No excuse: Ag groups must act now.

I was at three of the four public auctions of "Turn 3 Ranch" horses held in 2007, after seeing photos from the first one. I was absolutely appalled at the condition of the horses that had been in Jackson County's care for at least six months:

• There was NO EXCUSE for the horses to be long overdue for hoof care, with the dollar amount that Animal Control demanded for their basic needs.
  
  
• There was NO EXCUSE for the weanlings—born after the farm was seized—to be bloated from an obvious parasite infestation, with their bones sticking out through dull, fuzzy coats a clear indication that those distended bellies were not "fat" by any means.
  
  
• There was NO EXCUSE for yearlings and two-year-old fillies to be bred for spring 2008 foals, which also clearly happened during the months that the county was "in charge" of the herd.

Fecal tests done by new owners showed that the horses suffered from as many as three different kinds of intestinal parasite, in numbers great enough to kill the horse if not dewormed with the utmost care. This indicates that regular deworming did NOT occur under the county's watch.

I didn't trust what I was hearing when this case first went public—didn't know anyone on either side—so I read the pre-trial hearing transcripts for myself. While conditions at the farm were truly not ideal, neither were they abuse.

To see abuse, you need to look at what the county's actions did to the defendants' lives. Read what the media reported based on what county officials told them.

• What manner of animal lives for six months without food or water?
  
  
• Who claims there are 30 pregnant mares, when only a month or two before foaling, it is clear to any knowledgeable farmer what is a developing foal and what is a "hay belly"? (Only about a dozen mares were actually pregnant, and the fact that they carried to term indicates they received adequate care during their pregnancy.)
  
  
• Who perjures themselves and says there was no food or water available, in order to seize the property, when their own photographs and testimony later entered prove that food and water WAS available?

This case is a nightmare for farmers. The agricultural community better wake up, and quick.

• How would it affect YOU if keeping livestock in muddy spring fields was considered animal cruelty? Does every cow in your herd need an individual stall and a clean blanket?
  
  
• How would it affect YOU if every scratch, cut or cough had to be appraised and treated by a veterinarian or you could be considered guilty of a felony?
  
  
• How would it affect YOU if wire fencing were banned for large animals? If a neighbor with a vendetta opens your gate at night, should you lose the right to own animals?

Think about it. National case law could be made in Michigan in January 2009. Are you ready?