Posts Tagged ‘horse abuse’

LEACHMAN HORSE ABUSE TRIAL BEGINS IN MONTANA

Posted: November 28, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News
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By Katie Chen of Billings’  KULR8.com

Shades of Jason Meduna; Horse Abuser James Leachman Faces the Facts

BILLINGS – The first day of testimony has ended for a Billings-area rancher accused of abusing his horses.

James Leachman is charged with multiple counts of animal abuse for five different horses he owned. On Tuesday, Prosecutors displayed images of horses with leg bands that cut into their skin.

Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Lt. Kent O’Donnell was the lead investigator of the case that began nearly two years ago. He visited the ranch several times and saw horses with out-turned hooves and ingrown leg bands.

The prosecution then asked O’Donnell to describe what he encountered when he looked at the health of the horses Leachman owned.

“You can see it’s not putting any weight on that leg it’s just dragging the hoof. You can start to see, if you get a little closer you can see the leg band you can’t quite make it out there but you can make out the white, this white area right here and that’s actually pus,” Lt. O’Donnell said.

Public defender Clark Mathews questioned the lieutenant about his investigations. He revealed O’Donnell didn’t look for a brand on one dead horse found in a nearby pasture. But O’Donnell said that was because coyotes had already destroyed much of the horse’s remains.

If convicted on all counts, Leachman could spend up to 16 years in prison. The trial is expected to last into next week.

Click (HERE) to visit Billings Channel 8 and to Comment
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100 Captive Wild Horses Moved From Squalid BLM Facility

Posted: April 26, 2011 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
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(The News As We See It) by R.T. Fitch ~ Author/Director of HfH Advisory Council

BLM clings to “No Wrong Doing” on its part!

Multiple news reports indicate that more than 100 wild horses have been moved to a short-term holding concentration camp at the Utah State Prison in Gunnison. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) allegedly moved the captive mustangs to a BLM corral at the prison after the agency’s Butterfield Canyon facility near Salt Lake City incited national outrage.

True to form, the move of 108 horses does not mean that the BLM is accepting any accountability. Mouthpieces for the agency insist the horses are well-treated and the national attention — triggered by a professional video of muddy, filthy corrals and a documented written report — are without merit.

“We’ve always had mud issues, but not like this year’s,” said Jared Redington, who manages the corrals for the BLM. “The reason we shipped those horses out was to make a little more room here at the facility.”

Last week Redington sang a different tune when he reported that everything was “Okay” for an initial Salt Lake Tribune article on the incident.

“With all the rain that’s projected we’re going to have,” Redington said, “we thought it was best to move those horses out of the facility to give us a little more room so we can rotate the horses into drier pens.”

The controversy began on March 15 when a potential horse adopter,  Lisa Friday, had the misfortune to visited the facility. Obviously concerned by what she saw at the filthy facility, she recorded video and wrote a detailed report that she submitted to the Cloud Foundation, a world-wide recognized mainstream  wild horse advocacy organization. The video was professionally edited and narrated by Emmy award-winning cinematographer Ginger Kathrens.  Ms. Kathrens carefully and accurately states, in the tape, that, “Lisa was unprepared for what she saw, animals that had no dry place to lay down, or those that had trouble walking in a urine-soaked quagmire of mud and manure.” Then, as a scene unfolds showing a motionless mare lying on the ground, Friday herself is heard on the video, saying, “That horse has been laying down since we got here. Hasn’t moved.”  The video on its own merits is extremely compelling.

The exposure of the wanton conditions at the facility generated heated criticism of the BLM, but Redington continues to cling to the concept of misrepresentation.

“Yes, there was some things in there where they didn’t tell the whole story,” Redington said. “But that’s their given right to come out and look at the facility. But what the video doesn’t show is the straw that we have out for the horses. And where the mare was actually laying down was on dry ground.”

