24 more horses seized from 'hell-hole' in central PA
Rescuers on Friday removed 26 Morgan horses from a dilapidated farm near Hershey that had been the focus of a raid just two weeks ago. The rescue team worked around the bodies of dead horses for hours to remove the living ones - many of them pregnant mares, in what officials are describing as the largest seizure in the Harrisburg area in recent years.
24 more horses seized from 'hell-hole' in central PA
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
Rescuers on Friday removed 24 Morgan horses from a dilapidated farm near Hershey that had been the focus of a raid just two weeks ago.
The rescue team worked around the bodies of dead horses for hours to remove the living ones - many of them pregnant mares, in what officials are describing as the largest seizure in the Harrisburg area in recent years.
It took the 10-person team all day to round up the feral horses from filthy pastures knee-deep in mud and with manure piles almost four feet high.
"It was a hell-hole," said Amy Kaunas, executive director of the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area, which obtained a second search warrant Friday after conditions had not improved from Dec. 28 when five emaciated horses were removed.
"It was pretty horrendous," said Christine Hajek, president and founder of Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue, a Mt. Airy, Md. -based large horse rescue, which took 20 of the horses. "The mud, the debris, dangerous broken fencing. None of the horses had been handled."
Kaunas said humane officers reached out to owner Rebecca Roberts on multiple occasions via email and personal visits since the last raid and she did not respond.
She said there was some hay on the ground but overall conditions at the property had not changed since late December.
A two-sided run-in shed was about to collapse and manure was piled as high as the fence. Horses had to wade through thick mud to get to dirty water buckets. The horses had clearly received no veterinary care, no blacksmith care for their feet and some were in need of dental work, said Kaunas.
"Those conditions were not safe," she said. Very young horses pregnant mares and stallions were all roaming together in the same pasture. A nine-month old horse was locked in dark barn by himself, she said.
"We became concerned the situation was not going to change and that these horses would end up like the original ones," said Kaunas.
The bodies of five dead horses, found when humane officers executed the first search warrant last month, had not yet been removed, although one rescuer said the body of a young horse looked like it had only been there a day or two.
Roberts advertised on the web as the operator of Shadowland Morgans, a sport horse breeding farm. The Morgan horse, a breed developed in the 18th century in New England, is known as "the pride and product" of America.
Kaunas said the humane society had received a call about possible horse abuse at the property in May 2010, but when her officers went to the property they were shown five healthy horses in a front field. "There was nothing that we could see that would allow us to get a warrant, she said, adding they did not get any further calls.
She was charged with two counts of cruelty connected with the first seizure when authorities removed five emaciated horses. Kaunas said humane officers are preparing to file additional charges.
Now comes the hard - and expensive - part for rescuers. Hajek and her team of volunteers will begin the process of trying to acclimate the horses to human handlers and put halters on them so they can be examined by a vet.
There may well be a lengthy court battle ahead that could stretch the amount of time these non-profit groups have to care for these horses into many months or years before the horses are released for adoption.
Both groups are seeking donations to help cover the cost of care of the horses. To donate to Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue click here. To donate to Harrisburg Humane click here.
(This blog post has been corrected to reflect the actualy number of horses removed on Friday was 24.)
Maybe Rebecca is not mentally able to stand trial ?— jtw- The owners of this site shoul be put in jail for the rest of their lives.— BobSG
- If theses scumbags are not incarcerated upon conviction, I and many others are going to go ballistic!!— cubalaw
- Harrisburg area is known for being a haven for puppy mills & inhumane animal breeding facilities due to lax laws. Contact state, local & federal legislators. Until the laws are changed to protect animals and really penalize animal abusers nothing will change. Please be a voice for the voiceless.— cindym507
- Another sickening account of animal abuse. But, horses. A much more difficult problem to work with. Their size, their fear of people when feral especially, their physical strength. Who will have the training to work with them to get them vetted and rehabbed. So terrible.— joyceoxfeld1212@hotmail.com
- a-holes abuse animals— the lopez!
- Harrisburg Humane was GIVEN this case by the PA State Police who had an equine vet examine & photograph the horses. I ASSURE you there was more than enough probable cause for a search warrant! The horses that could be seen from the road were NOT HEALTHY,thus the original complaint to the state police!!
The 2 sided shelter was structurally unsound in 2010 with at least one broken post, others leaning. Go to FB page Neglected Horses & see for yourself. These horses were in trouble & danger of dying in May 2010. There was NO REASON NOT TO GO FORWARD. No one was surprised when Harrisburg Humane did nothing. It is par for the course with humane sociteties & SPCA's on horse cases. They love to tell you there is not enough evidence. Or nothing they can do. Then if the failure to respond is not bad enough they violate PA law, Title 22, Section 3710 requiring that HSPO get approval of their search warrants. Look at the warrant, there is no approval!! How many times do they need to lose these cases in court & get sued before the Public is going to say enough or they are going to learn to follow the Rules of Criminal Procedure & Evidence??? And learn what & how to collect their evidence?? Stop blaming the law & the Court for your incompetence in investigating & prosecuting these cases.— NeglectedHorses - Whoever wrote this article needs a proof reader! 'Although one rescuer said the body of a young horse........' What kind of sentence is that?!
— vietnamvet - Animals never have a voice so we must speak up for them. If abuse was found in 2010 and nobody did anything about it why is someone now speaking out. Why did you not do something early on to help? It is a dame shame what happens to such wonderful animals when nobody cares.— floridalady1
- Sally Starr must be pissed!!!— chesterfield
- You can have all the laws you want, but until there is professional enforcement, such as in local/state police, you got nothing. Many SPCAs may mean well, but are untrained, may have completed a two hr course, don't know court proceedings, etc.
— bucky95 
my wife and i lost a beautiful horse earlier last summer.his age(almost 30)caught up with him.send one of those guys down here and ill take care of em.- "There may well be a lengthy court battle ahead"
Why would that be?
Post the pictures and vidoes on YouTube and I guarantee you the judge in the case will know what's good for justice.— LoupBlanc
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