 3 horses neglected, one dies
Sonora, CA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006
County: Tuolumne
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted
Abuser/Suspect: woman
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Two horses that Tuolumne County Animal Control officers seized from a woman who was starving them will be sold next month to the highest bidder.
Jag, a 6-year-old thoroughbred, and Ghost, a 10-year-old paint, are healthy now. But in February, their hip bones, chests and ribs stuck out prominently.
Jag was about 300 pounds lighter than he should have been, said Jennifer Clarke, Tuolumne County Animal Control manager.
On a scale of one to five, with five being a healthy horse, Jag was a one and Ghost was a three, Clarke said.
Ghost was the dominant horse in the pasture and he bullied Jag away from what little hay they were getting, said Clarke.
The two geldings were among three pastured in a rented field off Old Wards Ferry Road. The third horse was Jag's mother.
The mare had gotten her leg stuck under a fence and died after struggling to get free.
"She was so weak that it was too much of a struggle for her to get out," said Clarke.
A veterinarian who tried to save the mare said she was emaciated and in shock. After the mare died, the landowner called Animal Control officers to look at the other two horses.
When officers arrived, Jag and Ghost had blankets on their backs, but Jag's blanket had gotten tangled in his right rear foot and he was hobbled.
The horse's owner told Clarke she kept the horses thin because they had "navicular syndrome," a leg ailment that causes lameness and pain. The woman said if the horses were kept thin their pain was not as severe.
But Clarke said only the mare had navicular syndrome, and that thin does not mean emaciated.
"How hard is it to get the concept that horses need food?" Clarke said.
Animal Control officers took the two horses and nursed them back to health at the Animal Control shelter in Jamestown.
The Tuolumne County District Attorney's Office filed criminal charges against the Sonora woman who owned the horses. She has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge and the horses became the property of Tuolumne County, Clarke said.
To be sentenced on July 12, the woman faces three years probation, a $505 fine and 100 hours of community service.
Now that Jag and Ghost are healthy again, it is time for them to get a new home.
Clarke said prospective buyers must be preapproved before being allowed to submit a bid on the horses.
To qualify, prospective bidders must by July 7:
� Pass a background check showing they have the knowledge and experience to take care of horses.
� Have an established record with a veterinarian.
� Prove they are Tuolumne County residents and agree to allow Animal Control officers to monitor the horses' progress for a year.
Once the background checks are complete, the qualified bidders will be allowed to submit written bids for one or both of the horses. Clarke has yet to set the bid period or to decide whether there will be a minimum bid.
Sale proceeds will go to the Tuolumne County general fund.
"These are not horses for beginners, but they are wonderful horses," Clarke said. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
Back to Top References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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