Horrific overgrown horse’s hooves

What do you think about the ‘sentence’ that this woman received?

40 Comments

  1. Alex Sykes on March 25, 2014 at 1:21 pm

    As a farrier I have seen a horse with a roofing nail through their frog. When asked, the owner said the horse had been lame for at least a month. He refused to provide any care for the horse even when I said I would do it for free. His answer? “She ain’t worth the effort”. I called the humane society and they refused to even go check on the animals!

  2. Heidi (nrhareiner) on July 31, 2012 at 4:21 pm

    The sad part is that in the US in many states like Ohio the laws are so laxed that nothing would have been done. NIce to see that they have heavier penalties over the pond.

  3. Leslie Zvolanek on March 16, 2012 at 3:34 am

    The owner ought be confined, in darkness, no grooming of self, exact same conditions … for 5X as long …There is nothing that can psychically match the agony that has been forced upon this horse … buy as close as possible is what is just …

  4. […] Check out this blog By Stacy Westfall.  Any person who owns equine (donkeys, horses and mules) and does not make sure their hooves are being trimmed on a regular basis is abusing the equine.  […]

  5. Donkey Whisperer Farm on March 1, 2012 at 6:29 pm

    I do not think the punishment was sufficient in any way. This person should go to jail.

  6. johanna on January 8, 2012 at 12:03 am

    this is a horrific case..

    i agree with a few reviewers that there are many things to consider here regarding this situation–owner mental state, owner family and financial state, ownership vs absentee assigned care of the animal, the horse’s possible physical contracture problem, etc.
    and, i have certainly seen a whole lot worse looking abuse cases than this case, where the abusers suffer no consequences.

    i do believe that prisons are meant for beings that are a constant mortal threat to society; in this case this owner seems to be a threat to the equine race, (and possibly more as neglect and abuse often extends from animals to family–but we don’t know that here) but i don’t feel jail is the place for this person. barring the owner from owning equines, and perhaps animals in general, is a way to stop any continuing harm in this case.

    my feeling is that putting the owner in jail does nothing to solve the problem, and in addition it is WE as a society, through taxes that will ultimately ‘pay the fines’ to keep the owner housed in prison. and it will be a lot more than the $10,000 fined!
    i do believe that the animal abuse should go on permanent record however–whether or not the owner is mentally or emotionally handicapped.

    in my opinion, solving the problem of this person’s abuse/neglect, if it is possible, should be addressed more directly: it seems like making recompense and subsequent forgiveness happens best when the perpetrator is made to address the victim’s plight directly, instead of receiving a punishment (jail) that doesn’t require real work and learning from the perpetrator. the owner can save the lives of other horses and through physical and mental labor learn to care for them correctly in compensation for the equine life and well-being that was taken. unfortunately, making recompense to, and ‘obtaining forgiveness’ from this horse directly isn’t possible, as it was apparently euthanized. (interestingly, animals forgive so much easier than people—something i feel i can always learn from).

    a monetary fine, yes: it can be put towards other horses in need of care–rescues, shelters, individuals in financial who need an emergency fund to care for their horses. and it comes from the owner, not society.

    mandatory, supervised, daily work for an extended period of time, outside the person’s normal workday (we are not paying for this person not to work, after all) in an equine facility, shelter, rescue, police stable, etc., would be a great idea. the owner will learn how one actually cares for a horse, may learn to appreciate and love them, or if not, at least the facility got free extra help, horses received care, and the owner did something towards paying his/her debt to this horse. i wonder if mandatory supervised work at an abuse hotline might not also be a good idea?

    the owner should be barred from future horse ownership, unless a substantial change comes about during the work restitution period and the years following (and if so, the owner should have to report to humane societies regularly re the condition of her animal). it doesn’t seem impossible that an owner like this could learn to have different feelings about horses and develop a sense of responsibility to them. but i am not educated in the psychology of abuse or neglect to know if this is viable or not….

  7. Lori on January 6, 2012 at 6:38 am

    Humane agencies do not do enough for horses. If it is a dog or cat they seem to do more but I agree penalties are not enough in any case.

  8. Dean Moshier on January 4, 2012 at 10:40 pm

    There is more to this story. Horse’s feet even if neglected, grow out similarly to the front feet. The hind limbs were already suffering a severe tendon contracture. The hoof grew as a result of it. This would have been difficult feet to manage even if she HAD kept up with routine farrier care. I am not justifying her neglect, but there is more here than everyone realizes.

  9. Tammy Tokash on January 4, 2012 at 1:04 am

    .This makes me sick to my stomach…the woman responsible for this should not be able to have animals, ever again…period.

  10. Calico on January 3, 2012 at 10:46 pm

    It’s hard to judge what is fair without knowing the particulars of the case. Was the lady an absentee owner whose trainer did this? Was she an invalid, paying a helper to care for the horse, and the helper just pocketed some of the money? Was she severely mentally ill? Or… was she just heartless and deserved to be jailed??

