Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Horse neglect - 131 horses, 6 found dead

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Case ID: 3594

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: horse

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Case #3594

Horse neglect - 131 horses, 6 found dead
Republic, MO (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Jan 8, 2005
County: Greene

Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: William A. Zobel

Case Updates: 14 update(s) available

The owner of 131 horses that were found in various stages of starvation is in custody in what some experts say may be the largest equine rescue ever in Missouri. An additional six horses were found dead on the property near Republic.

Zobel has was arrested Friday and was being held Sunday in the Greene County Jail on several outstanding warrants.

Greene County Sheriff's Department Detective Mark Hall said he plans to meet with prosecutors today or Tuesday to discuss the case. The man could face felony charges, Hall said.

The horse rescue took 13 hours, starting about 3 p.m. Saturday on a 180-acre piece of property, and was completed about 4 a.m. Sunday.

"I'm not aware of this large of a group of horses (rescued) before," said Debbie Hill, director of rescues and investigations for the Humane Society of Missouri.

The group and the Sheriff's Department found the animals emaciated and with open wounds, authorities said. There was little or no pasture and no other food source. The only water found was collecting from melting snow in a small pond.

It took 16 trips with a number of horse trailers to get the animals off the property. Humane Society investigators, veterinary staff and volunteers worked in knee-deep mud.

Hall said it was the largest number of horses in a malnourished condition he had ever seen.

"I have seen dogs in that condition, but had never seen that many horses. Some were diseased. Others were malnourished and needed immediate medical attention," he said. Clumps of its hair were allegedly falling off due to rain rot, a skin disease caused when rain pools on starvation-sunken areas of the horse's body. The horses will get iodine shampoo baths to halt the disease.

Although six horses were found dead at the scene, several others were kept alive thanks to veterinary personnel, Hall said.

The 13 horses in the worst condition were taken to the Humane Society's Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union. Several of the Greene County horses also have been quarantined after showing signs of strangles, an infectious distemper-like disease that can kill weakened horses.

The horses will have their hooves checked and trimmed by a farrier and will be put on a nutrition program to reverse the effects of starvation, Cole said.

Three of the horses were injured so badly or were so sick they had to be hospitalized at a nearby veterinary clinic.

The Carthage Humane Society took 31 of the animals and the rest were housed near Republic.

Case Updates

They call him Harry, thanks to the infected lightning bolt-shaped gash in his forehead that reminded veterinarian Dawn Mrad of a Harry Potter novel. Last January 2005, Harry arrived at Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union as "horse No. 81," one of nearly 130 horses confiscated from a rural Republic horse breeder's ranch. Harry needed emergency care to stay alive. "When he came in, he was really thin and didn't have enough muscle mass left to get up by himself," Mrad said. "He was able to get his front legs up, but not his back legs. If he was out in a field like that, he would not have survived." The horse spent two weeks at Mrad's veterinary clinic getting IV fluids and antibiotics, a thorough de-worming and a steady supply of nutritious food. Too weak to stand on his own, Harry needed the veterinary staff to lift him to his feet to help his muscles grow stronger. Harry thrived on his new diet, putting on several hundred pounds of weight. The hollow hips and protruding ribs are firm and filled now. The infected lightning bolt gash has healed.

Today, Harry is a bright-eyed 3-year-old quarter horse who is ready to be adopted by a loving owner. "Harry's definitely my favorite," Mrad said. "He's got a good personality, and he likes to be scratched. He definitely likes attention." That's the outcome Earlene Cole wants for all of the horses that arrived at Longmeadow Rescue Ranch last winter.

