Many horses are kept in enclosures that are less roomy than one acre per horse-- they are called stalls-- and many horses spend 75 to 90% of their lives in them-- does that mean they need to be seized because their owners are “neglectful”?
The “one acre per horse” rule is an arbitrary standard IMO adopted by many turning-suburban areas to limit horse ownership. These kinds or rules IMHO are often foisted upon rural residents by urbanites who move to the country-- and then try to make it more like the cities they just left. They are the same people who complain about garbage pick-up only once a week and who want street lights installed everywhere.
Actually, if you want to keep horses on pasture without having to suppliment with hay and/or grain-- it takes more like 3 acres improved pasture per horse while cattle can make do with only an acre and a half of improved pasture-- key word “improved.”
Of course, if you provide hay and or feed, you can maintain horses or any other livestock on much less than 3 acres per horse- improved or not. Can anyone say “feedlot?”
As far as fencing-- well sh*t happens. Two weeks ago, a large pecan limb fell and took out about 10 feet of fencing where I keep some horses. Two of the most adventurous horses figured out they could squeeze through the branches and get out of their pasture. Luckily, I check them at least twice a day so I arrived to close the main gate to the property pretty soon after the limb fell-- having seen what this huge limb had done to the pasture fence. Thank God I wasn’t away at the WEG – Eek!- Animal neglect.
The property owner insisted that he would handle the removal of the limb, repair of the fence, etc. Meanwhile I put up a temporary section of fence using five strands of electric fencing tied into the two strands already in use to keep the horses away from the five strand barbless wire permanent fencing. Is it pretty? – No. IS it functional- Yes.
It’s been two weeks, and owner has not fixed the permanent fencing yet. Suppose someone - a neighbor- thinks the electric wire is too flimsy and calls the nosey do-gooder animal “welfare” group-- who will then start pestering the sheriff about animal neglect on my part? Are these horses neglected and in a dangerous situation? I don’t think so. The owner of the property doesn’t think so, either. (I am hoping he will have this weekend off from the plant where he works so he can fix the permanent fencing.)
Or suppose someone had passed by and had seen the limb and the fence down before I had arrived to close the main gate (which was thousands of yards away and on the opposte side of the pasture from the gap created by the limb? Suppose they had “freaked” and had called the local nosey do-gooder animal “welfare” group about possible animal neglect-- After all the two horses could have chosen to leave the grass they were enjoying and their herdmates and have decided to take a walk down the weed-lined road, could they not? Of course, any really concerned person could have simply done as I did and closed the main gate.
Here’s another situation- real, too-- My Morgan cross mare is in a 30 by 40 paddock part of each 24 hours. She is there because she beats up my Percheron. They cannot be out together- they have to take turns using my half-acre dry lot. That’s right, I have a dry lot – eek!!! Animal abuse.
I happen to think using a dry lot and run-ins is better than keeping horses stalled 24/7 but the aforementioned animal rights group doesn’t share my point of view.
Anyway, in Betty’s paddock, I use a large round tub that holds 20 gallons as a water source for her. Just recently, she had discovered it was “fun” to paw and push at the tub to turn it over – even when it wis almost filled to the brim and tied to the fence. Of course, when she does that-- she is suddenly without fresh water–eek!!!- This happened recently while I wasn’t home-- I was a mile away getting my mail at the post office. Suppose one of my “helpful” neighbors had seen this, and had called the local nosey do-gooder animal “welfare” group before I returned home? Eek!! Animal neglect!!!
By now, some of you may be wondering about my apparently negative attitute toward the local animal “welfare” group. Well, it amazes me that they can ignore the many starving stray dogs and cats roaming the roads and streets in our parish. They never have room in their “network of foster homes” to take in any of the strays we call them about, but they have plenty of time to cruise around looking for “abused or neglected” horses, cattle or goats.
“Abused or neglected” are the terms they use for any animal not being housed in what they consider optimal conditions-- which are apparently limited to cute pre-fab Morton style barns, and pastures of at least 10 acres or more with white board fencing.
My point–so maybe PP has some of these kinds of people looking over her shoulder constantly-- and complaining constantly-- to animal control.
Maybe PP has been targeted by spiteful neighbors, and unlike lucky me who lives in a parish without animal control officers-- just a plain old sheriff’s office - she was unlucky enough to live where there are animal control officers. BTW, when budgets get tight ,ACOs are often in the first cut from the payroll-- could that have had anything to do with the “need to seize”-- their own need to “prove” that their jobs are necessary in the budget crunch?
Just wondering.
BTW, I solved Betty’s water problem-- sort of-- She now has two water buckets tied high up where she can’t paw them that she has not yet figured how to tip over- in addition to the large container. I personally think she is just pissed that she can’t get out to bully my other mare. She turns that bucket over out of spite-- just to make me have to keep going out to fill it up again-- :).
Bottom line- my best wishes to PP for a positive outcome. That means I hope she gets her horses-- her property-- back.
On a similar topic-- Really who hasn’t at some time thought of how to “go off the grid” after getting a particularly high utility bill? I don’t think that should be grounds for her losing her animals either. I saw the videos, and those horses did not look starved or even neglected to me.
Oh yes, I too have a pile of debris-- a burn pile at the rear of my property near my manure composting area. Does that mean my horses are neglected?? One of my sheds is built of recycled tin and utility poles (but the roofing tin is new) Does that mean my horses are neglected?
My son has such a pile as do two of nearest neighbors-- of course they don’t have horses. But they do have dogs and cats. Does having a debris pile on their property mean that their animals are neglected??? I have friends who live in mobile homes (sounds much nicer than trailer) and they have horses. Does this mean their horses are neglected? Oh, wait-- they have a debris pile too. Eek!!!
The attorney next door to where I keep some horses has a partially built barn- he’s building it himself-, a weedy pasture where his children’s fat-as-a-tick pony lives and oh no-- a debris pile. But hey, he’s an attorney so the animal welfare nuts – or nosey neighbors for that matter- probably won’t complain about him. He doesn’t have to pay an attorney to defend himself against --Eek!! – Charges of animal neglect. Get my drift?
