Friends in both places.

The horse loving community here is Michigan is a small one. This case has, on more than one occasion, divided friends onto opposing sides. I have a blog comment from a dear friend on here now that I will address:

martyyy1 said...

I was there when jcac first took over the ranch. I collected hay and delivered it down there. Every horse there was skin & bones, fences were broken and not secure. horses were getting out and into the road. Many of the horses hand bad sores. Everyone there working seemed to be very concerned with the well being of the animals. I have never seen any animals look as bad as these. If it were up to me I would not only have taken these animals I would have stripped those two guys naked and put them out in a pasture for the winter with no food.

October 12, 2007 7:52 AM

martyyy1 ~ you know we love you guys, and your witnessing the scene has made me question many things I've heard and read.

I did not see these horses before the seizure took place, never met the accused until the most recent auction. I have no choice but to go by testimony, and the facts and opinions of friends who have seen and know more than I do.

The testimony from several different vets agree that at least 56 of the 69 horses were in ideal or better body condition. So far, you are the only person I've met that agrees with the media's assessment that 69 horses were starving. Even the vets for the prosecution found the majority of horses had a body score of 4 or 5, which is ideal or better. I have to take that into consideration.

If I understand correctly, this is the 4 year old grulla mare
that had been sick and lost a dramatic amount of weight
very suddenly due to colic. She looks awful here.
This is the only photo I've seen of her.

I am disturbed that 3 horses were given, by different vets, a score of 1 to 2. Now, I've had horses that I would say were probably a 2. There were a number of factors leading to that condition: age, disease, availability of adequate forage, dental condition. It is hard to see a horse like that, and some horse owners would put their animal to sleep if that condition persisted. Others would separate the thin horse from the herd and give it specialized care. By most accounts, this was happening at the Turn 3 Ranch.

Animal Control has in the past given a farm owner with similar conditions a warning, basically a fix-it ticket, and will continue to monitor the situation. There are numerous instances of severe neglect where Animal Control has told concerned parties that since there was food and water on the premises, even if it was kept where the animal could not access it, that they could do nothing. While this is a shameful procedure in many cases, it has been the standard operating procedure ... warn and watch. These actions by JCAC were unexpected and unrealistic; with Jackson's budget issues, why would they assume care for a large herd of mostly healthy horses? Many of us believe it was to profit off the high dollar breeding stock on the farm. Few other answers make sense.

My greater concern lies with the farming community. While you do not often find horse farms operating with this many animals, it is routine to have a working farm with hundreds of cows, sheep, goats, pigs or other livestock. The idea that animal husbandry ignorant government officials can come in and seize all of your assets if a sick cow or a dead sheep is found on your property is unsettling. Losing an animal in the winter is not uncommon; having hard keepers that look very skinny but blossom again in the spring is also not unusual. Having parasites such as lice or intestinal worms are a fact of life on the farm; there were medications for treating both right there on the farm. It may have gotten out of hand, and maybe the farm manager needed help, but a full scale seizure was uncalled for.

My main concern now, six months after seizure, is that these horses have not received basic care in the months since they were seized and forfeited to Jackson County Animal Control. Where is the money going? Not for a farrier. Not for dewormer. I have more auction photos to post, more month after photos to show that just a few weeks of proper care can make a huge difference.

There is no excuse for the condition of a horse to be the same or even worse six months after "rescue" and absolutely no excuse for JCAC to send these horses through a livestock auction for meat. I am waiting on the proof I need from witnesses at the auction, but when I get it I will share it for all to see ... I was stunned.