel about the documented parasite infestations found in JCAC horses, about the lack of farrier care, about the ribs and other bones plainly in sight. Obviously, it would be best if you've been to one or all of the auctions, or have hands-on contact with one or more horses purchased at the auctions. Photos, like the one of Slim at the top right of the blog, are compelling but irrelevant to officials ... let them know if you have put a hand on one of these horses and felt the bones yourself, or if you have documentation in hand of the fecal results.

Objecting to JCAC's actions.

I am attempting to determine public interest in an upcoming peaceful protest and information dissemination.

If you would like to be involved, please email me privately.

xpButtercup -at- gmail.com

This is unrelated to the pending legal case against defendants Matthew Mercier or James Henderson of the Turn 3 Ranch, the accused who have not yet faced trial. This is simply to discuss *alleged* neglect at the hands of Jackson County Animal Control as evidenced by the condition of the horses auctioned 6-7 months after seizure. You do not have to support the defendants in order to participate. -- XP

How YOU can help.

People have been asking me what they can do about JCAC's handling of the Turn 3 horses. Regardless of what they believe to be true about the accused, they are as appalled as I was to see the condition of the horses that JCAC sold at auction 6-7 months after the farm seizure.


Here's what EVERYONE can do:

Write a handwritten letter. Mail it in an envelope, with a stamp. (A mailed letter will get more attention than 20 emails.)

Send it to these people:

Kevin Ragan, News Director
WILX-TV
500 American Road
Lansing, MI 48911

Kaci Lyons, Producer
WILX-TV
500 American Road
Lansing, MI 48911

Beth Shayne, Reporter
WILX-TV
500 American Road
Lansing, MI 48911

Richard Ramhoff, President and Publisher
Lansing State Journal
120 E. Lenawee St.
Lansing, MI 48919

Michael Hirten, Executive Editor
Lansing State Journal
120 E. Lenawee St.
Lansing, MI 48919

In the letter you should reference you read an article/saw a news story on _____ date and discovered errors in the facts presented, and an unbalanced slant to the story. You feel it is the responsibility of the media to present a more fair and balanced representation of the story. Present a summary of your side of the story and your stance.

Do it immediately! If you wait, you will forget. We want media coverage before the final sale of Turn 3 horses on November 4 at the MSU Pavilion. Your letters are needed TODAY.


Here's what people who witnessed the auction horses firsthand can do:

Contact Kristin Longley at 517-768-4917 or email klongley@citpat.com and express your feelings about the condition of the horses. I am under the impression that she is writing an article that will be in print before the end of next week, so time is of the essence.

If you are a resident of Jackson County, Michigan:

Write your county's board of commissioners. Demand accountability for the expenses claimed and actions taken by Jackson County Animal Control and accountability for the conditions of the horses six full months after seizure.

Truth be told.

Time to share an article from an "agriculture activist," someone who can discern a working farm's cattle dog from a pampered toy pooch that pop stars carry around in a pink purse with Swarovski crystals on its pink spiked collar.

Truth Be Told

Exploding the myths, misconseptions and untruths about American agriculture.

Monday, October 22, 2007

The school of Hard Knocks

I have said it before but I have never said it louder, the true danger of the urbanization of America has nothing to do with the paving of prime farmland with concrete but everything to do with the urbanization of our nation’s thinking. You and I have voiced our frustration about the kid who doesn’t understand where his milk comes from but after you read this, I think you will have a much better understanding of how deep the disconnect truly runs.

I was recently contacted about an abuse of justice in the state of Michigan. While investigating the original incident, I have since learned about two cases in Michigan that started in a similar manner. The first one involves the Mills family in the thumb of Michigan. One day in March of 2007 during an illegal search of the Mills family farm, a dead horse was found. In what was recorded as a bad weather winter in Michigan, the family was waiting for the ground to thaw in order to bury the horse. In case you don’t know, it is virtually impossible to get a rendering truck to pick up a dead horse so waiting was the only real option.

