Rescue to take place very soon of Indiana horses

Rescue to take place very soon
Posted by: “phazzii”
Thu May 31, 2007 7:49 pm (PST)
Horses Impounded in Ongoing Indiana Horse Neglect Case by: Erin Ryder,
News Editor May 31 2007 Article # 9712

Gibson County officials and the Indiana Horse Rescue last weekend
removed 15 horses from a southern Indiana farm in another chapter of
what they call a chronic case of horse neglect. An additional 35 horses
were removed from the property last August, and around 100 remain.
Farm owner Richard Stallings, 66, of Owensville, was arrested May 26 and
was released on bond, said Gibson County Sheriff R. Allen Harmon.
Charges from the August seizure are still pending. Sheriff Harmon said
the condition of horses at the farm has been an ongoing concern for
about three years.
Stallings attorney on record did not immediately return a call for
comment.
Harmon added that the population of horses at the farm has been reduced
from a high he estimates at 300 head.

[Gibson County]
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY INDIANA HORSE RESCUE

Caldwell said many of the horses have severe hoof problems.
“We did the first search warrant approximately two years ago,” Harmon
said. “It was a lot worse than we thought it was–we found a lot of dead
animals on the back of the farm, thrown off into a gully, there were a
whole bunch of dead animal carcasses laying around, there were crippled
animals, underfed animals, sick animals. So we got Animal Services
involved, and quite frankly our Animal Services aren’t equipped to
handle this type of problem–you get 300 sick horses and think ‘what do
we do now?’ ”
The Indiana Horse Rescue (IHR), a group that assists Animal Services and
Humane Societies in the state, steps in during such cases. According to
Tony Caldwell, co-owner of IHR, the group was called to inspect the
property in August, and they removed 35 horses. Fifteen of these horses
died or were euthanatized, eight were adopted, and 12 are still in the
care of IHR.
The Gibson County Animal Services set requirements Stalllings had to
meet to retain the rest of the horses. However, according the Harmon,
they were blocked from entering the property once their search warrant
expired.
[Gibson County2]
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY INDIANA HORSE RESCUE

Caldwell estimates around 100 horses are still on the farm.

Caldwell explained: “There was a broad spectrum of things that he was
supposed to do. At that time his lawyer advised the county that they
were not allowed to enter the property any longer–therefore, follow-up
inspections were problematic. So as they moved forward they would do
drive by inspections, and they received a complaint. When they received
the complaint they called (IHR) and said they had to go back and take a
look–there might be some foals that are not doing so well out there. So
we went down with that in mind, to simply examine a very small area.
They obtained a search warrant and we went in there with them, and what
we found was appalling.”
Caldwell said the inspectors found piles of dead animals, malnourished
animals, and one horse with an elevated hear rate and temperature with
an infected would that, according to what Stallings told Caldwell, was
10 days old. Stallings was arrested, and the wounded horse impounded
with 14 others. Caldwell said the horse is improving with treatment. One
horse died. Caldwell said a necropsy was performed on the horse, and the
official cause of death is starvation, along with massive parasite
infestation.
According to Caldwell, all of the horses could be impounded if IHR had
the space in their facilities. As the Gibson County horses might have
infectious diseases or require special care, they are not available to
be fostered, but horses already at the IHR facilities are available to
be adopted or fostered. Adoptable horse listings with photographs are
available at the IHR Web site, www.indianahorseres cue.com
.
Caldwell also said that monetary donations are the most effective way to
assist the IHR, as the group is able to get special reduced rates on
many necessary supplies. Donation information is listed here
ty%202007.htm> .
Harmon said a court order would be needed to permanently turn custody of
the horses over and stop the cycle.
“He’s not trying, in my opinion, to make it better,” Harmon said. “These
horses are dying–they don’t need to wait. Something needs to be done.
But I think it always boils down to the same thing–what are you going
to do? Nobody wants to sign a court order to take these animals away
from him, and that’s what it’s going to take.
“It’s just sad–these animals can’t help themselves, and there doesn’t
seem to be much legal cure,” Harmon said. “It’s really tough, if you’ve
ever studied the law, especially in Indiana, because farm animals are
treated completely different than cats and dogs, and it’s really a
problem. There really aren’t many laws about farm animals–as far as
cruelty to farm animals goes, it’s hard to prove.”