Fallon Blackwood, vet student who allegedly sold rescue horses to slaughter goes to court May 24, 2023

[OverandOnward]

@steelerino

Maybe I’m just getting old and bitter in my old age but I don’t see how she scammed that woman in the article. She was trying to unload her old lame horse. She placed an ad and willingly gave it away. Once you relinquish ownership you lose control over what happens to that animal. She didn’t free lease this horse with a return contract that she violated nor did Fallon “steal” the horse. Maybe they should have used a better example for their article.

Edited to ad: she gave it up because she didin’t have the time she thought the horse deserved. Insert eyeroll.

All true. Except for the context that the only reason the original owner signed over the horse was because of her belief in Fallon’s lies and deception. Fallon deceived her for the purpose of gain.

We can judge an owner for our belief that they showed poor judgment for allowing a horse to go away with a complete stranger, simply because the stranger looked and sounded nice.

But the world is full of naive people who would let Fallon scam them out of a horse – obviously. I think the theory of such laws is that if the law doesn’t protect at least some of the gullible, it will encourage a lot of crooked behavior.

@trubandloki

I was simply saying that I have no doubts they will find their way around this part of the ruling for the daughter.

And if that happens, that is yet another object lesson for the daughter.

The adults in the daughter’s life may not have explained her mother’s circumstances. But I’m guessing that it’s possible that the daughter knows quite a bit. Don’t know, though.

[OverandOnward]

@Djones

that’s why the horses have to go. She’s going to ignore that, I’m sure. I mean, who the hell is going to enforce this? no one

This.

For the terrible damage she did, 5 years probation – that is, no jail time – feels light to me.

As for her daughter’s horses, it’s a shame her daughter has to go through that. But I feel no sympathy for Fallon.

I’m acquainted with someone who got caught up in her boss’s financial chicanery. Followed his instructions although she knew they were wrong. Was manipulated into feeling that she couldn’t get out of the situation, and that her boss would correct everything soon.

Once the house of cards came down she did tell LE what she knew and testified against her boss. Because of that her 5 year prison sentence was reduced to 9 months.

She had to explain to her 8-year-old daughter that she was not going to be living at home for a while, and that she had to miss being there for her daughter’s birthday and Christmas.

My casual friend was a genuinely good person who was convinced by her boss that the bad situation would be corrected soon (it wasn’t). She was hardly eating and lost 20 lbs until she and a co-worker went to a lawyer for help resolving the issues and turning her boss in. Before the law came to her. Not like Fallon. Even though she was a whistle-blower in the end, she served actual jail time. Not like Fallon (not yet, anyway). She’s gone on to a good life and never repeated those mistakes. Sadly I have low expectations for Fallon.

[ThreeWishes]

She’s a monster. As someone who has more than once taken in peoples old horses and and cared and loved them until the end I’m appalled at her deceit.

I recently moved my horse home, and I’m in need of a companion, and it grosses me out that people might think the wonderful home I could give a horse. I never need to ride might be akin to sending it to slaughter because of this B*****.

[Angela_Freda]

@OverandOnward

Even though she was a whistle-blower in the end, she served actual jail time. Not like Fallon (not yet, anyway). She’s gone on to a good life and never repeated those mistakes. Sadly I have low expectations for Fallon.

Especially since it seems she did this before in another state?

[TheJenners]

For everyone feeling bad for the daughter…

Just remember she is learning how to treat animals by her mother, so perhaps this isn’t a bad thing.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

Re: the surprise at her level of education–well, Ted Bundy was a law student. And there have been quite a few human doctors over the years accused of terrible crimes.

Also–con artists prey upon people who are desperate. That includes people who can’t afford to support aging, expensive horses, job-seekers, the elderly, the poor…that is what con artists do. Any of us can be scammed IMHO, if we’re hit at the right kind of moment with the right kind of con. This certainly isn’t the first case I’ve heard. Maybe the only sad thing is that it was such a terrible scheme for truthfully a relatively pitful payout that ultimately ended up sacrifcing her entire medical career.

When a parent is convicted of a crime, it’s always hard on the child. It’s not just in horse-related cases.

[BrownDerby]

OP, any word on how the hearing went?

[xeroxchick]

I met a vet who was in her class at Tuskegee. They didn’t even know what was going on - I filled her in. It’s that a vet school can’t kick out someone who is accused of something. Until it is adjudicated, the school doesn’t have grounds to expel her. They saw the police cars drive up and wondered what was going on. This vet didn’t know her or remember her, just the accusations, which is crazy since Fallon would have been one of the few white students (This vet is African American).

[xeroxchick]

Well, I guess I deserve that. Got a starving horse for 100$ out of a suburban backyard in a sketchy area, got her healthy. Vet student who needed a pasture mate for her barrel horse all was true. Showed up, cute, clean cut in a nice truck and trailer. I just thought it would be a good fit, and I could come and get her if it didn’t work out or anything since I’m two hours away from where she kept her horse. I never had any idea something like that was possible and that was stupid of me. I would never ever give a horse away again. I’ll put them down before that kind of end. You are right. Once you hand them over that’s it.

[clanter]

@xeroxchick

This vet didn’t know her or remember her

I find that hard to believe as Tuskegee’s vet school class size is not large, just about 50 or so

[hoopoe]

The vet may have been attempting to be ethical and discreet in talking about this person. There are professional standards in play and I dont blame her in playing ignorant, even if this is a case of public record.

[OverandOnward]

Giving the benefit of the doubt that the vet is being truthful … very interesting that she doesn’t remember another easily-recognizable student actually attending class.

If she is reticent due to her own ethics and discretion, wouldn’t she just say so? Rather than lying?

She is the only person who can say why she is answering the way she is. It’s fair to her to to assume that she truthfully doesn’t remember this student. It could be because the student was rarely or never there.

[trubandloki]

@OverandOnward

If she is reticent due to her own ethics and discretion, wouldn’t she just say so? Rather than lying?

I do not find this to be a bad lie.

It is impossible to say - I do not want to talk about that person because of ethics and discretion and not sound like you are trying to hide something.

A very polite answer is that she does not remember them.

[OverandOnward]

Is it possible that this vet is truthful, in your world?

[moonlitoaksranch]

I’m going to take the vet’s words as truth. She probably remembers her study group and who she hung out with, but depending on how the class is organized, it is definitely possible, even probable, that she doesn’t remember her.

[trubandloki]

@OverandOnward

Is it possible that this vet is truthful, in your world?

My answer is YES!!!
(Not just yes)

Like @moonlitoaksranch so nicely described, a person busy with their studies is very likely to not really pay attention to every last person in their class. They remember the name of their friends and that is it.

I personally do not remember the names of anyone from college. I do not find it weird at all that this vet does not remember this scammer if this scammer was not part of their immediate study/friend group.

[xeroxchick]

This vet is a black woman. She was , or seemed, honestly like wtf was going on there! She really came across as bewildered when I asked her about it and eager to get the deets. She was great with my foolish dog, btw.