    Based on the cruelty cases I have seen in the US, her sentence was actually pretty stiff. (If it were me, i would’ve banned her from owning horses again, but that’s just my opinion). But compared to some of the horrific cruelty I’ve seen, if this happened in the US she’d be let off with a slap on the wrist. If she was a kill-buyer, she’d get NO penalty at all — even if the horse sat like this for months waiting for her to fill a full load for a particular type of horse for slaughter.

    Look at the total jerk, a professional for-slaughter lot in Presidio Texas: the horses were not only being allowed to suffer and die, the carcasses were being tossed into a streambed. Coggins laws were being totally ignored. Finally someone went in to investigate on August 13th 2011. They found plenty of dead horse bodies and bad conditions (pics are online). The penalty there: no horses seized. Although guilty of violating federal laws, the federal government did not send anyone to investigate. The state stopped by to document it, but then declined to file any charges.

    Look at the multiple violations over the course of years by Leroy Baker of Sugarcreek. He let horses in his care suffer badly and die, not to mention sales & transport violations. (This is another for-slaughter broker) It was so bad the USDA finally did step in. He ignored their rules, and it resulted in him being fined $162,000 for equine to-slaughter violations from 2003-2007. He still has not paid the fine, he says he has no plans to pay it, and he is STILL IN BUSINESS.

    Local to me are the ongoing violations found at Mel Hoover and New Holland horse auctions, both based in New Holland PA. There are photo evidence of horses with huge untended wounds, very ill horses, emaciated horses. Animals Angels investigated and sent their evidence to the local authorities, Lancaster County Animal Control. NO charges were filed, and the idea I got was that the Animal Control didn’t even bother to go follow-up. I’ve personally been to the New Holland sales stables and I’ve seen blind horses and very badly injured horses run through. There is a vet on site, Dr Holt, but he works for the sale barn selling Coggins. He’s walked right past gravely ill horses without noticing a single one, and he refuses to file a complaint. Half the problem is that vets refuse to file complains because they “work for the client” first and foremost. They can legally witness severe animal abuse every day and not have to do anything or call in even an anonymous complaint.

    Bottom line: if you were horrified by that video, you’ll be even more horrified by “kill pens” where this kind of neglect goes on in a much larger scale. And unlike the individual horse owner, animal control doesn’t like to bother “professional horse traders” (a potentially politically charged issue since many of these are in farming areas).

  11. Dave Hollenbeck on January 3, 2012 at 2:20 pm

    The person should get what she gave:

    1. Never allowed to have another animal

    2. Walk in the desert with no shoes

    • Jody Tribe on January 3, 2012 at 5:02 pm

      She shouldn’t be allowed to ever own horses and the fine should have been more… I have seen horses with bad founder before that they had hooves like the front but I have never seen anything like this in the back…shocking she should be jailed…

  12. Barbara on January 3, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    When you think of the constant pain the horse was in she was guilty of torture, not mistreatment. I hope her pic is all over the papers so everyone knows who she is. It’s inconceivable to me that anyone could let that happen. I think she should have been sentenced to some jail time too.

  13. Jacinta on January 3, 2012 at 1:19 pm

    It’s a horrible thing…I think she should not be allowed to have any equines. However, I also wonder if someone like this could learn that if she’s not able to properly take care of her horses, she should make the choice not to have them. There’s always chance for a person to change, and, while I think this is horrific, I’m not so sure it would warrant a lifetime sentence without horses. My hope is that when she is allowed to have horses again, there is some type of system where they will monitor the care of the horses. Do you know if this is the case?

  14. Deborah Casteel on January 2, 2012 at 9:43 pm

    This made me cry.

  15. Darlene Plummer on January 2, 2012 at 9:20 pm

    She should have to walk around in shoes that cause her pain and blood for a year and never never have another animal at all, This is so typical, when people stop loving their animals. They need the same sentence, that they sentence their animals to.

  16. Gerri Lundergan on January 2, 2012 at 8:40 pm

    The horse lost its life- so should she. The woman does not deserve to live.

  17. Sheila Sperling on January 2, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    What a heartbreak. I think that offenders should be given penalties that are so large they may, in some cases, lose their homes, cars etc. Then, maybe, they wouldn’t just put their head in the sand. They should NEVER own any animal again ……EVER. I often wonder in these cases why a neighbour or someone doesn’t interfere…..I sure would……and they could sue me if they wanted to. Good grief.

  18. Linda on January 2, 2012 at 6:22 pm

    Was the horse locked away out of sight all that time? Why did it take so long to get help for the animal even if it had to be a humane end. Who cares about the owner–she will be held accountable if not in this life, certainly the next! We all need to be advocates for animals to avoid this kind of heartbreak!

