Source: Sky News
The horse was struck over 100 times, authorities say. Pic: Lancaster SPCA
The horse was struck about 130 times and is in a “substantial amount of pain when touched”, animal welfare officials say.
Authorities in Pennsylvania have asked for the public’s help after a horse riddled with over 100 paintballs was found abandoned at a stable.
The Lancaster County SPCA said the 20-year-old Appaloosa-Arabian mix was discovered on Monday.
The horse, which is blind in one eye, had been struck by about 130 paintballs at close range, the SPCA said.
The group posted pictures of the horse on Facebook, which showed the animal covered in several colours of paint.
SPCA executive director Susan Martin said the horse was “in a substantial amount of pain when touched”.
She added the horse faced a lengthy recovery but was expected to survive.
The horse was found in a stall at the New Holland Sales Stable after sales ended for the day.
It had not been registered for the sale and had no visible identification, the SPCA said.
Animal cruelty investigators are asking anyone with information on the horse’s owner to come forward.
Categories: Horse News
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Sounds like a bunch of sadistic kids in the area. Blind in one eye and 20 years old. Really nice. I hope whoever is responsible is caught, and you can be sure they’ll receive more humane treatment than this poor horse got. Parents should pay for vet bills and damage3s, and ensure that their kid receives adequate help from a mental health professional. 😦
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If the SPCA can get the horse out of pain and I can have contributors to get the horse to me, I will take the horse. I have two horses, blind in their right eye, and would gladly take care of this horse. I give my horses hugs and kisses and would like to know if he is responsive to kindness when he gets over his ordeal of pain. And, I love the Arabian and Appaloosa breeds. I rescue what I can but would need help in getting the horse to my So. California location, since I lost my husband recently, the cost of getting the horse to me is important. I hope they catch this/these individuals. I wish that by hurting any animal gets the same punishment as that done to a human, Laws pertaining to animal abuse is not enforced enough and are not as extreme as I would like to see them. I have no mercy for anyone who hurts an animal. They are our gifts from God and there is not a one of them that should be put down unless he is dangerous (by several experts opinions) and several vets that the animal cannot be saved. I’m a truly animal activist and know what I think should be done to those hurting animals, and I might add, their punishment would not be enjoyable if it was up to me. They would endure hell for their actions but still on earth. My love goes out to this horse. Please keep me appraised @ sbcglobal.net. THank you and God Bless those that are working to get this horse back in shape. I know it will be several months and I am willing to wait for the horse until then and some of my husband’s medical bills will be gone as well by that time. Please someone give this horse “hugs and kisses” for me. I wish I could do it personally. Thank you.
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Contact NetPosse / Stolen Horse International at NetPosse.com they have a program for transporting horses. Thank you for reaching out to give this sweet horse a loving and forever home.
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I cannot write here what I am thinking …
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May there be a reserved place in hell for the person, or people, who did this.
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The Devil walks the Earth everyday…
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Am I surprised?? Absolutely Not!! New Holland is among the worse of the worst!! I hope they call the PA state Ag dept and complain. These auctions and Kill Pen are not monitored by Anyone. The US Dept if Ag is the biggest joke along with the BLM. I will be on this tomorrow DEMANDING something be done! The Arabian made I adopted from one if our local rescues came from there. Thank God someone was able to save her. She probably was a very gentle little horse only looking for someone to love her. Where can we send donations for her card? These damn gov. agencies need to step up to the plate. If I had not already adopted, I would consider taking her. I bet there are already caring people in line wanting to take her. It is now a felony in Illinois if you are found guilty of animal cruelty. All states should follow our lead. I hope they catch the bastards and shoot them 4,000 times. Just disgusting!!!!
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Where on Earth are the parents?! Or did a bunch of teens and young adults high on drugs and alcohol decide they were going to use a half-blind animal as target practice? How morally devoid have we become as a society?
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Plus it was at close range. We’ve become extremely morally devoid. You have to wonder how these kids were raised.
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Not only the basically punched her 130 times, they also dumped her in New Holland so she could eventually face a gruesome death at a slaughter plant or starve to death. This is beyond cruel and disgusting. Is this what tomorrow’s society will look like? I hope not.
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First of all, I totally agree with Grandma Gregg. When I first read this 2day, I did not comment because I had to absorb this shocking cruelty to an innocent horse. I felt so extremely angry that any human being could intentionally terrorize a horse & then have the audacity to post it on face-book to brag about it. I am not familiar with the animal cruelty laws in PA. I do hope that they locate these heartless freaks who obviously have nothing better to do. I am hoping that this offense is not classified as a misdemeanor & they will just get a slap on the wrist. My first & foremost reaction was to give the idiots a tour of New Holland & to transport them (crammed with the precious cargo, the horses) in a trailer w/no food or water for a horrendous journey with the Meat Man to Canada or Mexico. Then they could experience & witness a guided tour from start to finish of what the innocent ones must endure by some humans…The torture, the horrors, the screams, that RT writes about in his book (mentioning in one chapter) “I flew over Kaufman today”….. Very Haunting..
Thank you RT for keeping us informed – How could anyone not feel anger or not be emotional after reading this… Traumatizing / Torturing a horse OR any living thing is BEYOND MY SCOPE… Same goes for The “BLM” MEGA MISGUIDED AGENCY!!!
Having time to think about this, perhaps these kids did not have any values installed, nor guidance from their parents. We need much more education & compassion in this country.
I know I have mentioned this before – The word “humane” is derived from the word human???? Scary??? Can this horse (1 of so many) be saved????