Cole, the ranch manager, said she took in 88 horses that were seized from William Zobel's ranch. Another group of 32 horses went to the Carthage Humane Society. Although some were healthy, many were in states of starvation and neglect. Nine horses weakened by starvation and sickness died at Longmeadow. "A lot of them didn't look as bad as they were because they had grown a heavy hair coat to try to keep warm," Cole said. "They didn't have any fat on them. But if you washed them, you'd see how skinny they were."
Farrier Tom Adams said it was clear to him that few of the horses had received hoof care. Most suffered from "coon foot" - an abnormal lengthening of the hoof from lack of care. One of the worst was a grey-speckled mare nicknamed Hawaii. "She had really bad abscesses on three of her feet," Adams said, while lifting one of Hawaii's hooves to check its progress. "Abscesses are really painful. For a horse, it's like a toothache, but in your foot." Hawaii's hooves were soaked repeatedly in a cleansing solution, and Adams attached "hospital plates" to the bottom of the hooves to protect them and keep medicine in contact with them.
The infection became so bad at one point that part of the outer layer of the hooves had to be cut away to eliminate the source of the infection. The treatment worked. Hawaii's hooves are growing back properly, and she's put on nearly 500 pounds, thanks to regular feedings.

Recently, Hawaii was shipped to a new home in Missouri. There were other successes, too. Cole said many of the horses were pregnant when they arrived, including some that normally wouldn't have been bred so young.

So far, 19 new additions have been born from Zobel's former herd. Horse lover Sandy Knaebel couldn't wait to adopt one of them.
The black 6-month-old colt now frolics at an equestrian training center. "I named her 'Cam' from the word 'cameo,'" Knaebel said. "A cameo is a miniature portrait of a delicate woman. Cam's a very delicate little horse, very sweet and petite. I just fell in love with her when I saw her." Though Cam was born to a horse confiscated from an abusive situation, that didn't deter Knaebel from adopting her. In fact, she adopted another horse from Longmeadow a while back, rescued from a different abusive situation, that has become a gentle trail-riding companion. "It's amazing to me that some of these horses are so stoic," she said. "It breaks my heart that people neglect them."

Zobel pleaded guilty to four counts of animal abuse and one count of improperly disposing of a horse corpse last month. He avoided jail time but now faces two years of probation. Knaebel said that wasn't enough punishment. "I'd like to take him out to a pasture, tie him up to a tree and leave him there," she said. She's thankful the humane societies were able to take in so many neglected horses and nurse most of them back to health. "I dread thinking about what would have happened to those animals if they (humane societies) weren't in existence," she said.

Cole said Humane Society records show the Greene County horse confiscation was the biggest in Missouri's history. The next largest seizure involved a herd of 40 abused horses taken from a farm in northern Missouri in 1998. Cole said caring for the Greene County horses for nearly a year has cost more than $200,000. The abuse case sent shock waves through the horse world nationwide.
Although saddened by the scope of the rescue, Cole said the case had several silver linings. She praised Greene County authorities for acting quickly to confiscate the horses and for following the case to its conclusion.

And she said Zobel's court challenges, including a claim that went all the way to the Missouri Supreme Court, had a beneficial effect.
The high court ruled that the seizure of Zobel's animals was done properly and that a Greene County circuit judge was within his rights to give custody of the horses to the two humane societies. "Now we have a clarification of the disposition law that permits abused animals to be confiscated," she said. "Now it's clear to everybody that what Greene County did was correct."

Source: Kansas City News - December 24, 2005
Update posted on Dec 24, 2005 - 7:57AM

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In an unexpected move this morning, William Zobel avoided a trial and pleaded guilty to four counts of animal abuse and one count of failing to dispose of a horse carcass in a deal that will keep him from serving any jail time.

In the plea agreement, Zobel received five one-year jail terms, but Associate Circuit Judge Max Bacon suspended the sentences and placed Zobel on two years? unsupervised probation.

Zobel, however, could face jail time if he fails to follow terms of the agreement, which require him to:

* obey all laws
* not own or possess any animal
* not engage in any animal breeding business

Zobel also agreed to drop any ownership claims to the approximately 120 horses that Greene County authorities confiscated from his rural Republic horse breeding ranch in January.

