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.
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