Reporting Neglect or Abuse continued
of bones, including individual vertebrae, a prominent tail head, or a dip in the neck where it joins the withers.” Note:Don’t ever offer food or water to a rental horse, whether on or off the stable’s property. If you feed a horse that later comes down with colic, you open yourself up to prosecution from the horse’s owner, Rogers says. In addition, says Gail Gantt, Assistant Abuse/Neglect Investigations Coordinator with Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society in Texas, if you feed or provide water to a needy horse you could jeopardize a case against the owner: “A judge is not going to care who fed or watered a horse, only that it’s been fed or watered, and then dismiss the charges.”
• Failure to attend to injuries.Tese might include hoof injuries, sores around the mouth where the bit fits, or dirty, open wounds on the legs. Lori Morton-Feazell, former Director of Animal Control at Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA in San Mateo, California, says, “horses will cut their legs from time to time but the wounds should look clean.”
Y
ou should also be on the lookout for negligence related to housekeeping or sanitation, although it may not be illegal
in every state. Gail Gantt believes it’s a good idea to “treat a rental stable as you would any business: Expect it to be clean and well-kept.” You might want to report: • Excess feces in or a strong ammonia smell coming from stalls; • Fences in disrepair or debris lying around; • Horses who are very dirty (beyond whatever dirt might accumu- late from rolling on the ground) with matted manes or tails.
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A good rule of thumb, concludes Gail Gantt, is to “Report anything you find alarming.”
MAKING A REPORT You should report any suspected violation within a few days of when you noticed it, making sure to include: • the name, address, and phone number of the stable; • a good description of the location of the barn or field where you saw the horse(s) you are concerned about; • a good description of the horse(s) you are re- porting. Note color, gender, and any special markings (e.g., white stockings)
You may also want to include: • Photographs. “While they can’t be submitted in court,” says Essie Rogers “they can be used to show probable cause to the investigative authorities that there is a problem.” Note: Take photographs only while on a stable’s grounds as a patron; if you sneak back onto the stable’s grounds you are trespassing on private property. • Your name and contact information. Investigators will frequently accept an anonymous complaint, but they’d prefer to be able to contact you with any follow-up questions about the animal you’ve reported, or even instructions on how to find the rental stable you’ve reported.
Most investigators will ensure that your report will be kept confidential, although you may be asked if you want to volun- teer to appear as a witness in court if charges are filed. If you’ve asked an investigator to contact you with the status of your report but haven’t heard back within a few days, call back; it’s a good way to make sure your complaint has been investigated.
Finally, make your complaint to either a local sheriff or animal control officer, which in every location has investigative authority, or to a welfare organization, such as an SPCA, which in some places can launch investigations. If the organization you contact can’t investigate the complaint, they’ll refer it to law enforcement. In many places, law enforcement relies on local welfare organizations to help gather and validate evidence during an investigation.
For many of us, a vacation wouldn’t be complete without a trail ride on horseback. Enjoy the experience, but remember, in most places you ride, you may be the only one monitoring your rental horse’s welfare. Make the best-educated observation you can about his treatment, and if you are as certain as you can be that he’s a victim of statutory neglect or abuse, make a thorough complaint to a legal authority or welfare group as quickly as you can.
Leith Emrich is a recreational rider and an Information Specialist who works for a nonprofit publisher in Falls Church, VA.
Holistic Horse™ • August/September 2010 • Vol.16, Issue 68
A score of 4-7 on the Henneke Body Condition
Scoring System is ideal; this horse, with a score of about 2.5, is cause for concern.
Essie Rogers, Kentucky Horse Council
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