Many of those horses were starving and sick, and several dead horses were found on Zobel's property. Zobel was charged with 38 misdemeanor counts of animal abuse and improper disposal of animal carcasses.

The Humane Society of Missouri and Carthage Humane Society took in the confiscated horses, nursing most of them back to good health.

Zobel fought the seizure of his horses in a case that went all the way to the Missouri Supreme Court.

The high court ruled in July that the seizure was legal and that Greene County Circuit Court Judge Don Burrell had the authority to let the humane societies adopt out the animals.

Most of the horses are now in new homes.

Source: News-Leader - Nov 28, 2005
Update posted on Nov 28, 2005 - 10:20AM

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A Greene County judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order that would have blocked the controversial adoptions of more than 100 horses that were seized in January.

Circuit Judge Don Burrell ruled Tuesday that his court no longer has jurisdiction over the disposition of the horses that were seized from William Zobel's ranch by Greene County authorities after some were found to be starving and neglected.

Zobel's attorney, Dale Ingram, wanted the horses sold through an "unrestricted auction" rather than auctioned off. That would allow Zobel to bid on the animals.

But Burrell said Zobel would have to file a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order before he would have jurisdiction to rule on the request.

Ingram said he planned to refile the action.

Twenty-eight of the confiscated horses are at the Carthage Humane Society. The Humane Society of Missouri has 98 of the confiscated horses, including 12 pregnant mares.

Source: Belleville News Democrat - Aug 24, 2005
Update posted on Aug 25, 2005 - 10:05AM

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Some of the horses were very sick, some died, and the surviving horses have been the subject of a legal fight that went all the way to the Missouri Supreme Court. The court ruled that two humane societies were legally entitled to the horses.

Now all they need is a home.

"They will be adopted, I'm sure," said Butler, director of the Carthage Humane Society, which has custody of 28 of the horses. "We simply want them to go to the best homes they can go to."

The Humane Society of Missouri got the rest of the horses and now has 100, with births to the herd since their rescue. The horses are at Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union, near St. Louis.

Barring more legal roadblocks, adoptions should begin late this month, officials of the two humane societies said. The former owner of the horses, William Zobel, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges, his lawyer said.

Source: Kansas City Star - Aug 9, 2005
Update posted on Aug 13, 2005 - 5:02PM

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The State Supreme Court has heard oral arguments in the case of William Zobel of Greene County, who is charged with animal abuse and neglect regarding more than one-hundred horses on his property.

127 horses were impounded, taken away, and disposed of - through the euthanizing of some and the sale of others.

Zobel's attorney, Dale Ingram, argues the law is unconstituionally vague because it doesn't address the concern of private property rights.

Dan Patterson, the Chief Assistant Prosecutor for Greene County, says there is nothing vague about the law, adding it does not infringe on private property rights.

Zobel faces about three dozen criminal counts in connection with charges of animal abuse and neglect. The trial is set to get underway in September.

Source: Missourinet.com - June 16, 2005
Update posted on Jun 16, 2005 - 11:48PM

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The Missouri Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the Humane Society of Missouri can dispose of horses confiscated from a rural Republic horse breeder's ranch. The high court will hear arguments about the case at 1 p.m. June 16.

The case involves more than 100 horses that were taken from William Zobel's ranch in January.

Greene County authorities say many of the horses were starving and neglected, and several horse carcasses were found on Zobel's property.

Greene County Circuit Judge Don Burrell allowed the Humane Society of Missouri to keep the horses after Zobel failed to post a bond that could have allowed him to keep them.

Burrell also allowed the humane society to adopt out, sell or dispose of the horses, a ruling Zobel's attorneys challenged.

An appeals court sided with Zobel, barring the humane society from disposing of the animals.

But Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson asked the Missouri Supreme Court to review the legality of Burrell's order.

That's the issue the high court will take up in June.

Zobel still faces numerous animal abuse charges in connection with the case. No date has yet been set for that trial.

