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.
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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
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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.
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