What is torture?
Their herd of 69 horses was seized back in March 2007. An ignorant judge ordered them forfeited when the owners could not come up with $134,000 in a week. All horses were sold or given way.
In a just system, they would be considered innocent until proven guilty ... but Web sites across the country have labeled them animal abusers.
UPDATE: April 30, 2008 — Felony animal torture charges against James Henderson (owner) and Matt Mercier (manager) were DISMISSED in court today. The judge cited lack of evidence.
Over a year later, with their horses gone—some confirmed dead, others suspected to have been shipped to slaughter—the court finds that the charges were unsubstantiated. But what happens now?
(This photo shows a horse at auction six months after the county took over the ranch. Witnesses say he is in worse condition here than he was when the farm was seized!)
A protestor's sign, condemning JCAC
Rescue me!
What do you think of the condition of the horse pictured?Sadly, this was taken at an auction, six months after the horse was seized.
Was it in so bad of shape six months ago that this was all the better it got in that time?
NO.
In fact, photos taken by JCAC at the time of the seizure DO NOT show any horses in as bad of shape as this one—one of the first that they sent through a livestock auction with known "meat" buyers bidding.
(Meat or "kill" buyers ship truckloads of horses to slaughter facilities outside of the U.S.)
A concerned horseperson who bought one of the Turn 3 horses at auction ended up bringing a young black horse home that looked almost as bad as the one above. He was in dire need of deworming medicine to kill internal parasites, a nutritionally balanced diet, and hoof care.
After just six weeks of basic routine care she had an alert and healthy animal that looked like a whole new horse.
What really happened? Did Animal Control neglect the horses it "saved" from alleged neglect?
There is a great rift between the horse owners of Michigan. Some believe that Animal Control was in the right by seizing the farm.
But a growing number are suspicious now that pre-trial testimony and other evidence shows that while there was a sick horse, an injured horse, and an old horse having trouble keeping weight on (none of these things uncommon in a herd of this size) it would seem there was no willful neglect, much less torture.
In fact, it would appear that some horses looked worse after six months under the supervision of JCAC. It has been proven that the horses did not receive adequate nutrition or routine care after they were seized.
Read on and make your own decision.
JCAC sent them to unknown fates
Witnesses report that known "meat" buyers bid on these horses. Records confirm that at least one unfortunate young, well-bred broodmare at the third auction went onto a slaughter trailer after the sale. Other leads are being diligently traced.-
Ending horse slaughter? Not so fast...
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Every day, I read ads on a local horse-related message forum. FREE HORSE. FREE TO GOOD HOME. HORSES MUST GO! The media has been covering serious horse neglect cases, showing animals with ribs clearly visible. Other news sources indicate that people re...
When Animal Control Attacks
Turn 3 vs. JCAC blog
Discover the discrepancies between what the media claimed and what testimony proved.
Follow the case from the beginning and make an informed opinion of the case in our Debate below.
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Torn away too young.
Horse experience?
At least in Jackson County, Animal Control Officers are not required to have experience handling and/or caring for horses.A lack of general horse knowledge was displayed when at one of the four public auctions, this very young foal was sold separately from the mare he was still nursing on. To the horror of many of the spectators, the pair were won by two different bidders.
The foal was picked up hours before the mare, who filled the auction holding barn with her frantic screams. Besides the inherent stress of the trailer ride and the commotion of the auction, the crowds and noise, weaning a foal is traumatic for the mare and the foal and should be handled with caution to prevent stress-related sickness and injuries due to fear, panic and confusion.
INEXCUSABLE
While the foal went to an unknown fate, we know that his mother went straight from that dark sale barn into a trailer bound for a slaughterhouse in Canada.
Along with her went an unrelated, handsome young stallion that sold for less than $40, whose primary flaw seemed to be that he was intact (and reacting predictably to the mares in his environment) rather than being a calm gelding who may have had a chance at becoming a riding horse.
Another example of mismanagement
At some point after the farm was seized, JCAC staff and/or volunteers put all of the horses together: mares and fillies (females younger than 4 years) along with stud colts (males younger than 4 years).As a result, many of the mares that were later auctioned, were bred by unknown stallions. Fillies as young as 2 years old were confirmed "in foal" by the new owners' vets.