Source: News-Leader - May 27, 2005
Update posted on May 27, 2005 - 9:56AM

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A state appeals court Wednesday put a halt to plans by the Missouri Humane Society to sell dozens of horses rescued from a Greene County ranch in January. The court ruled the Humane Society may not yet sell the animals taken from the Republic-area ranch of William Zobel. Attorneys for Zobel filed an emergency appeal seeking a stay preventing the sale of the horses.

The ruling came one day after Greene County Judge Don Burrell issued a decision granting legal custody of Zobel`s horses to the Humane Society, and granted permission for the agency to sell the animals to recoup some of the money spent to board the horses since the rescue.

Zoebel has challenged whether Greene County deputies had the legal right to confiscate the animals in the first place. Zobel has been charged with multiple counts of misdemeanor animal abuse after investigators found several dead animals on his ranch and others showing signs of starvation and neglect.

Burrell cited the failure of Zobel to post any bond or security in order to regain custody of the animals, in effect abandoning the horses.

Burrell ruled the horses were "seriously neglected to the point that an immediate rescue of them was necessary and justified", in response to attorneys for Zoebel who claimed the state had no legal grounds to seize the horses.

Source: KOLR - April 13, 2005
Update posted on Apr 13, 2005 - 11:17PM

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Within days, the two humane societies will likely publish their procedures for adopting out the horses. Each group will try to recover their costs of caring for the horses for the last three months, which will be at least $1,000 each by the time the horses are adopted. They'll also try to set a fair market value for each horse and then set an opening bid price for each one.

Dave Butler, director of the Cathage Humane Society says his group will set a period of time when people can come fill out adoption applications and bid on the horses. Butler says potential adopters will be checked to make sure they can properly care for the horses and have no ties to Zobel. Adopters will also have to sign contracts that they won't sell the horses and will return them to the Humane Society if they no longer want them. Butler said adopters also will have to consent to having Humane Society volunteers check on the horses periodically to make sure they're getting good care.

To inquire about bidding for the horses, people can call the Carthage Humane Society at (417) 358-6402 or call the Humane Society of Missouri at (314) 802-5712. Anyone besides Zobel who claims ownership of one of the horses can call (314) 951-1516 or (417) 358-

Source: KY3 - April 12, 2005
Update posted on Apr 12, 2005 - 11:01PM

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William Zobel now faces new criminal charges in connection with the case. Zobel "abandoned" his horses by failing to post a bond that could have allowed him to get them back, District Court Judge Don Burrell ruled today.

Burrell transferred ownership of the horses to the Missouri Humane Society and Carthage Humane Society, freeing the groups to sell or adopt out the animals as they see fit.

The horses were confiscated after passers-by reported seeing several dead ones on Zobel's property and many others that appeared to be starving and neglected.

Zobel initially was charged with nine counts of misdemeanor animal abuse.

But today, Assistant Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson revised the complaint, filing 38 misdemeanor charges that include animal abuse, animal neglect and improper disposal of horse carcasses.

No trial date has been set in the criminal case.

Zobel's attorneys are seeking to have the case moved out of Greene County, but Judge Max Bacon has not yet ruled on that request.

Source: Springfield News-Leader - April 12, 2005
Update posted on Apr 12, 2005 - 1:38PM

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The Missouri Supreme Court has refused to hear William Zobel's claim that his horses were seized illegally from his rural Republic ranch. And in another twist, Greene County tax officials confirmed Monday that they are investigating whether Zobel ever paid property taxes on animals and farm equipment he owned at his rural Republic horse-breeding operation.

"We can't find that he ever returned a property statement to us, for horses or anything else," said Greene County Assessor Rick Kessinger.

It was unclear Monday just how much Zobel might owe in back property taxes.

Greene County authorities confiscated 120 horses from Zobel's property on Jan. 8 and 9. A veterinarian determined many of the horses were starving and neglected. Four dead animals were found on the property.

