AR-News: Horse Rescue Effort Gone Awry; 28 saved from slaughter become cruelty victims

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Horse Rescue Effort Gone Awry; Community Support Urgently Needed
28 foals saved from slaughter only to become victims of cruelty

Contact: Kathy George

Public Relations Director

(434) 384-9465

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




May 1, 2004 (Bernville, PA) - On April 19, 2004, a shipment of 28 foals rescued from certain slaughter, boarded a truck at a North Dakota feedlot headed for new homes in Georgia and Florida. Bernville-based equine rescue group Another Chance 4 Horses Rescue and Placement (“AC4H”) had arranged for 22 of the horses’ adoption and transport, and awaited the truck’s first scheduled drop in Summerville, Georgia.

 

At 8:30 p.m. on April 22, the truck pulled up to the scheduled drop and what was found inside the trailer horrified everyone. When the trailer door was opened, one foal’s head fell and hung out of the truck, a second was seen dead and bloated and the rest were wading through knee-high urine and manure. Once the horses were unloaded, many of the foals were discovered to have deep lacerations and other injuries most likely caused by lack of driving experience and inattention during the 26-hour ordeal. 

 

Christy Sheidy, Secretary of AC4H, who received a middle of the night call, was shocked. "It's like putting your children on the school bus in the morning. You don't have control, but you think they will be fine. That is what I thought when we sent these foals off to their new homes."

 

The police were called and veterinarians with the State of Georgia’s Agriculture Department were summoned to the scene. The driver of the truck did not possess a valid commercial drivers’ license and had never driven a manual transmission prior to making this long trek. He had never transported horses and had failed to stop at any border or weigh stations along the way. He was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals. Additional criminal charges are also being investigated. The horses and his truck were seized by State authorities.

 

The horses were taken to an undisclosed location and are currently in the care of the State of Georgia. The State has assured AC4H that the horses will be released within seven to ten days and permitted to undergo a State-imposed quarantine on the property of a licensed Georgia equine rescue organization, in coordination with AC4H. 

 

“The local authorities and the State of Georgia have done a great job mitigating what was a horrible situation,” said Rick Sheidy, AC4H President, who has been saving and placing equines in new homes for seven years. “But they are charging us $10 per horse each day while in their care and that doesn’t include the costs of the veterinary care, transportation and autopsies. Already the bill has exceeded $2,000 and we’re facing months of boarding, feed and veterinary care until the quarantine expires in 90 days or more.”

 

Two national animal welfare organizations, United Animal Nations (UAN) and the American Society for the Protection of Animals (ASPCA) have assisted during this crisis. They’ve pledged ongoing support to help with the care of the horses. 

 

“But we need more help from those in the community who care about horses,” continued Mr. Sheidy. “The folks who adopted these babies already dug deep to pay for adoption and transport fees. And it will be months, if ever, before we are able to lawfully collect what this transportation company owes us for this mess.” 

 

AC4H is a recognized Pennsylvania non-profit corporation and is in the process of obtaining 501(c)(3) status under the Internal Revenue Code. Donations can be made directly to AC4H or tax-deductible donations can be made to United Animal Nations, a registered 501(c)(3), by sending donations c/o GEORGIA FOALS, United Animal Nations, PO Box 188890, Sacramento, CA 95818.