While not only dangerous for the filly (reputable breeders do not breed mares until they mature at 5-8 years) this also adds more "grade horses" (ones with no registration papers) to the already saturated horse market.
"Rescuers" should know better.
INEPT HANDLING
Sadly, these are just A FEW examples of many ignorant and potentially dangerous mistakes made by the people who were allegedly "rescuing" these horses.
peaceful protest at the MSU auction
Advocates for the accused speak out.
Not all of the horse community believed that JCAC did the right thing in seizing the Turn 3 Ranch herd of mares, fillies, colts, geldings and stallions.In fact, many pointed out that the conditions at the ranch, if not ideal, were well within the standards required for equine farm management in Michigan.
The seizure may be in direct violation with the Right To Farm Act.
But no legislators, out of the few who actually responded to correspondence, would assist in the case.
bloating typical of parasite infestation
Equine experience matters.
While the foal above might look "fat" to an onlooker, the horseperson knows that a bloated belly is a very likely sign of an infestation of internal parasites.Indeed, many of the horses purchased at auction six, seven or even eight months after "rescue" were carrying at least three different types of internal parasite.
Most required additional booster doses of deworming paste to complete the treatment, a sign that the infestation was severe and had NOT been adequately addressed in the recent past.
Growth permanently affected.
Lack of proper nutrition and health care during the critical first months of a foal's life can result in stunted growth. Bones may not develop properly.Despite their rounded appearance, upon manual examination, there was virtually no "baby fat" (fat pockets or reserves) and the shoulder, hip and back bones could be easily felt.
Their dejected expressions—not typical of healthy, curious and playful young horses in a strange and chaotic environment—are another telling sign of internal issues.
Hooves of auction horses were neglected
Overgrown, cracked, unevenly worn hooves.
While the photograph above does not show the worst example found, it is typical of a hoof that is one to three months overdue for routine care. Individual horses have hooves that grow at different rates of speed. Factors such as nutrition, use and weather can also influence growth.
On average, a barefoot horse needs to be trimmed by a farrier every four to eight weeks. Untreated flares, cracks and infections of the sole can cause a horse to stand or move unevenly, create lameness and other permanent, crippling disfigurement over time.
Protesters at November 4 auction.
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The "starved" horses of Turn 3 Ranch
Photos taken the week of the farm seizure. Very typical of March in Michigan; fuzzy winter coats, mud everywhere, no grass but plenty of hay, healthy animals! TWO horses were very thin and being fed separately from the rest: one old mare and one that had been sick and was under a vet's care.
Watch out for horse dealers
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Buying or selling a horse? This could happen to you!
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Horse dealers, or horse traders, can have as bad a reputation as a used car salesman ... or worse. But they're just doing their job, making a living, getting by and feeding their family, right? Buyer (and seller) beware: the internet has made the h...
Debate: You're the Jury
Time to take a stand.
Knowing what you do now, should the owner and manager of the Turn 3 Ranch be found guilty of felony torture?
Free 'em or fry 'em?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byDrop the torture charges. Animal control was out of line in seizing the herd.
XP says:
Nice try, Mr. Ed. PETA's photos only show:
* A horse that had died of natural causes before the seizure (no necropsy done, cause of death not suspicious)
* A mare that laid down to abort a premature foal during the farm seizure (sad but common in stressful situations)
* The aborted foal fetus (sad but nothing to do with the case)
* A skinny horse that had lost a lot of weight during a recent illness that was being kept separate from the herd to help her gain weight without competing for food
Remember, torture charges were DROPPED and the seizure was declared IMPROPER by judges.
Posted January 11, 2009
TN Horselover says:
How in the hell were the allowed to seize someones horses before a trial was set....and yeah they definitely should have been given warnings if something was not right and a chance to fix it...this sounds like someone was after some free money....thats just pitiful that they allowed the horses to be taken and sold before a verdict was given...I would sue the pants off of these people for unlawful seizure of property..
Posted November 04, 2008
Erin says:
jcac is a crock. these people need their horses back. how terrible of them to screw them over like this, I'm glad the judge dismissed the case.
