In May 2015, a jury found that a Black Forest, Colorado, horse owner had been convicted of eight out of 14 counts of animal cruelty. Eight of 10 horses had been mistreated and neglected; the abuse included mouth ulcers that left the horses unable to properly eat; according to a May 30, 2015, article in the Gazette.As one of the more publicized instances of horse abuse in El Paso County in recent memory, the case highlights a problem that doesnít always receive widespread media attention.ìHorses and other equidae are no longer Ö so much a part of the average American experience, as to inspire close scrutiny of their numbers and condition,î wrote Emily R. Kilby in her 2007 essay ìThe Demographics of the U.S. Equine Population,î published in ìThe State of the Animals IV: 2007.îContrary to Kilbyís claims, the population of horse owners in Colorado might suggest otherwise.ìAmerican Horse Council Foundation: The Economic Impact of the Colorado Horse Industry,î published in 2005, found that the Colorado Horse Industry at the time involved more than 100,000 Coloradans, including 55,700 horse owners, 11,600 employees, 35, 100 volunteers; and about 256,000 horses.ìOf course there are a lot more equines in rural parts of the county,î said Joe Stafford, director of Animal Law Enforcement at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region.The local Humane Society operates within an area that includes Centennial, Colorado, south to Pueblo.ìThatís about 5,200 square miles ó and a lot of horses,î Stafford said.While he acknowledged that equine neglect and cruelty is a concern, he said he believed that neglect and cruelty cases were not as frequent today as they were eight to 16 years ago.ìObviously, it still does happen, just not as frequently,î he said.In the early-to-mid-2000s, many people owned horses, as the area experienced a severe drought and high hay costs, Stafford said.ìA lot of people had horses … and maybe they werenít ëhorse peopleí or werenít educated about the proper care of horses,î he said. ìPerhaps they thought horses were like dogs or cats, and thatís obviously not the case. Theyíre very different animals.îStafford said people do not always surrender their horses when they can no longer properly care for them.ìHorse surrendering is few and far between,î he said. ìHorse slaughter was a big issue, and maybe people were worried that if they gave up their horse it could go to slaughter, and that wasnít acceptable to them. Maybe they were thinking of it as a life or death issue.îNational equine-based or equine-supportive organizations such as Horse Advocates of Colorado, Colorado Horse Rescue, the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, the Humane Society of the United States, Equine 808 Horse Rescue and Front Range Equine Rescue, to name a few, have been leaders in raising awareness of horse neglect and cruelty, helping pass legislation to prevent horse cruelty while providing education on how to care for horses.Betina Tacorante, president of Equine 808 Horse Rescue in Elbert said they receive about 50 calls a year in Colorado regarding horse neglect or abuse. I work with ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and there are a lot of cases of intentional horse abuse,î she said. However, with horse owners who want to surrender, she said in 100 percent of those cases, the owners did not know how to care for a horse.”Tacorante cited one of the most severe cases of neglect and abuse she has encountered. ìThere was a lady, 25 years old, who had a horse, and it was pretty emaciated ñ- teeth, hooves, everything ñ- and when we got there, she sort of broke down and said, ëI just canít do this anymore.íî The woman had initially volunteered to surrender her horse, but her father convinced her otherwise; and the two were charged with animal cruelty.ìI would say that 99 percent of the calls and cases that I have seen ñ many have been neglect,î Tacorante said. Equine 808 offers clinics on various aspects of horsemanship as fundraisers for the organization. Education is a catalyst to ensure that horses are adequately cared for. Many people have varied opinions on what constitutes abuse. Itís the reason industry standards are imperative, Stafford said.ìTake branding, for example,î he said. ìSomething like that on a cat or a dog would absolutely be considered animal cruelty, but generally with horses thatís not considered abuse. If thereís an accepted practice in the industry, itís not considered cruelty.î Tacorante agreed, although she said she would not brand her horse. It is still painful, she said.But practices like horse soring ó ìusing caustic chemicals and devices to injure a horseís front legs and hooves, forcing them to perform an artificially high-stepping gait known as the ëBig Lickî ó are still rampant in the Tennessee Walking Horse Industry, thanks to ìweak regulations,î according to the Humane Society of the United States.While regulated, the HSUS maintains this practice is ìcruel,î and has levied legislation before the U.S. Senate in the form of the PAST Act (Prevent All Soring Tactics) according to the HSUS website.ìIíve seen some videos where they pour the chemicals on the horseís legs, and you can just imagine the pain they must be in, how it must burn,î Tacorante said. ìHorse soring … is just constant pain, all day, every day. I definitely believe thatís a classic example of abuse. Iíve even seen videos where if the horse still isnít stepping high enough, the guys will smack the horse with a metal bar to get them to step higher.îOther practices like horse slaughter are concerns for equine advocate groups. The HSUS has also proposed the SAFE (Safeguard American Food Exports) Act to ban domestic horse slaughter and end the export of horses for slaughter abroad.Precautions must be taken when the local Humane Society responds to reports of horse neglect or cruelty, Stafford said.ìWe only deal with horse owners who generally arenít caring for their horses like they should be,î he said.With a staff of 38 officers and about 50 people total in his department, Stafford said they must adhere to property and privacy rights, and must exercise caution. Stafford said he does not allow individuals not trained specifically on equine care to respond to equine cases.ìTheyíre entirely different animals, and the way we want to interact with them is different,î Stafford said. For more information on the PAST and SAFE acts, visit http://humanesociety.org/animals/horses/.For more information on horse-related legislation, visit the Colorado Horse Council Inc. website, http://coloradohorsecouncil.com and click on the ìLegislationî tab.