Based on the discovery of the dead horse, felony animal abuse charges were filed against the entire family and the oldest daughter lost her crown as county 4-H queen. I need to emphasize that she lost her title as queen based on alleged charges of animal abuse. During the course of the summer, all felony animal abuse charges were dropped, primarily because the judge in the case happened to raise sheep and the arguments she heard made absolute sense as to the normal care of livestock on a farm in this country. Unfortunately, because of the publicity of the event at the time of arrest, the Mills family still feels the glare of community members that consider them to be animal abusers despite the outcome of the trial.

The second case is still in the court system and at this point the two individuals involved have not been so lucky as to find anyone in the judicial system that understands livestock agriculture. Matt Mercier and Jim Henderson have built a herd of racing horses. Not in the sense of a race track but rather horses that compete in barrel races. In March of this year the two men reportedly had 69 horses on the farm they lease near Grass Lake in Jackson County, Michigan.

I traveled to Michigan several weeks ago for a speaking engagement but I had intentions of going to Grass Lake to research this case myself. Upon arriving in Michigan, I casually polled people about the Grass Lake case. Everybody I asked had heard about it and they all (I am talking about ag folks now) indicated that the situation sounded awful. Come to find out, even though the criminal trial is scheduled for court on Dec. 3, 2007, the court of public opinion has already convicted these guys. I, however, from first hand experience and information I gathered about the situation, found these two guys to be poor managers but far from animal abusers.

You can find statements like the following in the press since the March 2007 impounding of the horse farm. The director of Jackson County Animal Control (JCAC) Kim Luce stated, "The survival rate right now is pretty good. There's still exceptions when we start treating such as worming them can cause adverse reactions."

Luce told the first horse rescuer, Bradley Chaltry, and the press that the horses had not been fed or watered for six months. Chaltry, who owns Ponies are Us and Ratcliff Animal Rescue Services, made the following testimony in court:

“Yeah, ain’t been fed and watered for six months. At that point I was wanting to breed my horses to it because you got a great horse if you don’t have to feed and water it for six months and it’s still alive. I mean, pardon me for that, but…”

At that point, Chaltry was interrupted by the prosecutor. He also said, still under oath, that after being called to come and assist with these allegedly severely starving horses, “We were wondering kind of as to why we were there.”

Chaltry indicated that 90% of the horses were in ideal condition and only 4 were thin, due to normal winter conditions combined with age factors, a couple of worming issues and one injury. Dr. Bob Shray, a large animal veterinarian of 28 years, testified that nothing was occurring on this farm other than normal animal husbandry and a lack of picking up junk at the farm. Shray reminded the court that any time you have a living animal, there is a chance that they could die. Despite the testimony of an industry professional, the court felt that it knows better how animals should be cared for than to take the word of a trained animal care specialist. If a veterinarian isn’t able to determine the well-being of a horse, how can someone who has no training or experience in the field? Yet these folks are calling the shots that affect the future of food production in this country!

First off, the Jackson County Animal Control did not like the report either of these professionals gave to the court so they replaced both of them. In fact, they found a replacement Animal Rescue organization that viewed the negative press as a potential revenue harvest of human emotions and stepped in. Laura Steenrod of Leelanau Horse Rescue stepped in and took over management of the horses. Incidentally, her operation is 200 miles away from the farm. But even admitted her intentions to the press in saying, “I've probably tried to field over 100 phone calls in the last 24 hours. People willing to donate anything from farmers with large quantities of hay willing to bring us large quantities of hay. However the primary concern at this time is monetary donations.”

I see this as the most serious case of legal abuse I have ever personally witnessed. Two individuals have more horses (69) than anybody in this snooty community think can be given personal attention. The judge, in a civil judgment, indicated that all horses should have a stall and maybe even the used blankets, as opposed to new ones, contributed to mistreatment. Based on this civil judgment hearing, the judge gave the Jackson County Animal Control authority to seize all equipment including $15,000 worth of horse tack plus pickups and trailers from the farm. What role does this equipment play in an animal abuse case and why is it able to be offered up as sacrifice in this case?

There is a sign at the front gate of the farm today that reads “No Trespassing; Visitors by appointment only by calling Leelanau Horse Rescue or send you donations directly to their address.” I called Ms. Laura and tried to schedule an appointment and she told me she had turned custody back over to JCAC three months ago. When I asked her why her sign is still up asking for donations she told me she needed to get that down. I inquired as to whether donations were still coming in and she said, “Well, yes, some of them take a while to trickle in”. Of course the fundraising in the name of animal welfare never seems to end.