Last Wednesday, Zobel's attorneys filed a writ of prohibition with the state Supreme Court. It claimed the state animal-abuse statutes that Greene County officials used to confiscate the horses unconstitutionally deprived Zobel of his property.

The high court late Monday indicated the case should first be filed in a lower appeals court.

Pat Merriman, one of Zobel's attorneys, said he'll recommend his client do just that.

The high court's ruling leaves in limbo a $105,000 bond Circuit Judge Don Burrell ordered Zobel to pay if he wants to get his horses back.

The bond would cover some of the cost to house and care for the seized horses incurred by the Missouri Humane Society.

While the court wranglings continue, Zobel faces a new inquiry, this time by the Greene County assessor's office.

Kessinger is looking into past records to see whether Zobel ever listed his horse livestock on the annual property declaration form all Greene County property owners must fill out.

According to the assessor's office, Greene County residents must declare all livestock and poultry, and pay a tax on each animal.

Melissa Atkinson, personal property coordinator, said an initial review showed no record of Zobel paying any taxes on his horses in Greene County.

In Missouri, the state determines the assessed value for livestock - for horses, it was $50 per animal this year.

"The tax is based only on the number of horses you have," Atkinson said. "It doesn't matter if they're registered or high-dollar animals. It's based on head count."

To figure the tax on a single horse, the assessor divides the assessed value by 100 and multiplies that by the tax levy in place where the property owner lives.

Atkinson said the tax bill for horses in Zobel's taxing district would have come to $2.29 per animal last year.

Kessinger acknowledged that the property reporting system in Greene County relies on the honor system. And some people who keep a horse or two as pets might not realize they have to pay taxes on them, even though "livestock" is listed on the property declaration form.

Now that he knows Zobel owns a number of horses and farm equipment, Kessinger said he sent Zobel a new property declaration form.

Source: News-Leader - March 22, 2005
Update posted on Mar 25, 2005 - 1:56PM

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William Zobel can reclaim 110 of the starving horses seized from his ranch after a judge ruled last week that their owner wasn't intentionally abusing them. Zobel must post a $65,000 bond to regain his horses, and a veterinarian with the Missouri Department of Agriculture will supervise their care.

Source: Kansas City Star - March 13, 2005
Update posted on Mar 13, 2005 - 7:05PM

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Both sides have rested in this case. On Tuesday, the disposition hearing continued at the Greene County Judicial Building. The horse`s owner, William Zobel, argued that the horses should never have been taken from his property in the first place. He took the stand and testified that his horses had adequate food, water and shelter before he was arrested on January 7th on two outstanding warrants.

Tuesday night, the state presented more veterinarians who testified Greene County officials were right to raid the property and take the horses.

The judge did decide that the horses were legally taken. However, he has not ruled if Zobel will get to keep the horses. Zobel also faces several counts of animal abuse, his next court date on those charges is March 8th.

Source: KOLR - March 1, 2005
Update posted on Mar 2, 2005 - 1:28AM

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After hearing testimony from eight witnesses - one of whom described a situation so dire that the animals were eating bark to survive - Greene County Circuit Judge Don Burrell scheduled another hearing for Feb. 28.

Tuesday's hearing on the disposition of the horses was separate from the criminal case against rancher William A. Zobel. He is charged with nine counts of misdemeanor animal abuse involving horses found on his 180-acre property near Republic Jan. 8.

Zobel, 49, is contesting the seizure. He did not speak during Tuesday's hearing.

Elaine Dziuban, a veterinarian who examined the horses and ordered them confiscated, testified there was no feed, hay or grass at the ranch, and that there were frozen water troughs with teeth marks in the ice.

Since the raid, eight of the horses have died or been euthanized and 112 are impounded.

Zobel's attorneys presented testimony from several witnesses who said they sold him large amounts of hay or feed.

