Injured show horse neglected
Alloway, NJ (US)Incident Date: Thursday, May 31, 2007
County: Salem
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» Marybeth J. Parks
» Jessica Siford - Dismissed
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A stable owner and her client have been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly ignoring veterinary recommendations to have a show horse euthanized, allowing the animal to become emaciated after a debilitating hip injury, authorities say.
The horse was put down two days after she was rescued.
Marybeth J. Parks, 24, of Island Road, Monroeville, owner of MJP Stables and Jessica Siford, 30, of Hitchner Avenue, Bridgeton, were each charged, according to Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan.
Siford leased the 21-year-old horse, Petunia, from Sharon Keifer of Hidden Fox Farm in Mohnton, Pa., in July 2006, according to reports.
The horse was boarded at Parks' local facility on Pecks Corner-Cohansey Road where Keifer and the prosecutor's office allege that more than a month of neglect and abuse took place at the end of the year lease.
"The accused did purposefully, knowingly or recklessly torment and/or torture a living animal," according to the criminal complaint.
The court document states Parks and Siford allegedly failed for 46 days to comply with repeated recommendations from veterinarians who said Petunia should be euthanized.
The veterinarians included doctors from Philadelphia, Salem and Cumberland counties, according to authorities.
By failing to follow the recommendations, Parks and Siford permitted the horse to live with a "severely malformed/crushed pelvis" and continual decreasing weight, according to the complaint, which led to Keifer taking the horse back and having her put to sleep.
The original hip injury, caused by a kick from another horse, occurred June 5. Keifer took the horse back in mid-July and charges were officially filed the last week of September.
"We received information from the horse's owner and apparently, despite the fact (Parks and Siford) were advised to have the horse euthanized, they didn't," Lenahan said. "As a result, the horse suffered ... It's a case that certainly warranted prosecution and we'll move forward with it."
Both women face five years in state prison for the third-degree offense.
The prosecutor's office had been investigating the case since August, all of which was closely followed by readers on the online equestrian forum www.theoutsidecourse.com.
There, Keifer's lawyer, Randi Vladimer, started posting about the case to gather information and support from animal lovers all across the country.
She said her client was never told by either Parks or Siford about the recommendations to have Petunia euthanized.
"It's a travesty to let any animal suffer like that pony did," she said when contacted by phone at her office in Radnor, Pa. "It is just incomprehensible."
Vladimer also posted pictures of the horse on the Web site.
Keifer was only informed of Petunia's hip injury because someone other than Parks told her about it, she said.
Vladimer said Keifer called Parks about it and repeatedly either couldn't get a hold of her or was told Petunia was getting better.
Keifer was also never contacted by Siford, she said.
A friend of Keifer's visited MJP Stables for a party, saw Petunia's condition, and then Keifer came to get her horse, the lawyer said.
"She was found by Sharon (Keifer) in a dark, back stall and the pony was covered with a fly sheet," Vladimer said. "That was, Sharon assumed, so no one could see what Petunia looked like."
Online, Vladimer told readers Petunia's water bucket was dry and there was no hay in her stall. She said the horse's breathing sounded like she was gasping for air with each breath and she couldn't stand for long without help.
Pictures show a large lump on the horse's neck, which was supposedly from an infection caused by a vaccination.
Parks claims the allegations against her are false and said she looks forward to having her name cleared in court.
She gave a tour of her small, two-year-old facility and pointed to a list of specific diets hung in her office, which still bore Petunia's name.
She also showed the stall where she said Petunia was kept, which is in the same area as other stalls and well-ventilated with a window and skylight.
There are no back stalls.
The other horses in the stable, all standing tall near a showcase of ribbons from equestrian events throughout the area, appeared to be in good health.
"Why would I feed the other 15 horses here and not feed Petunia?" Parks asked. "I would have no reason to do this."
When Petunia came to her stable last year, she said the horse had Cushing's Disease which is a hormonal imbalance often characterized by recurring infections in the hooves and a loss of muscle mass.
She added that her veterinarian aged the horse at 30 not 21.
However, it's the United States Equestrian Federation that aged Petunia at 21.
Parks said that the weather was 95 degrees around the time Petunia was injured and what she suffered was catastrophic, causing a domino-effect of other health problems.
"Unfortunately, she went downhill," Parks said.
She added the horse was used by her best friend's daughter, so she would never wish something like that to happen.
Parks said she has veterinary records that prove proper care and phone records that show she made the necessary calls after the injury. She believes those records will help her in court.
"Myself and (Siford) are horribly upset by this," she said. "In no way would I ever want this to happen."
Vladimer seemed skeptical of Parks' records and said she looks forward to watching her prove them.
"The Salem County Prosecutor's Office took this extremely seriously and it's appreciated by Sharon Keifer and every animal owner in the area," she said. "Hopefully this will never happen again."
A court date has yet to be set in the case.
Siford, who would have been responsible for the euthanasia cost, could not be reached for comment.