The bottom line to this saga is this, two individuals are facing prison time because they were treating horses like horses instead of the family dog. Most of the facts I have gathered have come from local cattlemen who understand that what is happening to these two guys could happen to any one of us. Where is the uproar by the local livestock owners? Where is the Michigan Department of Agriculture? Oh, wait. They have been notified only to say that they have no control over local animal control officials. Urbanization is coming to your area sooner than you think. Wouldn’t you rather fight it somewhere other than your own soil? Matt and Jim understand that thanks to the oldest school known to mankind, the school of hard knocks.

Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com.

Thank you, Trent. So good of you to research this case yourself rather than depend on other news outlets to present the facts.

Time to set the media straight.

This is going everywhere. If you have an email address of someone who needs to read it, post a comment.

Last night I attended a public horse auction of animals seized by Jackson County Animal Control this March. This years' foals, born after the farm seizure, looked appalling.

You could see and feel all of their ribs, on every young weanling there. They have "foal fuzz" still, which normally sheds out within a few months to a sleek summer coat, giving way to an insulating winter coat by this time of year. They had no fat layer, you could see their shoulder and hip bones plainly.

In contrast, they all had huge bloated bellies from an apparent infestation of internal parasites. They were listless and dragged their toes when they walked. Several dropped from stress and exhaustion.

See them for yourselves at the final auction on Nov. 4 at the MSU Pavillion, East Lansing.

Now answer me this, who will report Animal Control for neglect?

Disgusted!

Last night I attended a public horse auction. Some of them had been seized by Jackson County Animal Control back in March for neglect. They looked okay. But these weanlings were born weeks and months after the seizure, so no one has handled or cared for them except AC and their volunteers.

You could feel ALL of their ribs, every young weanling there. They have their "foal coats" still, normally they shed those out within a few months and should have had a summer coat giving way to a winter coat by this time. They have no fat layer, you can see their shoulder and hip bones, their rump sinks on either side of the tailbone where nearly any horse would have a fat pocket.


They ALL had wormy bellies, but there was one poor colt there, that if you didn't know he was a weanling and a stud colt you would think he was pregnant ... just a sickening infestation of internal parasites. They were listless and dragged their toes when they walked.

Now answer me this, who will report Animal Control for neglect?

OMG babies!!

Reports are coming in from Napoleon that this years' foals are in the same condition as the other horses we've seen come through the two prior auctions.



Mind you, the defendants have had NO control over the care or condition of these weanling horses; they've all been born since the Jackson County Animal Control seized the farm early this spring.

Now, who knows someone in the major media that isn't completely horse-ignorant and is not afraid to make the claim: JACKSON COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL NEGLECTS BABY HORSES

Who wants to guess at what these babies will sell for at a public livestock auction? I'll have figures tomorrow. They could have been permanently stunted by this apparent lack of basic care in their early months.

Are the caretakers really that horse-ignorant that they don't know the difference between a hay belly and an internal parasite infestation (wormy belly)?

When a horse is in ideal or moderate condition (a 4 or 5 on the scale), the fat layer is fairly evenly distributed. A skinny horse with worms will have a distended belly that appears fat, but no fat layer along the spine or hip, a tiny neck that gives the appearance of a big head, and often little or no muscle tone.

With their breeding, $10,000 champion stallions and $5,000+ proven mares for parents, these babies should have excellent muscle tone at their age, from running and playing with their pasturemates, shiny and sleek with a glossy winter coat coming in over a nice healthy amount of winter fat padding. IMHO they look as if half of their feed went straight into their intestinal worms and they were left with barely enough energy to walk.

Here are some healthy, happy 2007 foals to illustrate what a well maintained young horse should look like at this time of year:

beautiful BS APHA and Appendix AQHA fillies owned by CQ

See the difference? These fillies have clearly had exercise and quality care. They are in great shape to head into one of Michigan's harsh winters. Look at the muscle definition, the round but not bloated bellies, the healthy alert look. At five months old, they've gotten a great start in life, with optimal nutrition and exercise for their rapidly growing bodies.

