Horse cruelty seems to be taking places all over the country these days. It seems more and more horses are being neglected and starved all over the country in what looks to be epidemic proportions.
Most folk who own horses have heard of the over 100 horses which were found malnourished, dying, or already dead on Jerry Earl’s property in Copiah County, Mississippi.
While I see it as mass murder on the scale of some sadist who goes out of his way to torture animals, yes that my opinion on this, that owner is only facing misdemeanor charges.
I believe that animal abuse, especially at this scale, demands real justice. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood should in call for a complete independent investigation. After all, this really is one of the worst cases of animal abuse in the state’s history.
It started on November 29th, 2014, when two people shopping for property went to a piece of property in Copiah County to take a look at a piece of acreage for sale. Upon their arrival, to their horror, the witnessed something that will most likely haunt them the rest of their lives. They immediately took pictures of the horses and reported what they found to local law enforcement.
It was a scene of appalling animal neglect and abuse. The scene was one of almost 180 horses, some dead and others struggling to stay alive.
A deputy went out to the property and told the couple the sheriff’s department would handle it, telling them there was no need to fill out a report or sign an affidavit.
Yes, someone stumbles onto a crime scene and the local law enforcement says there is no need for a statement as to when they found it, what they found, what were they doing when they found it, or what they did after they found it. I guess in Copiah County that sort of thing is not out of the ordinary.
According to local news reports, dead horses and weanlings were found dumped in piles, a bloody mare still alive was trapped in a feed trough and way too weak to get out, all owned by self-proclaimed "horse trader" Jerry Earls.
State Certified Veterinarian Angeliki Polles, DVM, pointed blame for the travesty to those who sold Earls the horses in the first place. As ridiculous as that sounds, it's true. As incredible as it sounds, she sounds like she is excusing Earls for the mass deaths and widespread maltreatment.
State Certified Veterinarian Angeliki Polles, DVM, pointed blame for the travesty to those who sold Earls the horses in the first place. As ridiculous as that sounds, it's true. As incredible as it sounds, she sounds like she is excusing Earls for the mass deaths and widespread maltreatment.
"So they got this way before he had them, so that's where I think be the concern, not persecute him," said Dr. Angeliki Polles, DVM. She added that the horses were bought at auction.
So what, horses are bought at auctions all the time. A lot of very good horses are bought at auctions. Just because a horse was bought at an auction doesn't make that horse sick or bad.
In fact, I have a great deal more respect for someone who realizes that they cannot afford to feed their horse any longer and take it to an auction so that someone else can give a good home to a horse that needs one -- than I do someone who will allow a horse to starve to death.
And by the way, if we go with Dr Angeliki Polles reasoning, if that were the case, than what she is essentially saying is that every horse owner out there who has bought or rescued a sick of malnourished horse is not responsible for worming, vetting, feeding, or taking care of that horse all because "they got that way before" they acquired the horse.
Illogical to say the least, sad way of excusing neglect, sorry way to look at life. To think that Dr Polles may be making excuses, and giving Earles an "out", by saying that's not his fault that they were already sick when he got them, is pathetic.
Allow me to help and educate Angeliki Polles, DVM, a State of Mississippi Certified Veterinarian.
When a man or woman acquires a horse, a dog, any animal, even one meant to be raised as food, that person is responsible for that animal's health and welfare which means its care and feeding and medical needs. It also means nursing it back to health if you see it needs it when you first get it.
It does not matter if the horses, if all 180 of them, which in itself is impossible for all 180 to have been bought already sick, really were sick before he bought them -- Earls, as their owner, was responsible for the care and feeding of those animals.
Fifty-nine year old Jerry Earls, his picture above, supposedly leases the property and saying, "I ride a horse 7 days a week for a living. I can pin cattle, catch cattle, I work for the public."
What he left out is that he was also indicted in the past for stealing cattle. Yes, Earls was indicted and convicted of larceny of livestock in 2012.
So what, horses are bought at auctions all the time. A lot of very good horses are bought at auctions. Just because a horse was bought at an auction doesn't make that horse sick or bad.
In fact, I have a great deal more respect for someone who realizes that they cannot afford to feed their horse any longer and take it to an auction so that someone else can give a good home to a horse that needs one -- than I do someone who will allow a horse to starve to death.
