Dozens of horses seized from Pierce County farm
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GRAHAM, Wash. -- Dozens of sick horses who were living in dark, urine and feces covered barns were seized by Pierce County animal control officers Wednesday morning near Graham.
Officers served a search warrant at the farm in the area of the 30800 block of Meridian East in response to another law enforcement agency's concerns over the health of horses on the property, said Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, who oversees the county's animal control office.
Officers found 39 horses on the property living in deplorable conditions, Anderson said. Many of the horses had medical issues, some were very thin, and some have various types of injuries.
Brian Bowman with Animal Control said some of the horses lived in the dark.
"Lots of standing urine, feces… some of the barns where the horses were kept are pitch black," he said. "The horses have maybe a pin hole they can see out of for any kind of light, period."
All of the horses are being removed and taken to an undisclosed location for veterinary care and to be held as evidence, Anderson said.
Anderson said agencies from around the area are assisting with transporting and feeding the horses while they are in custody, and 1 ton of feed is being delivered to feed the horses.
"This is the largest seizure of horses that Pierce County Animal Control has ever undertaken," Anderson said in a news release. "Horses are expensive animals to seize and provide care for."
Vets believe the worst signs of neglect are not immediately visible, saying many horses have tumors, facial wounds and hoof problems. Also not immediately visible are more potential problems to come --
many of these horses may be pregnant.
"There's an unusual number of stallions we're seizing… clearly a breeding operation," Anderson said. "No foals or babies. I'm sure what we'll find during the examination is pregnant mares."
If prosecutors decide to file charges against the animal owners, they could face charges of second degree animal cruelty.
Officers served a search warrant at the farm in the area of the 30800 block of Meridian East in response to another law enforcement agency's concerns over the health of horses on the property, said Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, who oversees the county's animal control office.
Officers found 39 horses on the property living in deplorable conditions, Anderson said. Many of the horses had medical issues, some were very thin, and some have various types of injuries.
Brian Bowman with Animal Control said some of the horses lived in the dark.
"Lots of standing urine, feces… some of the barns where the horses were kept are pitch black," he said. "The horses have maybe a pin hole they can see out of for any kind of light, period."
All of the horses are being removed and taken to an undisclosed location for veterinary care and to be held as evidence, Anderson said.
Anderson said agencies from around the area are assisting with transporting and feeding the horses while they are in custody, and 1 ton of feed is being delivered to feed the horses.
"This is the largest seizure of horses that Pierce County Animal Control has ever undertaken," Anderson said in a news release. "Horses are expensive animals to seize and provide care for."
Vets believe the worst signs of neglect are not immediately visible, saying many horses have tumors, facial wounds and hoof problems. Also not immediately visible are more potential problems to come --
many of these horses may be pregnant.
"There's an unusual number of stallions we're seizing… clearly a breeding operation," Anderson said. "No foals or babies. I'm sure what we'll find during the examination is pregnant mares."
If prosecutors decide to file charges against the animal owners, they could face charges of second degree animal cruelty.
Clearly a breeding operation but there are no young horses. WHAT? And even if it is, so WHAT?
"worst signs of neglect are not immediately visible... facial wounds" Really? Are they invisible facial wounds?
Did this media outlet learn nothing from the livestock seizure that ended with the Kitsap Humane Society under investigation? Clearly not. Let me spell it out. Law enforcement LIES and animal rights activists LIE MORE.
One, two or even three horses are expensive and messy, which takes time to clean their stalls, feed, brush, water, etc. I know, I had 3 horse at one time. They are a lot of work, but if you take care of them the right way, they are totally worth it. Loved my horses.
However, 39 horses? NO one has the time for all of those horses, unless they are kept at the stables, on a farm with plenty of help caring for them all. I know that KOMO makes it sound worse than some of you may think, but truth be known, this is a case of animal neglect and abuse. No horse, or any animal, should be living in pitch black, urine/feces filled area. These animals have to be out in pasture to graze and run around for exercise.
Breaks my heart to see horses, or any animal, living in these kinds of conditions. I am just happy to see them rescued from what they were living in. Hope they have many happy days of grazing in an open field.
