Regarding Turn 3 Ranch

I wrote this on September 24, 2007:

On March 20, 2007, Jackson County Animal Control seized 69 horses in Grass Lake, Michigan. Three very underweight horses were among the mostly healthy animals. Standard procedure of warning the owners of issues and giving them a chance to rectify the problems was not followed.

Only three of the horses seized are involved in the upcoming trial. At least 56 of the animals were found to be in ideal body condition or better by Jackson County's equine veterinarian.

The defendants, Matthew Mercier and James Henderson, leased the property, and owned and cared for all of the horses. They have not yet been given their day in court.

After other rescue groups failed to share Jackson County’s opinion that this was a case of starvation and neglect, they brought in a controversial group, Leelanau Horse Rescue. Complete, required non-profit information forms were not available for this group. Donations of hay, feed and equipment were turned away and donors were asked to send money to a post office box instead.

The care the horses may or may not have received was billed to Jackson County in a sum of over $134,000, however this leads to another controversy: over a dozen young animals sent through a livestock auction in September, after having been in the care of JCAC for six months, were observed to be so skinny their ribs showed, had overgrown hooves past due for trimming, and bloated bellies from parasitic infestation. They sold for an average of $188, which is comparable to recent slaughter buyer prices. No reputable “rescue” would send a horse through a livestock auction, with no contract or care provisions for the animals’ futures.

There has been no accountability for the money donated toward the animals’ care. The defendants were charged exorbitant fees for feed, pasture clean-up, even phone calls and t-shirts for volunteers. Many professional horse owners find the costs unreasonable and not typical of standard farm management. The defendants were given less than a week to come up with this price tag or lose ownership rights and forfeit the horses to the county.

The alarming truth is that these men have not been found guilty of any crime. Their life’s work, their ambitions and dreams, are being sold at auction to the highest bidder by Jackson County, with no regard to their welfare. All are scheduled to be sold before their trial begins in December.

The media has spread gross misinformation since the seizure, and very little of the defendant’s side. Please help us spread the truth behind this travesty of justice. Help expose the unconscionable actions of JCAC and reveal the truth behind their unreasonable charges for horse care that has clearly not been awarded to the animals. Find out how the donations were spent. Please contact your government officials today. The defendants have nothing to hide, and are concerned for the future of their horses, and for anyone who owns horses in the county and in the state.