In addition to raising criticism about muddy corrals, the video suggested inadequate medical attention. In one scene, the video shows a mare with a gaping shoulder wound, surrounded by flesh or hair that has a ghastly purple color. The tape’s dialogue indicates that the wound may be infected while equine owners from across the country could clearly see that it needed to be sutured at the very least.

Redington said the discoloration actually came from a purple antibiotic medicine sprayed on the wound. “What they were interpreting as an infection was actually a treatment,” Redington said. “The veterinarian that was on site said the horse is fine.”  A statement that is rebuffed by credentialed veterinarians.

Redington continued to crawfish by saying that the movement of horses did not directly result from the controversy. He said a potential movement of horses had been under discussion anyway, but he acknowledges the controversy may have sped up the decision.

As usual, the ultimate fate of the captive wild horses is unclear. The BLM’s broken policy of removing federally protected and healthy wild horses from their rightful natural habitat has resulted in a log-jam of more horses being held prisoner in short and long-term holding than are free on the public lands of the west.  Said mismanagement all but assures that the moved horses will enter into the BLM’s system of obscurity where they will either be shipped off to long-term holding centers in the Midwest, at taxpayers expense or mysteriously disappear at auction for destinations unknown but assuredly not in the best interest of America’s national icon; the wild horse.

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800+ Montana Horses Face Uncertain Future

Posted: April 2, 2011 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Slaughter
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Updates provided by Jan Falstad of the Billings Gazette

No Mention of Money Back to Donors

Buyers crowd into the sale barn for a public auction of more than 800 of James Leachman's horses at a ranch south of Billings on Saturday ~ photo by Casey Riffi

The sale of 829 horses on a Crow Reservation ranch that was touch-and-go for weeks ran smoothly on Saturday.

The sale, believed to be the first of horses impounded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for trespassing on tribal lands, attracted 1,000 people, including 200 to 300 buyers to the ranch 16 miles east of Billings.

BIA Regional Director Ed Parisian said trespassing cases just never get this far, so this sale is special.

“If your livestock is trespassing, you move them. We’ve never been here before,” Parisian said.

The mares with last year’s babies brought $300 to $800 even without registration papers with the American Quarter Horse Association.

The horses formerly belonged to James Leachman of Billings and were seized by the BIA after he failed to move them off the Home Place ranch. Leachman had until 8 a.m. Saturday to pay the bills to round up his horses, feed them and prepare them for the sale. When he didn’t, the sale started as scheduled at 10 a.m.

The rest of the horses will be sold as fast as one a minute Sunday starting at 10 a.m.

Despite the depressed horse market, more than 200 buyers from a dozen states plus Canada showed up for Saturday morning’s sale of 829 quarter horses on a ranch south of Billings.

Bureau of Indian Affairs regional director Ed Parisian said there are too many on lookers in the sales ring.

“There are people who want to buy, but can’t get in to buy,” he said.

Last month the BIA seized the Leachman horses for trespassing on Crow tribal land. Parisian said this is the first trespassing sale in Montana.

The bidding began at 10:10 a.m. after a prayer in the Crow Indian language and mares were going for about $300 to $500.

It was standing-room-only in the area where Rick Young Auctioneers of Absarokee was selling horses at a clip of one every 60 seconds. More than a dozen people were watching the sale on a television in a large tent nearby.

Late Saturday morning, a pair of Canadians led the active bidding.

“You’re never going to see these many foundation-bred Quarter horses in one place again,” said Cory Wilson, of Meadow Lake, Alberta.

He and another buyer drove 900 miles for the horses and hope to fill a tractor-trailer rig with 40 horses to drive back to Canada. They paid a top bid of $800 for a roan mare at 10:30 a.m.

R.T. ~ “I have watched this case since the beginning and when all is said done, it is a heartbreaker on so many levels.  People from across the country rallied to help these horses survive when Leachman criminaly turned his back on them and shut down his moral compass.  For months both local and distant organizations and individuals reached into their pockets to feed these horses and now that the Crow are putting them up for sale there is no mention of the tens of thousands of dollars that were donated to keep these horses alive being returned.  Nice rosey, fat deal for the Crow don’t you think?

