Homes sought for seven horses seized in Pine County (MN)

[question everything]

Doc wasn’t much more than a bag of bones when Pine County deputies seized him and dozens of other emaciated horses and dogs in September and October in an animal-cruelty investigation. Many of the animals have been adopted, including Doc, who has filled out and is acting as a stallion should on his new ranch, says a veterinarian who helped find him a new owner.

But seven of 28 horses seized still need homes, Chief Deputy Steven Blackwell said. “The remaining animals are right on the bubble as to their ability to sustain any quality of life,” he said. Feed and upkeep have run to about $20,000 each for two groups of horses, rounded up in two seizures from Pine County animal owners with a long history of neglecting animals. Charges against the owners are pending, Blackwell said.

The first seizure came Sept. 12 at a farm northeast of Pine City and led to removal of 14 starving horses, 22 dogs, 84 chickens and 18 ducks. A second on Oct. 10 involved 14 horses and 15 dogs. Three of the horses had to be put down. “The term gut-wrenching doesn’t begin to tell how bad things were,” said North Ridge Veterinary Service’s Delores Gockowski, who has been caring for the horses since. All surviving horses from the first group are adopted. For the seven horses remaining from the second seizure, prospective owners must provide a veterinarian reference letter and contact information from a farrier, Gockowski said.

More..

http://www.startribune.com/local/233695531.html


How you can help

If interested in adopting one of the seven rescued horses, contact North Ridge Veterinary Service at [phone].

Donations for feed and care can be sent to North Ridge Veterinary Service, 90590 Northridge Road, Sturgeon Lake, MN 55783-3703.

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For the life of me I don't understand why people have so many animals that they cannot or will not care.

[hankthecrank]

1. This happens too often

This is going to come down to a hoarding problem

If you have animals feed them. No reason for this. If you can not tell that they are starving then you should not have them!


I hope they learn from this.

Pets really don't ask for much for what they give back!

But they need you to take care of them. Feed them!

[magical thyme]

2. breeders got caught in the 2008 crash...

If they bred their mares in the spring of 08, they had unsellable foals born in 09. I've run into a number of them with 4-6 year olds running wild. The ones I've spoken with/met have been working 60+ hour weeks to feed the horses, with no time or money to put into handling and training. I looked at one young mare like that. It was no-go for me. Although she is fine for the farrier and such, his horse handling was such that we were almost trampled by his herd and they were all morbidly obese. He told me they don't need grain, but then goes out into his pasture with grain in his pocket and hand feeds them. So they had zero manners and excess energy from too much food and nothing to do.

The 7 horses they are hoping to adopt out have been evaluated and are listed as "pasture ornaments." They have had little human interaction, so while not aggressive need to learn from the ground up. It's one thing raising and teaching a foal that is learning about people from its mother and the herd, and handled from birth. It's a whole different thing with a 1,000+ horse that needs taming.

There are not many people out there who can a horse afford at all, and many poor horse people like myself who have limited resources are not going to fill our space for a single horse with a pasture ornament. There are too many good quality, well handled horses ending up at the killer.

[question everything]

4. Thank you for your perspective

I wish that the owners have tried to seek help during the past years, and not wait for a raid and, perhaps, some kind of indictment.

And, besides the horses there were the dogs, the chicken and the ducks.

[magical thyme]

5. Absolutely. Once they couldn't feed and care for them they should have sought help

Another problem is the rescues are overflowing as well.

[jwirr]

3. I cannot see how an owner could possibly do this. If you cannot feed them sell them or give them

away.