  19. Sherry on January 2, 2012 at 5:24 pm

    I don’t think this was a bad enough sentence, If she has no money for farrier care she won’t have any to pay a fine!!! I think she should do volunteer work in a shelter for animals and clean up dog and cat crap all day to pay off the fine, not be allowed to ever ever have a animal again, she should of gone to jail. Not sure how a person can live with themselves and look in the mirror???

  20. Katie on January 2, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    I I honestly think that she should have recieved jail time, a $100,000 fine and a lifetime ban on owning any animals. If she treats her horses like this imagine what her dogs and cats must be like.

  21. jody gee on January 2, 2012 at 4:44 pm

    Very sad, and very unnecessary for any horse to be in that condition. People are stupid. And I wonder why the rescuers made the horse walk across all that concrete to get to the waiting horse trailer??? No pads for the ground? Couldn’t drive the trailer closer?

  22. Tiffany Logan on January 2, 2012 at 4:40 pm

    That was absolutely horrifying. No matter what punishment she receives, the horse had to pay the worst punishment. This is so sad. Don’t get an animal if youre not going to be committed to it. Just horrible…

  23. Tammy Tokash on January 2, 2012 at 4:33 pm

    This is the most horrible thing…brings tears to my eyes.

  24. Jennifer J. Martin (Gran Jen) on January 2, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    She should not be allowed to ever have any kind of animal again! This is horrific!

  25. nikki on January 2, 2012 at 4:04 pm

    🙁 OMG thats a very very sad story…. the human kind can be soooo cruel!

    nothing else to be mentioned otherwise… realy sad.

  26. judith stahl on January 2, 2012 at 3:58 pm

    I think perhaps she should have gone to jail. At least for a few months!!! I’ll bet she had good shoes on her own feet.

  27. Olivia on January 2, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    The lady leading the horse makes me laugh, she is obviously scared stiff of the horse, she needs to chill and relax a little or she is just gonna make situations worse, the horse is gonna pick up on her and freak out too, and that is just what it does NOT need when it is in this condition. Walking is painful enough for it; why make it scared so it has to dance around? For cryin’ out loud, the poor horse would be better off if my six year old sister was leading it than that lady!
    You guys, at least the stupid owner even got a sentence. There are so many horses out there in worse conditions that this who will die before they get help because people are afraid to interfere or because they just turn their deaf ear because they don’t want to go through the trouble. I am not saying I am OK with this, she should never be let near another horse let alone ever own one. Just think about all the other horses who need your attention more. Don’t waste your time, before long it will be too late for another four-legged friend.

    • judith stahl on January 3, 2012 at 3:50 am

      I think she looks more afraid of making the horse walk on those feet than she looks afraid of
      the horse in and of itself. I know I would hesitate to make that horse walk as far as it shows in that video.

  28. Jodi peck on January 2, 2012 at 12:29 pm

    BS Hell no that wasnt enough!!! I better keep to myself on this one!! Makes me Pissed Off!!!!

  29. Juanita on January 2, 2012 at 12:23 pm

    I do not think she was fined enough. One she should NEVER own another horse again. Or any other animals for that matter. And she should have had to pay a steeper fine! What I would like to know is: did the horse have to be put down?

    • Stacy on January 2, 2012 at 3:43 pm

      At 1:10 a pop up says the horse was put down shortly after the video was made.

      • Liz on January 2, 2012 at 3:58 pm

        Stacy, how would they even go about trimming that poor horses hooves after so much neglect….Im sure the tendons and ligaments muscles bones everything is messed up after That……..Is that why they had to put it down You think??

    • Dick Hooker on January 2, 2012 at 5:54 pm

      I have seen hoofs that grew back into the front leg and these can be repaired over time but I know of no way the condition this horse is in could be reversed so the best thing they could do for it was to put it down.

  30. patricia woodruff on January 2, 2012 at 9:17 am

    I think she should NEVER have ANY animal…not even a GOLDFISH!!!!

  31. Shelley Montgomery on January 2, 2012 at 8:45 am

    I am not sure that is enough. A lifetime ban on ownership would be better. I am limited on my income, have 6 horses and every one, even the retired 30 year old, gets regular farrier care. I also require my boarders to keep their horses on a schedule of farrier care, shots and worming. I would not want a client to come get hay or look at a horse and see something like that on my place….

  32. Angelique Aia Hill on January 2, 2012 at 8:43 am

    that just makes me sick. no i think it should be more, and people should be more aware, its not okay to let it go this far. someone should have stopped it earlier.

  33. Gwen Confalone on January 2, 2012 at 7:35 am

    i think the penalty is appropriate. Too bad the horse had to pay with its life.

  34. Chanida on January 2, 2012 at 6:39 am

    OMG that made me cry! How can people do that to animals???? It makes me sick & I say make them live in the same amount of pain that they put their animals through! She should never own another animal, let alone a horse again – EVER!

    • Tabitha on January 2, 2012 at 8:18 pm

      I agree.,That is bad

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