And although I am confident that many of these horses will find good homes due their strong blood lines and high prices being paid but the bulk will surely make it across the boarder to the slaughter plants in Canada, it is heartbreaking.

One single human being started this avalanche of equine suffering moving and even though decent folks managed to hold the disaster at bay for a bit, in the end, they get kicked in face…not by the horses but by the Crow.  Totally reprehensible.”

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Captain of NYCPD Mounted Unit Kills 3 Retiring Horses

Posted: April 13, 2010 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, The Force of the Horse
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“In my humble, pissed-off opinion” by R.T. Fitch – Author of “Straight from the Horse’s Heart“

“Crap for Brains” Captain Hands Loyal Horses Death for Retirement Present

A lifetime of service thrown right into the garbage

You know, just when you think that things are leveling out and maybe the horses are gaining a little bit of ground you open up the paper or a news website and something like this reaches out and slaps you right in the face.  It smarts, it stings and it STINKS!  (Sorry, any semblance of a professional demeanor is right out the window)

The retirement package that was administered to three solid veterans of the NYPD was a needle to the neck and an early death where they had an easy 10+ years left to reap the rewards of just being a horse.  And the Horse’s Ass…no wait, that is an insult to the horses, the piece of horse poop, no…again that is degrading to the fallen equines…the worthless, stinking, pond scum who issued the order should contemplate if he will receive the same loving treatment upon his retirement.  We could only hope!

Jen Carlson of the “Gothamist” reported today:

“Some of New York’s finest four-legged friends have been sent off to greener pastures, with a loud rally cry from animal rights activists sending them off. According to the NY Post, the head of the NYPD’s Mounted Unit, Capt. Barry Gelbman, ordered three retired police horses put down upon their retirement, saying various leg ailments made it impossible to transport them to new homes upstate and in New Hampshire.

The horses—Danny, Willis and Richie Rich—were 15 to 20 years old, and had life expectancies of up to 30, leaving many to question Gelbman’s decision. Allegedly, he made it clear the animals were under his control, as property of his department. But one source told the paper, “They did not need to be euthanized. They just could not travel cramped for 16 hours. They only needed special accommodations to move them.”

This isn’t the first time the NYPD has been involved in scandals involving their horses. On top of running a corrupt auction, in 2005 they sent 58 retired horses to a bankrupt farm where it was discovered they were malnourished.”

There you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth and here is what we are going to do about it.  We need to get this turkey’s badge, he needs to ride off into the sunset with moraly bankrupt losers like “Slaugherhouse” Sue Wallis and defunct “Red” Ed Butcher.  This idiot is not only an emabarrassement to the proud men and women of NYC who where the blue with honor, he makes me want to turn in my “Human Being” badge.

Let the Mayor of New York know how pissed off you are at http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.bd08ee7c7c1ffec87c4b36d501c789a0/index.jsp?doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fmail%2Fhtml%2Fmayor.html

Call the NYCPD at 212-868-2585 and let them know how you feel.  Fellow advocates have reported back that those answering the phone are upset, too.  Tell them where you are from and why you are calling.

We are Equine Advocates and the voices of the horses, it doesn’t make any difference if it is 40,000 captured wild horses in pens, a 100,000 shipped across the border for slaughter or 3 police horses in New York City, it’s all about the horses and they need us, now, more than ever.

Let your voices be heard and tonight, say a prayer for those who gave their lives for the service of man without even so much as a thank you, without a single shred of compassion or gratitude.  Offer a prayer of forgiveness to those who were so totally betrayed, like hundreds of thousands before them.

We should know that prayer very well by now; it has become our mantra and how we lull ourselves to sleep at night, it’s the nightmare that haunts us as we try to rest and it’s the fire in our heart that presses us on.

