On Nov. 26, an animal welfare officer from the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) responded to a request to assist the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department in eastern El Paso County. The officers were responding to an animal cruelty complaint. As the HSPPR officer was en route to the property, HSPPR received a call from the Colorado State Veterinarian’s office (Colorado Bureau of Animal Protection) reporting they had received several complaints regarding this same property.When they reached Lori and Alan Manire’s property on S. Johnson Road in Rush, they found boards lying on the ground with nails protruding, a partially collapsed shelter and 54 horses and several cattle. A search warrant was obtained for the property, and, over the course of three days in early December, HSPPR impounded 29 horses and 10 cows. One of the impounded horses was already dead. One of the cows died later. HSPPR received assistance from the State Animal Response Team, Douglas County Animal Services and Pueblo Animal Services.”They were seized for their own welfare for a variety of medical issues,” said Ann Hagerty, public information officer for the HSPPR. “One [of the horses] had pneumonia very severely. In fact, she was down on the ground when our officers came out. Another one was unable to walk because she had severe abscesses on the front hooves. All of the horses that were impounded were severely underweight or even emaciated.”The state veterinarian quarantined the horses remaining on the property, a process that prohibited removal of the animals from the site. However, following the first impoundment on Dec. 9, the Manires attempted to move the animals to other locations. “We actually visited five different locations, and we impounded horses from three of these locations,” Hagerty said.Using a weight grading system called the Henneke scale, HSPPR determined that the horses were all 100 to 250 pounds underweight. Some were estimated to be as much as 400 pounds underweight.”The veterinarian who has been working with us very closely and doing an excellent job of caring for these horses is Joel Brubaker of Falcon Veterinary Services,” Hagerty said. “We are so grateful to him.” Brubaker treated several of the more serious cases, including a Clydesdale mare with a prolapsed rectum.Brubaker reports the horses were suffering from severe malnourishment and severe parasite infestation. “All the water tanks were empty,” he said. Hagerty said the horses were being fed dry straw and baled Russian thistle tumbleweed. “Apparently there is a guideline that says that if you have an emergency and have to feed Russian thistle to a horse, under no circumstances should you feed it for more than 60 days,” she said. “It will build up dangerously high levels of nitrate in their systems.”The Manires were conducting several different equine-related operations from their property, including boarding, training, transporting and breeding. The focus of their transporting business, called Silver Lining Equine Transport, was shipping foals and mares from PMU (Premarine) breeding farms and rescues to their new owners.Since the 1940s, specialty farms in Canada and the northern United States have been harvesting the estrogen-rich urine of pregnant mares that is used to produce hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) drugs such as Premarin[R] and Prempro[R]. The foals are considered a by-product of the industry, and PMU foal rescue groups estimate that in 2001 alone, approximately 30,000 “surplus” foals were sold at auction, and many of those were slaughtered.In 2002, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health halted a study when their findings linked HRT therapy to an increased risk of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke. Following publication of that finding, the drug companies announced that they would not renew contracts with over one-third of the PMU farms. Because of these cutbacks, the market has been flooded with PMU mares and foals, and many horse rescue groups have been working to find homes for these horses. It is not yet clear how many of the horses at Silver Lining Equine were PMU horses.When Tony and Jody Kellis of Iowa adopted a foal from a PMU farm in British Columbia, they hired Silver Lining Equine to ship their foal, Tippa, to them. They heard nothing from the Manires for three weeks after the foal was picked up, and then learned that Tippa had been impounded by the HSPPR on Dec. 9. The 7-month-old foal was given a Hennecke rating of 1.5. The scoring system rates an animal’s weight from one to 10; a score of one is the lowest on the scale and indicates the animal is extremely emaciated.Two sisters in Rhode Island, who had also adopted foals and contracted with Silver Lining, drove to Colorado and picked up Tippa, their four foals and another headed for Pennsylvania. The Kellises report that Tippa is now only 150 pounds underweight and is under the care of their local vet.Jody Ward of Lancaster, Ohio, sent her PMU Percheron mare Maddi to the Manires for training in early October. It took 10 days for Maddi to arrive in Colorado, and rumors had begun to circulate on various Internet discussion boards about Silver Lining. “I insisted on an updated picture of Maddi,” Ward said. She received a photo taken a few days after Maddi’s arrival in Colorado, and her horse appeared thin. “So I insisted on new pictures to ensure she was gaining weight,” Ward said. “The pictures never came.”Then she received notice from the PMU rescue that they were no longer allowing Silver Lining to transport horses from the farms. Alarmed, Ward contacted the HSPPR and was told that horses had been impounded and Maddi had been found at the Manire’s farm. She was approximately 100 to 200 pounds underweight. However, three days later, Ward was told that her mare had been moved to another location, and, after several more phone calls, she reached Kenny Burk, the state brand inspector, who located Maddi two days later.”Finally, on Jan. 5, all of Maddi’s paperwork had been generated and she was free to leave,” Ward said. “Then I received a call on Thursday morning and learned that Maddi had been found with a broken leg.” The mare was treated by a local vet, who diagnosed her with partially dislocated joints and a possible fracture of the pastern.Ward decided to send her mare to PRISM Rescue (a PMU rescue facility in Oklahoma) for rehabilitation. “Maddi cannot make it all the way home [to Ohio],” she explained. “She will continue her re-cooperation for the next eight to12 weeks … in good hands with a trusted friend.” So far, Ward has spent over $1,300 and anticipates many more expenses during Maddie’s rehabilitation.The Colorado Springs district attorney was expected to announce charges against the Manires and Silver Lining Equine on Jan. 21. Charges will include 26 counts of misdemeanor cruelty for malnutrition and failure to provide adequate sustenance; two felony counts of aggravated cruelty; two counts of failure to provide needed medical care; and one count of failure to care for hooves. Additional charges may be filed.The HSPPR has been successful in adopting 13 horses. Two of the impounded horses are still receiving intensive veterinary care. Most of the horses gained weight rapidly, but Hagerty said, “We are not rushing any horse into the adoption corral.”Information on adopting the rescued horses can be found on the HSPPR Web site – www.hsppr.org, and by phone at 473-1741, ext. 157. HSPPR has established a Save the Horses Fund to help pay for the veterinary care and special diet needed to restore the health of the horses. If you wish to contribute to the fund, contact the HSPPR development director at 473-1741, ext. 137.
