Horse Ranch Owner Reacts to Judges Decision
Judge rules that 69 horses seized from James Henderson Jr.'s ranch be returned.
Posted: 6:26 PM May 18, 2008
Reporter: Tiffany Teasley
James Henderson Jr. says his connection with horses is like none other.
"If you actually ride a horse, you really become connected with that horse and you really become one," Henderson said.
But that connection was put on hold last year when Jackson County Animal Control seized 69 of his horses. The county impounded the horses from the Turn Three Ranch owned by Henderson and his ranch caregiver Matthew Mercier. The county alleged thee horse were left with little to no food water and inadequate shelter.
"Emotionally this has been absolutely devastating, this has been going on for a year," Henderson said.
But on Friday a judge ordered the return of those horses.
"I was elated, I was absolutely elated, that the judge followed the letter of the law," Henderson said.
The judge says the county didn't prove the horses were neglected when they were seized. Now begins the tedious process of tracking down those horses.
"Some have been sold two or three times over and those will be impossible to find," Henderson said.
Some horses were auctioned off and 11 were adopted, and Henderson says those should be relatively easy to track down.
"All the ones that were adopted out will be very easy to be found," Henderson said.
While Henderson doesn't plan on keeping Matthew Mercier as his caregiver he does plan on opening another ranch.
"When this gets over, I see myself doing it on a smaller scale so I can actually go back to riding and competing," Henderson said.
The Jackson County prosecutor's office plans to appeal the decision.
Jackson County ... you have nothing to gain by appealing this decision. The taxpayers are done funding your wrongdoing. Give them a break, and let people attempt to go on with their lives.
I'm disappointed that Ms. Teasley did not use this opportunity to report that some of the horses will not be able to be "recovered" because they were shipped to slaughter in Canada. I hope she chooses to follow up on the recovery process and expose this atrocity.
Perhaps readers would like to contact WILX and other media sources, and reiterate this grisly truth to the public.
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