And by the way, if we go with Dr Angeliki Polles reasoning, if that were the case, than what she is essentially saying is that every horse owner out there who has bought or rescued a sick of malnourished horse is not responsible for worming, vetting, feeding, or taking care of that horse all because "they got that way before" they acquired the horse.
Illogical to say the least, sad way of excusing neglect, sorry way to look at life. To think that Dr Polles may be making excuses, and giving Earles an "out", by saying that's not his fault that they were already sick when he got them, is pathetic.
Allow me to help and educate Angeliki Polles, DVM, a State of Mississippi Certified Veterinarian.
When a man or woman acquires a horse, a dog, any animal, even one meant to be raised as food, that person is responsible for that animal's health and welfare which means its care and feeding and medical needs. It also means nursing it back to health if you see it needs it when you first get it.
It does not matter if the horses, if all 180 of them, which in itself is impossible for all 180 to have been bought already sick, really were sick before he bought them -- Earls, as their owner, was responsible for the care and feeding of those animals.
Fifty-nine year old Jerry Earls, his picture above, supposedly leases the property and saying, "I ride a horse 7 days a week for a living. I can pin cattle, catch cattle, I work for the public."
What he left out is that he was also indicted in the past for stealing cattle. Yes, Earls was indicted and convicted of larceny of livestock in 2012.
He actually admitted stealing a bull and 42 cows and calves. Now a bull and 42 cows and calves might not sound like a lot of money if you're from the city or a suburb, or watch old westerns, but that is a great deal of money being stolen from the ranchers who spent a great deal of their own money raising them for market.
I once knew a man who wanted to hang a man for stealing his prize breeder bull which cost him thousands of dollar all by himself. So yes, if Earls did in fact steal cattle -- then to my way of thinking, a cattle thief is not above letting horses go without feed and water and let die.
Forgetting about Earls and his responsibility in allowing those horses to die, and let's not even talk about the strange logic of Dr Polles, but let's talk about the place where this took place.
Remember, the couple who found the horses did not have to search them out to find them -- they simply walked over to a fence and looked out, and there they were.
Since these horses did not all die at once and starved to death over a long period of time, where were Earl's neighbors while this was going on? How couldn't anyone see what was going on? Why didn't a local cop see it driving by? Why didn't someone call it in?
So, as the pictures about show, these animals were not starved to death in a barn as took place recently in another part of the country. No, these horses were out in the open.
I know that I am the first to say that I don't like busy-bodies who have their nose in the affairs of others. I know that I have written on our need for privacy. But looking at this, I am shocked that no one knew what was going on or didn't see this. The smell itself should have been enough to have alarms go off that something was wrong there.
When that couple found the scene and saw the miserably pour condition of those horse, the starvation, the dehydration, many with sores and the one horse stuck in a concrete feeder barely still alive, the dead horses all around, the horrible smell, they called the sheriff's office -- but the Copiah County Sheriff's office dismissed their report and initially did not want to respond to their find.
Forgetting about Earls and his responsibility in allowing those horses to die, and let's not even talk about the strange logic of Dr Polles, but let's talk about the place where this took place.
Remember, the couple who found the horses did not have to search them out to find them -- they simply walked over to a fence and looked out, and there they were.
Since these horses did not all die at once and starved to death over a long period of time, where were Earl's neighbors while this was going on? How couldn't anyone see what was going on? Why didn't a local cop see it driving by? Why didn't someone call it in?
So, as the pictures about show, these animals were not starved to death in a barn as took place recently in another part of the country. No, these horses were out in the open.
I know that I am the first to say that I don't like busy-bodies who have their nose in the affairs of others. I know that I have written on our need for privacy. But looking at this, I am shocked that no one knew what was going on or didn't see this. The smell itself should have been enough to have alarms go off that something was wrong there.
When that couple found the scene and saw the miserably pour condition of those horse, the starvation, the dehydration, many with sores and the one horse stuck in a concrete feeder barely still alive, the dead horses all around, the horrible smell, they called the sheriff's office -- but the Copiah County Sheriff's office dismissed their report and initially did not want to respond to their find.
It's true, the couple had to keep calling the Copiah County Sheriff's back a number of times before the Sheriff's decided to get someone out there. And yes, even after the sheriffs arrived, the couple contacted the Copiah County Animal Control -- not the deputies.
The couple who discovered this reported that the owner of the horses, James Earls, came out once the sheriff showed up and his excuse was the horses came to him in worse condition.
