Interesting point, so who are those animals now registered/owned by, the rescue or this individual?
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The horses are currently in the owner’s name. As this is not actually a rescue- the horses were not seized- and purchasing a horse at auction doesn’t make it a rescue, we will see. The rescue will attempt to obtain the registration papers on these horses. I am not sure how that will land.
Ty. I absolutely have the horses interest first…I have already received threatening messages from people involved. So I absolutely will not disclose info regarding the horses. And FYI I did buy these horses along with donors. I put my own money into the rescue every day and did so at that auction. And the horse you refer to as tomcat breeding was bought privately not by my rescue, so get your facts right.
This post has totally veered from its purpose, but that’s what happens when people have other agendas.
The slippery slope is the one you will find yourself on bc I am copying this to my attorney. I don’t take kindly to slander and the spreading of false information. I absolutely did nothing wrong in this situation but try to keep 15 horses from ending up in a bad situation. And I am satisfied I did that. If I could help the remaining horses I would but it seems the craziness some of you are spreading may ruin that possibility.
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They are owned by my rescue as they were legally purchased from the auction. That is from an attorney now involved.
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Being owned by “your” rescue doesn’t make them rescues.
Currently, there are a number of horses shown as being owned by Dreamscape AND this poster- not by Dreamscape alone, and also by Dreamscape, Inc. alone. There are also horses from the rescue in the name of her daughter, and in-laws, along with others.
No one is ruining any possibility. Perhaps you should have started sooner.
And libel is in writing- slander is spoken. But you attorney will know the difference. 
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So, if I was in the area and had any resources to spare or was a lawyer, honestly I wouldn’t get involved with this hot mess on any side.
It’s possible that the local LE erred in procedure on removing the horses from the foreclosed property, but it does not sound like the actual eviction was truly illegal if the family lost the property in a foreclosure. And yes, you know about foreclosure well in advance. In this case it appears the process started before COVID and was postponed. And obviously there is a period before that where you know you aren’t making payments and bank holding mortgage is getting antsy. So she had 3 years at least with this hanging over her.
The horse owner has misrepresented herself and there are other red flags on her FB page. And the horse owner has demonstrated to be backyard breeding irresponsibly, putting foals on the ground while knowing foreclosure is looming, and running a herd size she can’t afford (seems like the size is now estimated to have been about 35?).
This is not a case I would want to get involved with. What would success look like at this point?
On the other hand, I am not fully comfortable with the answers supplied by the representative of the rescue. Edited to add: especially the recent move of threatening to sue for libel for posting on COTH. That’s a big red flag for me. I’ve never seen it used by a poster who was entirely on the up and up.
And yes, I do feel like this post started because a COTHer who had ongoing problems with that rescue wanted to vent about them. But in the process, they weren’t fully forthcoming about the real situation with the horse owner.
I am not sure the outcome is that bad. The horse owner clearly lacks the resources to keep a big herd once she can’t run them on acreage for no cost. She couldn’t come up with a plan to move them, or even the daily board costs at the holding facility. Does she even really want them back?
Anyhow, I expect that at some point, maybe 6 months down the road, the former owner will find this thread and have their say and it will all get very interesting again.
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The date stamp on one of the photos, the concerning one (foal trotting, girl holding mare in the background) was August 9 so that is why I thought it was taken in August.
I have been breeding horses and running a boarding farm for 30 years and I have never had a horse look like that in my care. My 30 yo mare is in better condition than these horses…she’s lost her top line a bit but she’s a solid 5 in body condition. There isn’t a 5 anywhere in the photos.
If someone is in a mental space where this seems like adequate care, something needs to be done.
I wonder if that area was suffering the drought this summer like much of the East Coast, so the grass didn’t keep the horses in condition as well as usual. I’d eat my hat if they were getting any concentrate outside grazing in a big field. Drought in my area wasn’t as bad as many places and I still had to start feeding hay 2 months earlier than usual. With 40, I can easily see how they would be in poor shape by late August without additional feed. I consider that abusive, not just less than perfect decision-making. Those foals being raised with inadequate nutrition could suffer the rest of their lives from it.
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Many rescues buy horses at auction.