Case UpdatesAnimal cruelty charges have been dropped against one of the two women accused last September of neglecting a show horse, according to a superseding indictment filed in Superior Court here.
The 21-year-old horse, Petunia, suffered a crushed pelvis when another horse kicked her in June 2007, becoming emaciated and eventually having to be put to sleep.
Jessica Siford, 30 at the time of her indictment, of Hitchner Avenue in Bridgeton, has been cleared of the two counts of third-degree animal cruelty she was indicted on by a Salem County grand jury in February.
Siford's attorney could not be reached for comment.
"There was additional information provided by the defense that led to the charges being dismissed," said county First Assistant Prosecutor William Brennan. He did not specify the nature of this information.
Marybeth Parks, 24, of Island Road in Monroeville, is now shouldering responsibility alone for the horse's alleged suffering. Parks, owner of MJP Stables on Pecks Corner-Cohansey Road in Alloway Township, has denied the allegations.
Parks and Siford were charged in September 2007 after a police investigation claimed they ignored veterinary recommendations to have the horse euthanized.
According to the criminal complaint filed then, caretakers of Petunia allegedly failed for 46 days to comply with veterinarians who said Petunia should be put down.
The horse was kept alive with what police described as a severely malformed pelvis. Petunia's weight continued to decrease as a result, to the point that her bones bulged out from beneath her skin.
"There was a failure to provide sustenance," Brennan said. "The horse was forced to exist under circumstances it shouldn't have."
The show horse had been leased by Siford for her daughter to ride and kept at Parks' sprawling 44-acre ranch.
The horse's owner lives in Pennsylvania and claims she was not properly informed of the animal's condition.
Parks described Petunia's injury as catastrophic, explaining that it caused a domino-effect of other health problems. She said previously that she would never allow an animal to suffer, and looks forward to clearing her name.
Parks said around the time charges were filed that she has veterinary records that prove proper care and phone records that show she made the necessary calls after the injury. She believes those records will help her in court. | Source: Today's Sunbeam - July 7, 2008
Update posted on Jul 7, 2008 - 5:05PM |
The Alloway stable owner and her client accused of animal cruelty for allegedly allowing a show horse to become emaciated after a debilitating hip injury, which led to the animal's death, have been indicted by a Salem County grand jury.
Marybeth J. Parks, 24, of Island Road, Monroeville, and Jessica Siford, 30, of Hitchner Avenue, Bridgeton, were both indicted on the third-degree charge, according to court records.
The indictments claim the women knowingly or recklessly tormented and tortured an animal.
Parks, owner and trainer at MJP Stables, on Pecks Corner-Cohansey Road, faces an additional indictment for allegedly depriving the horse of necessary sustenance.
The pair have denied the allegations.
Parks and Siford were charged in September 2007 after a police investigation claimed they ignored veterinary recommendations to have the horse, Petunia, euthanized.
Petunia was put down two days after she was rescued from Parks' stables.
The 21-year-old show horse had been leased by Siford from Sharon Keifer, of Hidden Fox Farm, in Mohnton, Pa., in July 2006.
Siford, who was leasing the animal for her daughter to ride, kept Petunia at Parks' large facility, a 44-acre site that offers boarding, lessons, training, showing and sales.
That's where Keifer and the prosecutor's office believe more than a month of abuse and neglect took place that resulted in the animal's death.
According to the criminal complaint filed in September, Parks and Siford failed for 46 days to comply with two veterinarians -- one from Philadelphia and one from Vineland -- who said Petunia should be put down.
The horse was kept alive with what police described as a severely malformed and crushed pelvis which was caused by a kick from another horse on June 5.
Petunia's weight continued to decrease as a result and pictures showed her ribs and other bones bulging from below her skin.
Keifer was told of her horse's condition by a friend who was at MJP Stables for a birthday party. She made the trip from Mohnton in mid-July and took the horse home, but had to have her put to sleep.
Randi Vladimer, the Radnor, Pa., attorney for Keifer, said neither Parks nor Siford ever contacted her client to tell her about the veterinary recommendations.
"It's a travesty to let any animal suffer like that pony did," she said. "It is just incomprehensible."
Vladimer also said that when Keifer came to get her horse, she was found in a dark, back stall and the pony was covered with a fly sheet so no one would see her starved appearance. There was also no water or hay in the stall, she alleged.
Though Parks could not be reached for comment, she did previously give a tour of her facility to show there are no back, dark stalls. She also described Petunia's injury as catastrophic and said it caused a domino-effect of other health problems that couldn't be stopped.
The next step in this case will be a status conference, which Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan said will be sometime in the next four weeks.
A date has not yet been scheduled.
"That's when it will come before a judge for the first time," he said. "There could be a plea, or there could be a determination if it will go to trial." | Source: Bridgeton News - Feb 20, 2008
Update posted on Feb 20, 2008 - 4:01PM |
References |