What happened, JCAC?
This weanling has such a distended belly, it looks much like a pregnant broodmare!

I've always been outspoken.

No red text this time ... it's all me. This is a response to quite a long thread that was going on at the time, back in April, when sketchy details were all we really had to work with.

Grass Lake - animal cruelty, or personal rights?
Apr 10, 2007, 2:09pm

I think it is less to do with whether we "like" or "don't like" Animal Control or the rescue group in this case ... but if we believe that any government or private entity has the RIGHT to seize real estate and personal property.

Across the varied reports, there have consistently been THREE horses that most agree were in poor condition, two aged mares and a young mare who had been sick and was recovering.

While it is OPINION thus far if these horses were neglected, starving or simply unfit, and there are many varying opinions on this, I simply see NO GROUNDS for the confiscation of 66 otherwise healthy (if underweight) horses.

It is my OPINION that no government or private organization has the RIGHT to take over ownership of someone's personal property (pets and livestock being property of the individual[s] who own them) due to what their OPINION of suitable or unsuitable fencing or living conditions.

Where is the documentation that the owners had been warned that their property was in violation? Is there a legitimate violation of any LAW? There are ordinances regarding livestock fencing requirements. The types of fencing I have heard reported, seem to be within guidelines, even if far from ideal.

You open a big nasty seething can of worms that's real hard to close when you start letting the public determine what is best for individuals. Got a founder-prone horse on a dry lot with limited feed? That's cruelty, to an uninformed citizen. Got a ribby, swaybacked, aged broodmare? That's a starving horse, to an ignorant bystander.

I've said it before ... IF the truth comes out that these horses' owners were really neglecting these horses, by LAW, then they should be punished to the full extent of the law.

Would you stand by and let someone take your whole herd because one was sick? Would you watch them take your neighbors pets because your trash blew into their yard? Yeah, it borders on the ridiculous ... but just look at some of the "laws" we have these days. In some places, it is a FELONY to put your old, sick dog out of his misery. Punishable by PRISON time. Because you didn't want your dog's final memory to be a car ride and a cold table in a vet's office ... or because a bullet costs a tiny fraction of the price of a vet's needle. Whatever your reason, it is irrelevant. Someone made it law that you can't shoot your dog. If it gets loose at night, gets hit by a car, is writhing and maimed in the road, and an emergency call to a vet won't get a response for an hour or more, it is still a FELONY to shoot that poor dog. It shouldn't be.

I'm opinionated. You're all welcome to yours. I do not feel that the media is presenting a fair and realistic story.

I feel that animal control would not be involved if it were 3 horses worth a combined total of $1,000 in the exact same living conditions. But we're talking about potentially tens of thousands of dollars worth of mostly healthy horses. Several people have expressed feelings that AC is corrupt, greedy, out of bounds.

It doesn't add up.

{more}

I'm not on the owners' side ... I don't know them ... but I am vehemently against the THEFT of personal property by a government body or private group without DUE PROCESS or just cause! Remember that these guys are innocent until PROVEN guilty ... this is America ... we don't expect the police to come into our houses and take what they want, do we?

I've seen pictures posted on this very board of horses that looked worse than the poorest of the Grass Lake horses we've seen ... people here post about not being able to afford hay, or vet care ... God knows I've been there ... people allege that so-and-so has no right to own horses, tales of horses being 'rescued' in the night ... I'm just baffled at the tales of AC turning a blind eye to true neglect and then suddenly in this case we are just supposed to believe that AC is justified.

I ain't buyin' what they're sellin'. I'm waiting to see the facts come out.

{more}

Whose business is it of anyones if someone has 7 horses, 70 or 700? NONE. As long as they are being cared for by someone. I can't ride 3 horses at once, why do I need 3? Some people have horses that they don't or can't ride, some board at stables and hardly ever visit ... NONE of that is anyone's business but their own.

Wondering how many hay bellies are being mistaken for pregnancies ... if the owners say that 10-11 mares were bred. Where is the data to support that 30 or 39 mares are nearing parturition?

There we go. I've learned a lot more about the case since April. But I think I had it pegged pretty well even then.

False witnesses?

