Horse neglect, three seized
McMinnville, OR (US)Incident Date: Saturday, May 3, 2008
County: Yamhill
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available
Alleged: Tanya Michele Cordie
A Carlton woman has been charged with three counts of second-degree animal abuse after the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office seized three horses from her on grounds of neglect.
Tanya Michele Cordie, 36, of 7000 Highway 47, was cited to appear at 1:20 p.m. Thursday in Yamhill County Circuit Court on the Class B misdemeanor charges.
In April 2006, six county officials met with a group of residents convinced that improper care of six horses should spur the county to take action against Cordie and her husband, James. At the time, Your Community Mediators facilitated a two-hour session between the county and the Cordies over concerns about the care the horses were getting.
In the end, no charges resulted and the horses remained in the couple's possession.
After Tanya Cordie was charged Thursday, members of the county's Large Animal Support Team, consisting of members of its Mounted Posse and other local horse lovers, assumed care of the animals. The county is providing feed and veterinary care.
Sheriff's Capt. Ken Summers said James Cordie was not charged because his truck driving job keeps him on the road much of the time. He said Tanya Cordie admitted the horses belong to her and she is their primary caregiver.
"In the spring, horses are being brought out of the barns and into pastures," Summers said. "We get a lot of calls. Frequently, problems are the result of horses losing weight over the winter.
"In this case, there were varying opinions regarding whether there was a weight loss or whether the horses had been malnourished. We worked with Mrs. Cordie for two months to get better feeding and nutrition compliance."
He said the horses had been put on a 30-day recovery plan.
Three Yamhill County residents who didn't want to be identified have repeatedly contacted the sheriff's office regarding the condition of the horses. One of them says Cordie had threatened her in response.
The county had the horses examined by two veterinarians, Dr. Thomas Keck of the Dallas Animal Clinic and Dr. Richard McMillen of Valley Equine Veterinary Service in McMinnville. Keck is the horses' veterinarian of record and McMillen was asked to provide a second opinion.
"Dr. Keck felt these horses had not been neglected," Summers said. "Dr. McMillen felt they had received beyond a lower standard of care, and they had been neglected."
He said the sheriff's office agreed with McMillen's assessment, concluding the situation had reached the point of neglect.
"There's a fine line," Summers said. "There were varying opinions. But this situation had come to that. We did not feel the prognosis was good if those horses were to remain in Mrs. Cordie's care."
Summers said she was cooperative, appearing to realize the sheriff's office was gravely concerned about the condition of her horses.
For their part, the three residents who've been dogging the case issued a statement saying:
"This case of neglect, abuse and cruelty may have been ongoing for a number of years and some animals may have died as a result.
"Laws are written, but gray areas are subject to interpretation and can make these types of cases challenging to bring on charges, prosecution and conviction.
"Bringing forth these charges is most definitely a result of a team effort - citizen and community involvement along with diligent law enforcement efforts. For now, these horses are safe."
Sheriff Jack Crabtree said the sheriff's office is concerned that the current economic downturn may lead more horse owners to cut back on the care of their animals.
For that reason, he said, his department has provided a detective with additional training in the area of animal abuse and neglect related to horses. He said his entire team of deputies also been given a crash course on abuse and neglect by Oregon Humane Society.
"We work very hard to try to differentiate a circumstance wherein an owner is simply providing a lower standard of care than what their neighbors may provide to their animals, from instances wherein that lower standard of care reaches the point of neglect or abuse," he said.
During the exchange two years ago, Keck conducted an examination of the six horses then in Cordie's care.
He said they were suffering from rain-rot infections but were recovering. He said they all needed hoof trims but were not showing signs of hoof discomfort or pain.
He said five of the six were underweight but were not starving. He said one of the older horses needed its teeth floated.
In a written report, Keck said, "The condition of these horses should improve with better conditions this spring and with increased grain or alfalfa in their rations. Many well-run farms have livestock that are in poorer condition than the Cordie animals."
Given that, the sheriff's office concluded there was not enough evidence to present a case to the district attorney's office. References« OR State Animal Cruelty Map
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