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My first foal was born in 1979. I don’t breed anymore- everything on the farm now needed a home- not that I would designate them rescues.
I completely understand where you are coming from- my mares always looked grand, were fed properly, etc. However, I’ve seen mares ingroup settings and all turned out with their foals even at big local breeding farms up here, and they do not look like mine would. That doesn’t make them welfare cases. And some of the variables you mention may be in play.
But this doesn’t mean that this was properly handled, or that she deserved this.
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Good points. If she did get them back, where would she put them? What BO would take on this person as a boarder? “I lost my farm to foreclosure” doesn’t scream “I’ll pay my bills on time” and I absolutely vet potential clients for that!
True- but that still doesn’t make the horses rescues. The rescue can choose to adopt them out, or sell them, or whatever, but a horse AT a rescue isn’t necessarily A rescue.
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She wasn’t boarding before, and I doubt that she would be again.
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Yeah so then she has to rent a farm or buy a farm. Not so easy to buy when you just lost one to foreclosure.
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I have nothing valuable to add but what I don’t understand is – where is the paper trail with regard to how things were done? I was called in to help with a horse situation in upstate NY where horses were removed from the property. Owners left substantial number of horses on property after they moved out of state. People left caring for horses were minors and/or not living nearby; care was less than suitable. It took weeks to arrange this; it was canceled several times due to lack of a variety of different law enforcement personnel having to be there. Everyone had to be represented. Owners had to be contacted continuously to make them aware of every move that was made. There were vets, law enforcement from the state and county, and everyone who helped had to show id and be logged in and sign forms. Vehicles moving the livestock had pics taken and license plates/registrations recorded. Hundreds of pictures were taken of horses (by LE) and land/pastures/barn/everything. Each horse went through a thorough vet check, and it all was documented. It took ALL DAY. I was there at 6am and came home after dark. The horses were not moved far away so it wasn’t travel that took the time. All horses were accounted for before and after the move, and no one was allowed to take a horse anywhere but the designated spot - except for one stallion that went to a facility suitable for a stallion. No one could adopt them till the legal matter was settled, it took months. No, I did not adopt one. I was told that due to the law and preventing any legal issues, it all had to be handled like this, very carefully and thoroughly. The owners were not happy, there were threats and relatives came to their defense, so it was not some easy day either. I don’t know what happened in this case or if the laws have changed (i doubt it) but it doesn’t sound anything like the one I helped at. Now I see why they were so adamant to follow the letter of the law. None of this drama. It’s unfortunate this happened. The op was trying to help, the rescue was trying to help and now it’s turned into a mess. I hope the horses are doing better.
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The horse is technically rescued from slaughter perhaps. It’s very common.
I am given to understand that the boyfriend lost the farm. I wasn’t aware that she was on the mortgage, note or deed.
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QFP.
The “I will sue for libel or slander” move. I’m predicting Train Wreck Bingo.
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Yes. It does seem to lack a paper trail, but the difference is the property buyers who just wanted the livestock off their new property, and the livestock owner missed a deadline to pay a sum of money to… What? I have no idea what the $4500 was. A bond to the court? Rent to new owners? In any event the horse owner didn’t pay and LE moved in.
At issue wasn’t the care of the horses, which does appear to have been substandard. At issue was that these people bought a foreclosed farm where about 35 horses had been left behind when the former owners moved out, with no clear timeline to remove them. They were moved like you’d move furniture or farm equipment left behind. Not seized specifically for neglect. I gather they were neglected to some degree but they were not seized for neglect. They were moved so the new property owners could take possession.
The out of state rescue was not involved in the removal of the horses, only in buying them from auction over a month later. So the procedural stuff is down to local LE, I assume sheriff or bailiff or similar.
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I understand. But once again, this is not that. This is purchasing a horse from auction- not a kill buyer, etc. These horses weren’t standing in the slaughter plant.
IO make the distinction because I have seen rescues attempt to be able to designate horses as rescues, themselves. That is a tricky thing to do.
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Yes, but those horses are owned by the rescue entity, not the people on the board, the people at the rescue, etc.
If a primary at a rescue (director for example) buys themselves a horse at an auction, that horse is not property of and should not be supported on the rescues dime.
Keeping those very separate is critical.
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