 After reviewing this story the horses were clearly in a negelect crisis and it was right to remove them. Sorry Anuttama, cleaning stalls once a week is inadequate. I have horses, and if thay are confined in a stall you do have to muck it out at least once if not twice a day to keep them from standing in poop. People who cannot take proper care of any animal should get help or rehome them. It is interesting that the owner has money to hide behind a lawyer but not to maintain their horses properly. They deserve to go to jail.
If you can afford to take care of all of your animals properly get help.
A breeding operation? Have you tried to sell a horse lately? Good luck. Hard to give them away. Glad someone reported them.
From experience in working with horse seizures, they have been watching this barn for a reason. Just because a horse doesn't look thin or sunken in does not mean that they are cared for properly. It takes weeks/months to get something like this happen. I agree that they did not physically look as bad as others, however their conditions are unacceptable. Having 39 horses in those conditions means that there is a problem that has gotten out of hand, and usually the next to go is the food & clean water source.
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Thank you for those that took the time to file complaints to make these horses get the attention they needed.
This just chaps my butt. These people should face stiffer penalties. These horses have suffered. My problem with the owners is had they reached out for help, they would have received it. Shame on them. I hope they do time for this.
Sorry commenters, but these horses certainly don't look thin. Â Some of them in the video look fat. Â I know the operation and agree that the conditions for the horses were sad, but do we want the government deciding what conditions are acceptable? Â If I didn't get around to trimming my horse's feet soon enough should he be seized? Â If I wasn't able to clean the stall that day, should the government come and take her? Â In addition anyone who eats chicken should look into the conditions that the birds endure for their short lives. Â Before you condemn, please look at yourself.
@Anuttama I have to believe that if the Pierce County Humane Society took on the monumental task of seizing 39 horses â that it was necessary. The article did not say that ALL horses were thin â but it did say âMany of the horses had medical issues, some were very thin, and some have various types of injuriesâ. A few of these injuries were described on KOMO last night and Iâll have to say that it was clear to me that several of these animals were suffering. No animal in the care of a human should be denied veterinary care, proper nutrition, exercise â a happy life. It appears that the owner of these horses was unable to properly care for them and I for one am very thankful that we have organizations such as the humane society to ensure that animals do not suffer at the hands of humans, no matter their good intentions.
 @maesmaze  @Anuttama I think it is wrong to assume that anything that the government does is for the purpose they claim.  According to the news, the animals were seized after a visit by another government agency urged it.  Turns out that agency was the DEA.  The owner of the animals is a medical doctor and the FEDERAL government has taken a stance against medical mmj.  Reading between the lines, I'd guess that it is something that the Dr. is doing is irritating the FEDS.  Either that or they may be making trouble with the landfill across the street.  I don't know what is going on, but I'm curious why people who eat chickens--kept in beyond cruel conditions--would be up in arms about this.
@Anuttama Is it possible they are fat because they are pregnant? Might be a good reason for them to have a big tummy!
 @abuckyy  @Anuttama My guess is that they won't find any pregnant mares.  I'm slightly aware of what is going on there because my daughter used to clean stalls at that barn when she was a teenager.  When a horse is thin, the area behind the shoulders is sunken and the butt gets pointed at the top.  In addition the ribs stick out.  No, the horses shown on the video show no sign of neglect.  Why people  believe what they hear on TV rather than their lying eyes is beyond me.  That said, the situation at that barn is sad, just not something for the government to be involved in.  When my daughter worked there the stalls were cleaned once a week and most of the horses never got out of their stalls.
 @Anuttama This smells bad. Are we to believe that 39 horses could leave 8" of standing urine in a barn that size? I have seen some mistreated animals, and this is nowhere close from what I have been able to see so far. Horse people here had better dig really deep into this IMO.
these stalls are cleaned every couple of days down to the matts.  A horse can accumulate a lot of mess in a couple days. add them dumping their water over and flinging their hay. The conditions that they show on the news do look bad but if you've never had horses then you don't understand how quickly their stalls look bad. The news showed a barn isle that was nasty but in the stalls they were not wet like that. The stories on the news keeps changing from startving, sick and pregnant hosres to now mental abuse from being kept in the dark. There are no pregnant mares just overweight mares. These horses are loved and fed and their medical needs are being met. Don't be too quick to crucify someone before you know what is going on and when they show the pictures they pick only the bad ones. Aren't you at all curious as to why the horses that are so neglected are not being shown? And yes I know what I am talking about, I paid my way through college working on this farm. I cleaned stalls every day and guess what? I had to come back and do it the next day and the next day and so on. The owners of this farm are not uneducated horse hoarders, they are good people who are being destroyed by this. Remember my statement when it comes out that this was a setup or conspiracy and then you can apologize for being so cruel.