Maybe, just maybe we can retire that prayer, one day…just maybe.

Sometimes I hate being a man.

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Help Habitat for Horses for FREE

Posted: February 24, 2010 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Rescue
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News Update:

You can Help Save Horses at HfH without Spending a Dime

Hard working Habitat for Horses Volunteers - Photo by R.T. Fitch

Since December, iGive special challenges have meant tens of thousands of dollars for the organizations listed at iGive, groups just like Habitat for Horses. These challenges are our response to the tough economic times.

We’re tremendously pleased that they’re working, so we’ve put together another 24 hour / $5,000 challenge.

It requires your participation, but it is free and definitely easy.

We’ll give Habitat for Horses a dollar for each person who joins iGive using the special link below and visits one store via iGive between noon Wednesday, February 24, 2010 (Chicago time) and noon Thursday, the next day.

Here’s where you come in. Send your friends, family, and colleagues the following link in an e-mail, tweet it, do a Facebook posting, put up posters, shout from mountain tops (you know the drill) and let them know you think Habitat for Horses is pretty cool and deserves their support, especially since it’s free! You can even just forward this blog with the button below. The only way Habitat for Horses will get new supporters and that free $1 (or more) is if you invite them.

This is the link:
http://www.igive. com/welcome/ warm_reg_ promo.cfm? m=621727

5,000 new members, $5,000. No purchase necessary. That’s 5,000 new members for all causes, not just
yours, and it’s only for 24 hours, so it’s a bit of race.

It can turn into more than a dollar, much more … if these new members search or buy something at an iGive store they’ll earn much-needed money for Habitat for Horses. Right now, we’re donating a special bonus of $5 for that first purchase plus the usual percentage. Active iGive members raise an average of over $40 per year for their cause.

The details:
- Offer active between 12:00 p.m. February 24, 2010 and 11:59 a.m., February 25, 2010 (Chicago time).
- New members only (never have been an iGive member previously). All the normal rules of membership, searching, and purchasing apply, our site has the details.
- Once we’ve given away $5,000 in total, the offer ends.
- The special link and visiting a store via iGive are necessary. No link, no store visit, no $1.

That’s it. We’ve got a new look (a real facelift) that we’re interested in testing out, so spreading the word helps both
Habitat for Horses and iGive. Check it out yourself at http://www.iGive. com . You may need to login first.

Habitat for Horses, Inc.
PO Box 213
Hitchcock, TX 77563
409-935-0277

This is what Habitat for Horses Does!

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25 Dead Donkeys, Horses Found by Habitat for Horses in Fannin County Texas

Posted: January 11, 2010 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Rescue
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Fannin County map
Image via Wikipedia

Habitat for Horses Rescues Survivors

by Sana Syed, CBS 11 Dallas

LEONARD (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―Habitat for Horses and authorities in Fannin County have discovered dozens of dead donkeys and horses, on a property in Leonard, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas, near the Oklahoma border.

Officials say they found at least 22 dead miniature donkeys, and at least three dead horses in a field.

“There’s a dead animal, there’s a dead animal, there’s a dead animal, you have to be careful where you drive, there’s so many dead animals lying around here. This is heartbreaking.”

Deanne Murillo is an animal cruelty investigator for Habitat for Horses. She surveyed the sad scene where the animals were found scattered across several acres.

“We all know, we just suffered four days of the arctic chill, these animals were in no shape to survive that” says Murillo.

Several bones were also found. Murillo believes these animals were in horrible condition for months and the freeze sent most of them over the edge.

A neighbor tipped off Fannin County Sheriff‘s deputies Sunday morning. Investigators found 25 carcasses total. Three were horses, the rest were miniature donkeys.

Even though the sun has been shining for hours on a day that is supposed to be well above freezing, the animals’ primary source of water is still a solid sheet of ice. In some parts, it is up to an inch thick.

Murillo ran to the pond as soon as she realized what had happened and poked holes in the pond for the surviving animals.