Remember what Angeliki Polles, DVM, said about how the horses were received by Earls already sick and malnourished, so that in itself relieved Earls of all of the fault for letting his horses die and starve?
Well, it seems Dr Polles has company. It was reported that another Mississippi State Certified Veterinarian Dr Watson, from the Board of Animal Health, stated the horses conditions were poor when Earls "got" those animals.
Yes, it's true, State Veterinarian Dr Jim Watson said when Earls got the animals they were already in poor condition. Does that mean that Dr Watson is also excusing Earls for starving his horses?
You decide. Dr Watson said, "We are confident that these animals did arrive in poor condition and I think that need to be looked at as well. I'm not trying to deny that these animals potentially needed more care than they were receiving, Some are from sale barns, that were purchased. Others are animals that have been dropped off or left with him other he may have purchased from individuals.".
And yes, I can't help but ask if members of the Copiah County Sheriff's office, Dr Polle or Dr Watson knew Earls on a personal level? I'd also ask if they had any business dealings with Earls? Does it seem like someone was covering for Earls?
This sort of thing makes me wonder if Earls has friends in the system? Four counts out of over 100 cases, and a couple of state vets who sound like they are trying to pass it off as not being Earls fault?
Yes, the Justice System is broken in that county!
Yes, the Justice System is broken in that county!
No mater what is going on in Copiah County Mississippi, every horse owner, and certainly every Horse Rescue, in the nation understands that you are responsible for nursing horses back to health even if you got them like that -- you just don't let them die!
An example of this took place in the middle of last month, November, when 23 horses kept in darkness and isolation, were found underfed and neglected at Skyland Farm in Woodstock, Vermont.
"The condition of the barns were horrible," said Jeanne Matos of the Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society. "The stalls were chewed up. The animals were standing in several feet of manure. The smell of urine was overwhelming."
Jeanne Matos joined Woodstock police officers and volunteers to seize the animals at the farm. Police say they executed a search warrant several days earlier based on several anonymous tips. Yes, tips. And yes, those anonymous tips probably came from neighbors.
Ms Matos says on a 1-9 scale used by veterinarians to rank animal nourishment, Skyland's 23 Arabians ranked among the lowest. "They were ranging from about 1.5 to 3. So, very malnourished, rib bones, hip bones showing," said Ms Matos who also said the horses are being nursed back to health at an undisclosed shelter.
I tip my hat to Jeanne Matos and others who understand the agreement we make with animals: As an owner, we are responsible to feed and care for them. For their love, we return the love.
"The condition of the barns were horrible," said Jeanne Matos of the Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society. "The stalls were chewed up. The animals were standing in several feet of manure. The smell of urine was overwhelming."
Jeanne Matos joined Woodstock police officers and volunteers to seize the animals at the farm. Police say they executed a search warrant several days earlier based on several anonymous tips. Yes, tips. And yes, those anonymous tips probably came from neighbors.
Ms Matos says on a 1-9 scale used by veterinarians to rank animal nourishment, Skyland's 23 Arabians ranked among the lowest. "They were ranging from about 1.5 to 3. So, very malnourished, rib bones, hip bones showing," said Ms Matos who also said the horses are being nursed back to health at an undisclosed shelter.
Imagine that, horses that are being rescued, acquire sick and malnourished, and are actually being nursed back to health.
While this might seem strange to some folks, who seem to be making excuses for the abuse and neglect that James Earls showed the horses that he owned, the rest of the country knows it is proper and customary to nurse sick and malnourished horses back to health. It is the right thing to do.
While this might seem strange to some folks, who seem to be making excuses for the abuse and neglect that James Earls showed the horses that he owned, the rest of the country knows it is proper and customary to nurse sick and malnourished horses back to health. It is the right thing to do.
Thank God that is not customary to let them die or starve, and then write it off as if to say "Oh they were that way when he go them. Not his fault!"
As for the horses in Vermont, once they are healthy again, Ms Matos says the humane society hopes to help facilitate foster placements and full-time adoptions. She stated, "I think they are startled, but the prospect of them making full recoveries is very good."
I tip my hat to Jeanne Matos and others who understand the agreement we make with animals: As an owner, we are responsible to feed and care for them. For their love, we return the love.
While my wife and I, like many others see owning horses as rewarding, even if rescuing a few more than we need to puts a strain on expenses. Shamefully, there are those people who see animals as things that don't need care or feed or compassion.