 @luci Re read what I wrote. I am questioning this. What is going on?
@luci " Don't be too quick to crucify someone before you know what is going on and when they show the pictures they pick only the bad ones."
If they are so well cared for, why would there be ANY bad ones?
"If prosecutors decide to file charges against the animal owners, they could face charges of second degree animal cruelty." WTF? There should be no IF's about it. Charge them with 39 counts of animal cruelty, neglect and anything else they can pin on these people. This is just sick. Unfortunately instead of being shot (wishful thinking) they will get a slap on the wrist, serve no time and will do it again. Just another reason I don't like some humans.
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I have the answer....it will solve many problems....it will put people back to work and make our country a safer place.....if I was to run for office this would be the cornerstone of my platform:Â
BUILD MORE JAILS AND PRISONS...
and put people like this indoors behind bars with only an hour of sunlight a day... and make them serve their full sentence.... Â
I grew up on a horse ranch, I never can stand people like this! Oh the horse's IÂ love them but I can't feed them or take care of them. Then Sell Them and be done! It is so F'n Cruel to the Animals I wish We could treat these people the same darn way!
Yeah and I'm sure we are going to hear that the owner loves horses and was trying to do the right thing. Such B.S. I just bought $10 in Powerball tickets and I vow that if I win I will make sure that all of these horses are cared for for the rest of their lives. Even if I don't - I'm going to donate to this cause. Think I'll start a fund at work tomorrow morning. It's the least I can do for these poor creatures. This is heartbreaking.
 @maesmaze If you start a "chip-in"  ( http://www.chipin.com/ ) on the internet, let us know. I'll be there to donate.  I agree, this is very heartbreaking.
I am definately looking into this. Thanks so much for your suggestion. There are always a lot of generous responses in helping with dog & cat hoarding situaitons...but horses are so expensive to care for...it takes a lot more money, resources and dedicated people.  It takes a village. Please look at "chip-in" within the next few days - I'm going to try and bring this cause to the forefront of our community.  It's especially difficult right now that we are going into a season where a healthy and well cared for horse needs additional nutrition above and beyond what it can find in a good field of grass.  This is a such critical situation for underweight horses. Let's help them. I will find out who is leading the cause and see if we can help this organization take care of these deserving creatures. Thanks so much fyrefawx.Â
 @maesmaze You'll be amazed at how many people will want to help, and the rescuers will have names of groups who will help also. Good luck to you and the horses!
I just don't understand how many times this kind of stuff happens. It's just ridiculous. I hope they do decide to prosecute.
Having an old fashioned  round-up
Horse ownership is not for everone, and a person can quickly get in way over their heads if they have no clue how much work is involved and how much they will need financially each month to provide for those horses.  Hay, grain, hoof care, vet bills, etc. I could go on all day about the things that horses need to provide them good quality care.  This is a sick individual that has some kind of severe mental issues to be doing this to these horses. The courts need to be stronger on their punishment of these jackasses.,  They should NEVER be priviliged to own any animal again. Â
They need to file charges against the animal owners. It should be a permanent removal of the animals and the responsible party should pay for the vet care and feed even if it takes them years to do so. Until they start hurting these people in the pocketbook they will just turn around and do it again. Put some 'teeth" in the punishment.Â
 @Jatok I agree! How about putting some punish in the punishment!
Until there are some severe consequences it will just continue. That applies to all negative behaviors in this country.
Horse hoarders... like so many who posses horses without the financial means, hard work and love necessary for the "working" animal to survive. Having a horse in the yard doesn't equal good horsemanship.... just a poor old forgotten yard ornament.