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Marissa, nobody knows who did this, so it may or may not be kids, and the FB posting was by the rescue organization, not the miscreants who shot this poor horse. Heck, they might have learned to use horses for target practice in prison! One can hope there were some cameras at New Holland that might show who dumped this horse there after hours, even if it’s a trailer arriving after hours or someone leading the horse in. Let’s hope someone saw something and justice will find its way to the light.
In the meantime (could be a long wait based on past experiences) does anyone know how to start a crowd funding effort to get this horse transported out to Lynne Jones in CA?
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http://www.fleetofangels.org/
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Thanks for clarifying the information here. Much appreciated!! Crowd funding would be a wonderful thing to save this horse! Go Fund Me or some other networking to save this particular horse, ASAP? But so many others who need to be saved also… Many tears & prayers for the rest of the horses who need our help!
Thank you again for your input!
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https://www.gofundme.com/questions/
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“It’s been shown in study after study that a person who abuses animals rarely stops there.”
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It just reminded me of that incident where two teens were seen running away after harming a horse, but that was in Martinsburg, WV, not New Holland, PA. That horse was 20 years old too, coincidently. I’d bet good money that it was teenagers – but we many never know. Sad. I’m glad that good people are stepping up to help, and that this lovely girl is going to be ok.
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Okay, looks like my local professional hauler charges around $1/loaded mile, and it’s about 2,600 miles from New Holland, PA to San Diego, so adding in vet care, vaccinations etc. this horse may find a new home for under $5k. I will check out the go fund me site (never used one) but surely this is within reach for this dear old horse, who probably let someone lead (him? her?) quietly into the kill pen after hours.
In a time when our country seems to get uglier by the day, horses stand as witness not only to our darkness, but to the existence of light.
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Many ughs here, But I agree with you completely!! Other options for rescue groups in NH… blindhorses.org & also Catskill Animal Sanctuary in NY. Will check out the Go Fund Me page for this innocent horse & SO MANY OTHERS!! Thanks everyone for your comments & input! I will donate to help this horse & others, no doubt! Thanks MOM 4 believing in horses!!
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A mare:
http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/horse-abandoned-at-stable-riddled-with-paintball-remnants/38523556
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More video here of this mare, and how she’s being helped:
http://www.fox29.com/news/108935625-story
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Speechless.
As parents and community members, it’s all our fault. A deep disconnect in some people’s minds… At one time, they were little boys, or girls. Now it’s too late to set them straight. So sad.
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FBI Collecting Data on Crimes Against Animals
02/01/16
https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2016/february/tracking-animal-cruelty
Acts of cruelty against animals are now counted alongside felony crimes like arson, burglary, assault, and homicide in the FBI’s expansive criminal database.
On January 1, the Bureau’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) began collecting detailed data from participating law enforcement agencies on acts of animal cruelty, including gross neglect, torture, organized abuse, and sexual abuse. Before this year, crimes that involved animals were lumped into an “All Other Offenses” category in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s annual Crime in the United States report, a survey of crime data provided by about 18,000 city, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies.
By adding animal cruelty offenses to NIBRS, law enforcement agencies and the advocacy groups that pushed for the inclusion in the FBI database are hoping the results will reveal a more complete picture of the nature of cruelty to animals.
“Some studies say that cruelty to animals is a precursor to larger crime,” said Nelson Ferry, who works in the Bureau’s Criminal Statistics Management Unit, which manages NIBRS. “That’s one of the items that we’re looking at.”
The National Sheriffs’ Association was a leading advocate for adding animal cruelty as a data set in the Bureau’s collection of crime statistics.
The National Sheriffs’ Association’s John Thompson urged people to shed the mindset that animal cruelty is a crime only against animals. “It’s a crime against society,” he said, urging all law enforcement agencies to participate in NIBRS. “By paying attention to [these crimes], we are benefiting all of society.”
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So I heard that she is at New Bolton Center & safe… Had eye removed.. Will look for updates on her condition. Just did not want her to fall thru the cracks.. Thanks for everyone who cares ALWAYS!!!
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BLM admits they shot paint balls at our Wild Burros under the guise of a population census technique. Here are their own words “This sightability factor is based results for burros from the Lincoln-Peterson mark-resight studies conducted by BLM Arizona for the Black Mountains/Mojave Desert ecosystem since 1995. In the mark-resight studies, the area is flown twice. During the initial flight, ALL THE ANIMALS SEEN ARE MARKED WITH A PAINT BALL.”
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/prog/wh_b/population_estimation.html
I can just hear the BLM having a lively and enjoyable discussion and then agreeing with this animal abuse method. Although there ARE safe, simple, harmless and accurate scientific methods of wildlife census counts, such as Go-Pro and heat sensing cameras … leave it to BLM to approve a violent paint ball shooting method.
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I can’t agree more. Looks like BLM folks at Black Mt. had a great paintball shooting session at tax-payer expense. I have to wonder if they shoot them from the helicopter and how close they went to do so since it is not that those paint guns have an extraordinary range or be particularly accurate, for that matter.
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Boys and their Toys Wild Burro Census Method…Daniel, I have it from a reliable source that they have been shooting our Wild Burros with paint balls for YEARS.
Why not, instead, use updated technology which would yield reliable data?
Enough money has been spent on roundups and removals
One easy and inexpensive example of providing proof of the BLM’s census counts would be the use of a video camera (such as a Go-Pro) on the helicopter. Another new technological advancement now used in animal census is the aerial drone. This technology has already been used by the DOI for successful location and census for sage grouse.
Why has this not been done by BLM for wild horses and burros census?
Is it because it would verify the inaccurate and inflated census counts of wild horses and burros that are reported by the BLM?
AND besides…it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun
Click to access ofr2014-1205.pdf
http://conservationdrones.org/2014/06/01/mapping-with-a-gopro-underneath-the-iris/
http://conservationdrones.org/
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