And yes, there is a part of me that would love to lock them up and treat them the same way that they treat their animals. Even if for just a few days, I wish they would feel the hunger in the bellies and the thirst build with no relief in sight.
How would they like it? They wouldn't. They would call it inhumane. Yes, if I treated them as they do their horses, they would quickly call me what they are, someone inhumane who lacks all compassion.
People like them, those people without compassion for the animals they own, should not be allowed to own animals of any sort. But then again, the answer as to how to stop them from owning animals is beyond me. It seems there is no way to stop the neglect.
But, as my grandfather once said, "if someone cannot serve as a good example they may serve as a bad example."
In this case, if you have ever wondered how bad Horse Cruelty can get? Just look to Copiah County Mississippi for one of the worse cases of Horse Cruelty in American History. There you will also find a Justice System that does not work.
UPDATE: December 19th, 2014
But, as my grandfather once said, "if someone cannot serve as a good example they may serve as a bad example."
In this case, if you have ever wondered how bad Horse Cruelty can get? Just look to Copiah County Mississippi for one of the worse cases of Horse Cruelty in American History. There you will also find a Justice System that does not work.
UPDATE: December 19th, 2014
A report out of Copiah County, Mississippi, says more criminal charges may be pending against Jerry Earls.
Earls is right now only being charged with 4 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty in Copiah County.
Now the State Board of Animal Health is ready to slap him with 13 counts of failure to dispose of 13 dead horse on the property he leased out. The fine up to $1,000.00 on each count.
Three people staged a rally Friday in front of the Copiah County Sheriff's office, including Alisha Armstrong. She and her husband discovered the tragic situation on Dees Road.
Mrs Armstrong said, "What's being done here is unjust for the horses. We care about the horses and we want to make sure the horses are taken care of in a proper manner. And a just manner. The people that did this need to be to the fullest extent penalized for it."
Cindy Crane drove over from Carthage, she is a supporter of the Justice for Copiah County Horses group.
"We look bad around the country," said Ms Crane. "It's not just here. There might just be three of us here today, but there are thousands of people who are aware of what's going on in Mississippi and they are not happy about it and they support us all."
Three people staged a rally Friday in front of the Copiah County Sheriff's office, including Alisha Armstrong. She and her husband discovered the tragic situation on Dees Road.
Mrs Armstrong said, "What's being done here is unjust for the horses. We care about the horses and we want to make sure the horses are taken care of in a proper manner. And a just manner. The people that did this need to be to the fullest extent penalized for it."
Cindy Crane drove over from Carthage, she is a supporter of the Justice for Copiah County Horses group.
"We look bad around the country," said Ms Crane. "It's not just here. There might just be three of us here today, but there are thousands of people who are aware of what's going on in Mississippi and they are not happy about it and they support us all."
The state and county has said that initially Earls claimed the horses were his, but then changed his statement saying that someone else owned the horses.
Local News Station WLBT 3 confirmed, through both the State Veterinarian Board and the Copiah County Sheriff, that the owner of all but 8 horses is Mitch Stanley.
According to federal court documents authorities, the Stanley family owns a commercial transport business and livestock feedlot business based in Arkansas and Louisiana.
Dr Watson confirmed Stanley sent in 18 wheelers and loaded up his horses Thursday. Their ultimate destination remained unknown for a while.
After talking with Mrs Armstrong, I was advised that Stanley loaded up 50 head of them and they are now in Texas.
Of course as there no limits to the shitty actions of some folks, it should be noted that there were many people lined up and rescues as well to buy these horses -- but they were denied to do so out of spite!
Believe it or not, even the rescues that went to get some of them were denied to take any more after begging them to let them have them.
State Veterinarian Dr Watson says Mitch Stanley paid Earls to buy feed and care for the animals. But Earls did not do that. According to Dr Watson, Earls allegedly pocketed the money instead of buying feed..
Justice for Copiah County Horses advocates believe the horses removed will eventually be sold and sent out of the country for slaughter.
Rescue organizations from in and out of state rescued what was left of the few remaining horses that survived on the property. Second Chance for Horses Facebook page posted photo's of some rescued animals that had injuries and others with ribs showing.
Horse rescue folks now report that at least a few of the horses suffering from the worst conditions and malnutrition are now in new homes -- to have a second chance at life.
I will try to keep my readers updated on this horrible situation.
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Tom Correa