Source: STLtoday - Feb 2, 2005
Update posted on Feb 3, 2005 - 3:38AM

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A hearing Thursday to determine the fate of William A. Zobel's horses was rescheduled for 9:30 a.m. Feb. 1.

Circuit Court Judge Don Burrell set the new date to give Zobel's attorneys more time to gather and subpoena witnesses.

Zobel has hired attorneys Steven Meier and Pat Merriman to represent him.

At the February hearing they plan to call at least 28 people to testify on Zobel's behalf.

Burrell said he would set aside a full day to hear the testimony.

Greene County Assistant Prosecutor Jill Patterson said she expects to file criminal charges against Zobel in connection with the horse abuse case but not until the investigation is finished.

"The investigation is ongoing," she said Thursday.

Merriman said Greene County officials and the Humane Society of Missouri far overstepped their legal bounds by seizing Zobel's entire herd of horses on grounds they were allegedly abused and starving.

The vast majority of the horses were healthy, Merriman said, and thus shouldn't have been confiscated.

"Is there a role for the state to protect animals? Yes, there is," Merriman said. "But you don't go out and seize the whole herd of horses because a few of them are sick. You have to show that each of those horses is sick or diseased."

Under Missouri law, prosecutors have 30 days to explain to the court what justified the seizure of the animals from Zobel's property.

That was supposed to happen Thursday, until Burrell decided to postpone it.

At the end of the Feb. 1 hearing, Burrell will decide whether the horses remain with the Humane Society of Missouri or whether Zobel will have an opportunity to get them back by posting a bond.

The bond amount could be based on the costs involved in transporting, boarding and treating the horses from the day they were seized.

Merriman said he would challenge that part of the law as well.

Zobel shouldn't be required to pay those costs for healthy horses that he maintains shouldn't have been seized in the first place, Merriman said.

At Thursday's hearing, about 40 people, mostly area horse owners, showed up to hear what would happen.

Strafford residents Jean Rymer and Philip Benoit watched Thursday's court wranglings with special interest.

"We bought three horses from Bill Zobel and are in the process of paying them off," Rymer said. "We're trying to find out where the horses are and if they're still alive."

Rymer said they started making cash payments on the horses in August, and said they've never received a receipt.

"We're trusting people," she said. "People have always been honest with us."

Merriman said that very well could be the case, because his client's business was breeding and selling horses.

Earlene Cole, director of the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union, where several of Zobel's sickest horses are being rehabilitated, said she wasn't upset about the hearing delay.

"I'd rather the judge have a chance to look at things fully," she said. "We will continue caring for those animals."

Jeane Jae, a Humane Society spokeswoman, said a review of the horse-seizure case revealed a different number of animals than was previously reported.

Initially, 131 horses reportedly were seized. However, Jae said some were counted twice during the hectic and muddy overnight operation Jan. 8 and 9.

The latest count shows 120 animals were seized that night and four were seized later.

Four dead horses and two horse skeletons were found on Zobel's property, she said.

And since the rescue, six horses have died or were euthanized because of sickness or injury, she said.

The remaining 118 live horses have been secured at three locations: the Carthage Humane Society, the Longmeadow Rescue Ranch in Union and at an undisclosed site near Springfield.

Jae said all the horses at the Springfield site will be moved to Carthage or Union by this weekend.

After Thursday's hearing ended, several horse owners expressed disgust at the plight of Zobel's animals.

Bruce Fetter, who raises paint horses at his farm between Springfield and Rogersville, intercepted Zobel as he was about to leave the courtroom.

"I just wanted him to know I was there," Fetter said. "I eyeballed him. I just wanted to stare him down."

Fetter said he attended Thursday's hearing at the Greene County Judicial Center "because horses can't speak for themselves."

Source: News-Leader - Jan 21, 2005
Update posted on Jan 22, 2005 - 1:59PM

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Horse neglect - 131 horses, 6 found deadRepublic, MO (US)

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Horse neglect - 131 horses, 6 found dead
Republic, MO (US)