I'm always angered and saddened by stories like this and always find myself wondering how the situation was allowed to become so deplorable.  Thank you to everyone who pitches in to help in these situations.Â
Ow! Snorted coffee out my nose... "One ton of feed is being delivered to feed the horses while they are in custody" Seems like a lot, don't it? Except those of us who own and care for horses know that 1 ton of hay is only 22 bales. A horse in good condition will probably eat 1-2 bales per week varying on size, breed and level of performance. 39 starving horses will have that consumed in less than 2 weeks. Not to mention sack feed, veterinarians, farriers....
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"Horses are expensive animals to ... provide care for". You got that right.Â
@Content_People Unless my math is wrong (which is quite possible), 22 bales in a ton makes the bales around 90 lbs each. My hay bales are only around 50 lbs. But I get your point, a ton of feed doesn't last long, especially not with 39 hungry animals eating it.
You are correct... the average bale of Alfalfa or Orchard Grass weighs 90-100 pounds. Timothy can go as much as 130 pounds per bale. Regardless, a horse in healthy weight will eat 10-30 pounds of hay a day (that's just maintenance- more if the horse is being strenuously used). One who is starved will need easily double that to regain healthy weight. We can agree that it's not a lot of food for that many mouths.
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There's also the issue of high likelyhood of colic. A horse that hasn't had enough to eat who suddenly finds themselves with good groceries can get incredibly sick and lay down and die. Animal Control is used to dealing with dogs and cats. Horses are a whole different animal altogether (couldn't resist the pun). For being so big, they are certainly delicate.
@ Horse Lady: I've worked with rescue/rehab horses for decades. You're preachin to the choir here. I've also shown Western, English, Hunters, Jumpers, Dressage, Combined Test, 3-Day Evening AND Presicion Driving- I also trail ride in the mountains for the fun of it. I feel pretty confident in my horsemanship and horse-husbandry skills.
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My first comment was made in regards to the written article and specifically to the sensationalism (imho) of the "1 ton of feed"Â and (again mho) my observation that that ain't much feed for that many critters.
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Now that they've posted a video, the horses shown onscreen were actually in decent body weight, but apparently are lacking in other areas of care- feet, teeth & veterinary care as well as deplorable housing. None of the horses shown on the video are walking skeletons- I rescued a 16hh Thoroughbred who weighed less than 600 pounds and had rainrot so bad he had absolutely no hair except his tail. He was beautiful after about a year and gaining 500 pounds. Became one of my musical freestyle dressage "dance partners".
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@Content_People Bringing horses back from starvation is a very misunderstood process. You don't suddenly pile a huge amount of food in front of a horse that hasn't had any for a while. That is definitely a recipe for disaster. Small amounts of hay throughout the day while very gradually increasing the amount over at a least a 2 week period until they are able to handle a normal feeding. Introduce grain slowly as well. Of course have plenty of fresh water available.
@Content_People The 10-30 lbs per day is why I downsized to a mini (since I don't ride anymore). She eats a whole lot less than my Arabs did!
This is more than disgusting, let alone totally inhumane and the punishment given should reflect the deplorable conditions these poor animals have been 'living' in (LIVING?) more like DYING in!!
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This woman some have referred to has been getting away with this animal cruelty for years and years?
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1st step: Give this woman a garden hand tool and make her start cleaning up all the disease & mess & filth left behind with no face mask or water and see how long SHE lasts!! Make these charges stick...and put her away from others in some deplorable prison somewhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here we go yet again - another POS who just 'cannot surrender the animals' or the 'over my dead body' mentality. Yet, they cannot or will not take care of creatures who cannot take care of themselves. Please just shoot the POS 'human' and put them out of everyone's misery. I sure hope the horses make it.
I am disgusted, likely nothing much will come of this and that infuriates me.
I'm guessing this is the farm off Pole line 304th, I won't mention her name. The owner has neglected animals on her farm for over 15 years and has continuously been turned in to SPCÂ by concerned citizens. Makes me sick that is has gone on for so long and gotten to this...prosecute!
 @Pamela Lee Cheney Would this be Darlene Wilson? I know she had a farm in roy. I was heavily involved in her neglect case 2 years ago, but I am pretty sure the judge did not ban her from owning animals. I am wondering if she had a seperate piece of property. The type of neglect between the two cases is almost identical.
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