There is a house that I pass almost every day. I've known from the first day they started fencing in their yard and brought home horses that it was
going to be a problem. They have three strand electric fencing, with t-posts which aren't capped. Okay. Not ideal. I can get over that. Not everyone is
educated. Not everyone has the money. At least it's not barbed wire.
We live out in the country, so fencing your front yard for horses is not a big deal. Lots of people do it. They've got about an acre and a half. Sure, you
could support a horse on that. With a proper feeding/turnout/hay schedule you could probably support a couple. Within a week of finishing the fencing, they
brought home seven. SEVEN horses, on an acre and a half, two of which were heavily pregnant mares.
This began in approximately February/March of this year.
There is no barn. They have a tiny round pen off to one side of the house which is sort of partially fenced around it as well. These horses were being fed no
hay, but I could see grain pans on the ground occasionally so I believe they were getting some grain. Within the first month there was no grass left on the
property. They ate it down to the roots which killed it off completely. There is now no gras at all, only red dust. Both mares have delivered foals and are now
nursing. There is still no hay, and I no longer see grain pans. This doesn't mean the horses are not getting any grain it just means that I do not see any
evidence of it.
I still count approximately seven horses on the property, including the foals. I don't know if a couple have been sold or what. All of them are paints,
typical BYB brown and white nothings. They're probably not registered but I don't know any of this for sure. I've never seen any of them ridden or
touched. I can't tell about the condition of their feet from the road.
I have seen animal welfare out there one time a couple of months ago. They were out there with what I assume were the owners, and the owners were smiling and
pointing at the horses which were all in good condition weight wise at that time. There was no grass but grain pans were in the pasture and the horses looked
fine. I would assume nothing was done, because there was probably food and water on the property and as I said, the horses looked fine.
However, it is obvious to me every day that the animals are dropping weight. I looked at them specifically as I drove by today and their coats are in ratty
condition and ribs are beginning to show. Hips are beginning to show, spines are beginning to stick out. They are nowhere near starving but they WILL be if
nothing is done. Yes, we are in a drought. It is July and this is only going to get worse but the guy right across the street from this horse owner has hay for
sale and round bales are easy to find for $45 - $75 depending on what you are looking for.
I know it is typically hard to get government entities involved but I do not want to wait until six months from now when these horses are dying in the field to
DO something. I want to PREVENT a disaster not ignore one until it's undeniable.
I'll take pictures every day. I'll call and write letters every day. I'll be a burr under the ass of every government official in a fifty mile
radius if I have to do it to get something done but have any of you reported people before? What gets results? Should I try to find out if the Ag department
already has them under observaion?
It just makes me so angry to know what is going to happen if nobody does anything.