Even people with "eye witness" experience can be completely out of touch. Case in point, this message board entry I found the other day, posted back on 3/31:

69 horses abused and unfed for 6 mos

Has anyone heard the story of these horses located here in Jackson, MI? Here's a link to the local story... Link is dead, but it was one of those stories I've dissected already, media article full of exaggerated claims that tug at your heart and wallet.

I went out there yesterday to sign up as a volunteer and it's horrible. These animals have been left without food and fresh water for over six months. No, they weren't. Documented in testimony. Besides, not even possible. Plus, the stallion had access to all the mares and of the 69 horses, 30 are pregnant. No, he didn't, and no, they weren't. Two of the pregnant mares are only yearlings. IF there are any pregnant yearlings now, it happened on JCAC's watch. Dead horses litter the place, including foals that were born during the winter. Now, whoa there; dead horses litter the place? Who told you this? I know you didn't see it with your own eyes. Several horses were in a small paddock with attached barn. They are using small front loaders to remove the manure out of the barn, creating huge piles of manure that are 6 feet tall. I'm not surprised, 69 horses poop a lot. The smell of the place will knock you off your feet. Wonder if that smell has anything to do with volunteers flooding the barn and making manure soup. Hmm.

Maybe she did visit the farm, but the paragraph above sounds remarkably like the story that the media was being fed, and NOT the truth as revealed by pre-trial testimony. Look it up. No horse would survive a month, much less six months, without food or water. There were never 30 pregnant mares. The studs were kept separately until rescue workers let them in with the mares and fillies. There was a dead yearling on the premises awaiting disposal that had died of colic, and after or during the seizure, one broodmare aborted her foal. I guess I never saw any testimony as to how tall any manure piles were. I'll get right on that.

There are old injuries that were never treated and have crippled some of the horses. There was a gimpy paint that had a vet appointment to be seen, and another horse with a wire injury that was being cared for and also had an appointment with a leg specialist. These appointments were allegedly cancelled by JCAC. The paint was apparently seriously injured after the seizure, when the studs were released. It's heartbreaking. They are looking for the two men who own the place. They think one is out of the country and the other is hiding. Read the transcripts. The one is hiding is a probation officer for a nearby county.

According to the animal control officer, there are anticipated criminal charges coming from the city, county, state and even federal. Hopefully there will be some real teeth in the prosecution of these two men.

There is a web site for the ranch where these horses are located. They claim only the highest quality barrel racing horses with only the best bloodlines. Check it out at: Turn3Burn Ranch Link removed. Wrong name, wrong website, wrong farm, wrong horses. I'm sure they'd like to thank you for your publicity.

It's a very poor website and doesn't look like it has been updated since 2002.

The county animal shelter is very overwhelmed by this sudden influx of sick horses. They were apparently already overwhelmed by their own record of filth and disease in their delapidated shelter. Here's an idea: don't seize 60+ healthy horses! They are asking for everything, volunteers, food, medical supplies, and cash. Not really... they want cash or round bales only. Volunteers turned away. Goods and services turned away. Told to send a check instead. If the rescue is a 501c3 organization, why did many people not get receipts for their donations? Why were some told to deliver hay to a different location? Why were they told to send money to a post office box in another county?

A few of my friends and I are going to organize some fund raising in the local tack and feed stores.

Disgusting.
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Jerri Munn, Photographer

Sorry, Jerri. I don't doubt you were there, but I do doubt the validity of your claims. They are simply in conflict with the established facts of the case.

People are talking.

This case is being discussed on message boards across the country, and not just horse boards.

If you've seen a forum or thread about the case, please post the URL in the comments!

What is a rescue?

I'm going to share some juicy tidbits from the Fugly Horse of the Day blog about rescue. My own comments in red:

Here's my take on what a real rescue does:

1. Takes in horses who are neglected, abused, or headed for slaughter. JCAC: seized predominantly healthy horses, allegedly neglected many of them for six months, sent them to slaughter via livestock auction in September

2. Does ALL the vet work...at their own expense. JCAC: bills previous owners and then subsequently Jackson County taxpayers for hundreds in unspecified veterinary expenses, as well as human hospital/medical expenses that should be paid by worker's comp

3. Does ALL the farrier work including remedial work and special shoeing...at their own expense. Does not spend more time begging for $ on message boards than caring for horses. GodDAMN, those Friends of Barbaro have created a whole batch of monsters, it's ridiculous. Farrier work? Those cracks, chips and flares, all the defendants' fault, we've ONLY had these horses for six months, how could we possibly do more, we SAVED them from STARVATION after all ...

