'Like a puppy mill': Dozens of emaciated horses rescued from Washington farm

[joeybee12]

SEATTLE -- Animal control officers seized 39 emaciated and sickly horses from inhumane conditions in dark stalls filled with feces on a breeding farm outside of Tacoma on Wednesday, authorities said.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents discovered the malnourished animals, many injured and some standing in more than a foot of waste, while serving drug-related warrants on Tuesday at the 99-acre property in Graham, Washington, Pierce County Animal Control supervisor Brian Boman told Reuters.

Animal control officers and sheriff's deputies from Pierce and Kitsap counties returned to the ranch a day later to seize the animals and found many were highly skittish because they had been "stall-bound" in three dark barns, Boman said.

"It was like a puppy mill, only with horses," Boman told Reuters. "The conditions are terrible. There's no telling how long it's been since they've seen daylight."

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/27/14120365-like-a-puppy-mill-dozens-of-emaciated-horses-rescued-from-washington-farm?lite

Unfortunately, some are so bad they will need to be euthanized.

[newfie11]

1. Sadly this is not an isolated incident

I have had Arabian horses all my life (now 65) and there are people that should never own anything alive.

There are also folks that get horses on a whim, find out the cost of feed (hay over $200. a ton), vet bills (horses can figure out how to get hurt on nothing), farrier (yes they need their nails done too) and lastly find out they don't know as much about horses as they thought they did. Then of course it is always the horses fault! It goes downhill for the horse from there.
If its a mare, well lets breed her, if it a stud lets stand him at stud.
In the 80's the market for Arabian horses fell like a rock. They had been pushed as a tax write-off for years but the IRS finally figured this out. When that wasn't available (scam) they dumped them like a hot potato.These people had no love for horses just money (remind you of someone). Horses that were advertised the year before for $80,000 and up were sent to slaughter all over the country. One rescued was ,a beautiful imported grey stallion. That was the only good story I remember.

In the early 90's I bought a black 12 year old arab stallion. A love bug he was. He was standing in a stall 24/7 with a good foot or more of manure. His owner had all his horses confiscated thank God. This boy died of cancer at the age of 20 but had the pleasure of living out his life with us in the SD black Hills in a large pastures with a few mares.

I now only have 2 horses left due to my age. They live on a 40 acre pasture.

This is going to get worse. The market for horses is not what it used to be and the price of hay for folks that don't grow their own is VERY VERY expensive.

[joeybee12]

2. Thanks for the post...I can readily believe that...

A lot of people get dogs not knowing how expensive they can be with vet bills...I can only imagine how ill-prepared a lot of people are with horses.

The owner's lawyer said the owner loved his horses...maybe he just got in over his head, but if he did, I can't imagine someone letting their "loved" horses get into that condition without trying to get some help if he was sinking.

[newfie11]

3. agreed

the cost to muck out a stall is free.


As far as dogs go I have 5 Newfoundlands. Vet bills go up with size LOL.

[xchrom]

4. So sad. Nt

[HopeHoops]

5. That just makes me sick.

[joeybee12]

6. Kick...nt