Posted May 07, 2008
XP says:
I have removed what equals FOURTEEN PAGES of public comments from this lens, however you can still find them at http://turn3vsjcac.blogspot.com/
There is still time to make a difference. Contact the authorities in Jackson County and demand an investigation into the whereabouts of tens of thousands of dollars worth of personal property that was on the farm when it was seized and has not been accounted for, along with the horses that the county was supposed to "sell" to recoup costs but apparently gave away to unknown private parties ... unless that's just a cover for more horses that JCAC had to put down after it took over the farm. (You know, the farm that was allegedly far too dangerous to keep horses on ... the same farm they kept the horses on from the time of the seizure until the last ones were auctioned seven months later.)
Posted May 05, 2008
XP says:
TORTURE CHARGES DISMISSED by the judge.
This makes me sad.
SAD that it is too late to make a difference to the horses that were neglected by those who claimed to have "rescued" them.
SAD that foals are NOW, this spring, being born with unknown sires, unregisterable, because the ignorant "rescuers" let studs run with mares -- creating foals that may themselves end up at slaughter in this depressed market where they fetch as little as $25 a head.
SAD that the owners will never get all their horses back, when they were wrongfully seized in the first place.
Posted May 01, 2008
Misty says:
Free 'em!
Posted May 01, 2008
Toni says:
Absolutely NOT!!! I did not know that they could seize horses that had access to food and water. The most they could have done was take the 3 horses that were in poor condition and not even then if the owner could prove that the horses had recently seen a vet or were scheduled to see a vet. OMG - Most of these horses looked to be in good shape with full access to feed. How horrible for these owners.
Posted April 01, 2008
Lee says:
they got caught. this was Grass Lakes dirty little secret. oh, and by the way, why did Tom Zenz's father resign from the road commission? are they going to charge or not?
Posted March 30, 2008
hayley says:
keep helping the horses they need your love when their gone youll miss them you`ll miss their love SAVE THE HORSES!!!!!!!!!
Posted March 25, 2008
wpd says:
FRY JCAC!!!!!!!! I hope the new judge can see through all their lies and Matt and Jim can be cleared of this mess. I'd like to know hwere all their "stuff" is too.
Posted March 14, 2008
They should be made to eat horse manure -- in prison!
Mr. Ed says:
http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/horses_cruelty_case
Posted May 20, 2008
Jim says:
I agree with Lee. This was Grass Lake's dirty little secret. Those horses were abused and all the locals know it. JCAC really dropped the ball and didn't work with the owners, but that doesn't change the fact those horses where in bad shape, the land was trashed, the creek was polluted and dead animals were stockpiled in woods in the back.
Posted April 14, 2008
What is neglect?
Simply, neglect is a matter of opinion.Some could argue that I neglect my horses when I don't ride them in the winter.
Not providing access to adequate food and water, that is less debatable—clearly neglectful.
While the media initially reported the ridiculous claim that these horses had gone six months without food or water—people believe this? ANY domestic animal would DIE within a week, two tops—the sworn testimony of the prosecution as well as the defense showed that suitable feed and water WAS being provided regularly.
This horse, rescued by Horses Haven, is an example of true neglect.
Horses that look like this, and worse, go through public auctions every weekend, and no charges are filed against the sellers.
My opinion is that JCAC saw horses that were worth $5,000 to $10,000+ each (some of the nicer broodmares, and the proven race-bred stallions) and saw an opportunity. Why else shop around for a vet that would say the right things, and ignore the county vet of almost 30 years, who thought that a warning would suffice?
(Be sure to visit Horses Haven to help horses truly in need.)
More media coverage.
Add any links you may find to media articles or discussions of this case, or other animal cruelty or neglect cases.
Grass Lake Horse Truth
2 points
Lives in the balance - Michigan Farm News
The mere mention of Jackson County Animal Control more...2 points
Protesting Against Horse Auction
2 points
When animal control attacks.
2 points
Lives in the balance - Michigan Farm News
The mere mention of Jackson County Animal Control more...2 points
Torture case tossed - Jackson Cit Pat - MLive.com
There is no evidence the owner or manager of a Gra more...1 point
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