4. Once the horse is ready, evaluates its training level and honestly advertises it based upon that evaluation. JCAC: allegedly makes fraudulent or just plain ignorant claims on Coggins papers (wrong ages, wrong breeds), apparently does not handle horses other than whatever may have caused them to become headshy and prefer men to women, claims a horse that is a known rear-and-flipper is "saddle broke" and fails to mention mares and fillies as young as a year have all been exposed to unknown studs while under their care

5. If the horse is unhandled/untrained, provides training before adopting the horse out so that the horse may have a better chance at a happy future. Find a way to keep a too-big halter on them to run them through the auction with, no need to handle their feet in six months' time, deworming them would mean getting awful close to those teeth so no thanks ... allegedly that is

6. Does not adopt out without an in-person site check, reference check including vet/farrier, and legally binding contract forbidding resale and requiring a standard of care that is to be maintained. JCAC: sell to anyone with $100.00 cash, even including known slaughter or "kill" buyers at the livestock auction according to witnesses ... as long as they sign papers stating that they won't go back to those dreadful accused torturers!! Why do they even need a trial? Everything printed in the papers MUST be true. They printed just what we told them to! (my opinion)

7. Conducts follow-up visits at reasonable intervals to ensure care is being maintained. Yeah, right. Hey, JCAC, let's see all of those horses today that you sold at Napoleon in September. How many went to slaughter in Canada? How many were so infested with worms that when their well-intentioned owners gave them a full dose of dewormer, fully expecting their rescued horsey to be up to date on everything, it passed at least three different kinds of internal parasite and could have died from intestinal blockage from the die-off? I can show you three horses that look better just three weeks after being "rescued" from JCAC!

8. Never takes in more horses than it can care for and keep everything up to date on. Oh. Em. Gee!

9. Maintains its own premises in the same condition it expects from its adopters - i.e. clean stalls, safe fencing, no hazards in the pasture. Does not whine about having soooo many horses and not enough help and make excuses for their own place being a shithole. Or, simply bill previous owners and consequently your taxpayers for repairing property that was leased by the defendants, rather than move horses to sites deemed "safer" by the powers that be. The property owner is grateful, I'm sure. Claim that the defendants were keeping the horses amid the trash that was outside the paddock area, may as well allegedly let them out there for media photos just to be sure. Inform the media that CASH MONEY, not goods or services, is all that these poor suffering horses really need.

10. Never disposes of a horse it has failed to place via a dealer or auction. Is unafraid to euthanize a horse who is crippled and suffering, or who is so mentally unpredictable that its chances of finding a safe home are close to zero. JCAC: euthanize a horse who is suffering due to injuries that allegedly occurred while the horse was under your care, namely when the young studs were released into the general population, without contacting the owners (horses still owned by Matt and Jim at this point) who find out after the fact.

Those are my minimum standards for real equine rescue. Anything else, in my never-humble-opinion, is just a variation of horse dealing with a warm & fuzzy marketing spin because that helps sales. Sales? Oh yeah, that's why JCAC needed to get their hands on all the horses' registration papers immediately, because they were so valuab... er, I mean, because they were so neglected! Yeah, that's it.

I'm still shocked about the numerous $15.00 delivery charges on the bond money breakdown ... it would appear that every week, JCAC needed to have donuts delivered to the farm! But wait, there weren't enough ordered for all of the horses ... that's hardly fair.

Look for yourself ... on 5/22, 5/31, 6/7, 6/14, 6/26, 7/3 and 7/10 there is an itemization for 25 rolls at $.50 each, and a $15.00 delivery fee on the same date. If I'm wrong, by all means, explain what this charge IS for then ... that's $192.50 and I'm thinking only a government authority would pay more to have something delivered each week than the actual item costs.

Could have bought 64 tubes of dewormer with that much money. I'm just sayin'.