“Those little donkey hooves that you saw were not able to break through that. That’s why there’s 20-something dead donkeys here.”

The owner wouldn’t talk to CBS 11, but he told investigators he hit a rough spot in his life financially and couldn’t afford to take care of his animals. But Nancy Gracey with Habitat for Horses says that’s not a good excuse.

“How can anybody go to sleep knowing that the animals they are responsible for are freezing to death, starving to death” says Gracey.

The surviving eight miniature donkeys and seven horses will now be rehabilitated at Gracey’s home before being put up for adoption. Fannin County Sheriff’s deputies say the owner will likely be arrested, and could faces up to 25 counts of cruelty to animals.

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Slaughter Supporters Call for Boycott of Some of America’s Most Beloved Horsemen and Most Effective Horse Organizations

Posted: January 10, 2010 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Horses/Mustangs
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Press Release from the Equine Welfare Alliance

Willie Nelson, Carrie Underwood, Pat Parelli, Sheryl Crow, Vigo Mortensen, Barbie Twins, USEF, Humane Society, PETA Under Attack From Obscure Animal Agriculture Group

CHICAGO, (EWA), – Some of America’s most prominent horse lovers were verbally assaulted and accused of malfeasance today for exercising their right of free speech over the ongoing decimation of the wild horse herds and their opposition to horse slaughter. The unprecedented attack came in a release issued today by little known Wyoming State Representative, Sue Wallis of United Organizations of the Horse (UOH), and left many in the horse industry scratching their heads.

The rambling diatribe called for a boycott of the respected United States Equestrian Federation, legendary horse trainer Pat Parelli, Willie Nelson and others for speaking up for the humane treatment of horses and protection of Mustangs. The release accused them of taking “dirty money” and selling out to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), but offered no specifics or proof.

Wyoming Rep. "Slaughterhouse" Sue Wallis

The attack comes on the heels of a week of growing press coverage of nationwide demonstrations against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its removal of wild horse herds from the American West. In an earlier release, Wallis praised the BLM’s actions in removing the horses and she has suggested they be slaughtered and fed to the world’s hungry. Currently, horse meat sells for $30 per pound in Europe, making such a humanitarian offering unlikely.

Curiously, neither the USEF, PETA, nor the HSUS, has taken part in the recent demonstrations or law suits against the removal of mustangs in the Calico complex of Nevada. Notably missing from the list of organizations attacked in the release were those who actually did participate, including In Defense of Animals, The Cloud Foundation, the Equine Welfare Alliance and numerous other groups. Over 200 organizations, dignitaries and celebrities as well as over six thousand individuals have signed-on to a Unified Call for a moratorium on round-ups.

EWA’s John Holland explains, “I suspect this attack has more to do with hyping State Representative Wallis’ own campaign contributions than anything else. They love to use the PETA/HSUS boogieman to coax money out of their base. “Even so” continued Holland, “such an attack has the unmistakable aroma of desperation about it.”

Disguised as a plea to come to the aide of animal agriculture, the demand for a boycott attacks one of the farmer’s and rancher’s most consistent humanitarians. Singer Willie Nelson has raised millions for farmers and stockmen facing foreclosure during hard times.

It also attacked Parelli, a former champion rodeo cowboy who went from riding bucking horses to pioneering a more gentle and cerebral form of horsemanship. Parelli clinics fill coliseums from coast to coast and abroad with horse lovers intent on learning to think like a horse,

The tax status of Wallis’ organization is under a cloud. Donations are funneled through a questionable tax deductible 501(c)(3) charitable group. Such groups are legally limited to the amount of its income (15-20%) that can be used for lobbying. To date, all UOH efforts appear to be related to lobbying for horse slaughter and against wild horse protection.

“If this is the way they are going to raise money” offered Holland, “I would suggest they squirrel away most of the proceeds in a legal contingency fund.”

The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 90 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

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