Despair and Hope: Okahoma, Fantastic Volunteers & Camp Hope

Photo credit:Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman

Terrible stories are coming out of Oklahoma this week. With some towns getting 0-16 minutes of warning before the F4 or F5 tornado struck, many folks were barely able to save themselves or their families... and unfortunately lots of horses and other animals were left behind.

Dozens of horses are dead at the Orr Family Farm. The Orr family were prominent members of the horse world, breeding and training Throughbreds and boarding dozens of horses not their own.


Some horses at Blaze's Tribute Equine Rescue survived a direct hit, including one blind mare and two others recently rescued from a slaughter truck.  Many others have not been so fortunate.

Lando Hyde survived the storm in a horse stall-- but believes all most or all of the 80 horses in the surrounding area are dead. He had no warning about the storm. Video here.

Plain as Bay Eventing lost all of their Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds.

Reportedly, some kill buyers are taking advantage of this situation, buying up (or even simply finding and keeping) injured and homeless horses to be sent to slaughter. I have no idea if this is true or not. However, there is a Facebook page that is apparently trying to report the names of kill buyers. Use the information with caution, as starting a witch hunt just makes things worse.

Ugh, the ugliness of the world can be awful. However, wherever there is despair, there is also hope, thanks to the heroic efforts of ordinary people.

Oklahoma veterinarians including the Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Services, have stepped up to provide free or reduced cost veterinary care for horses and other animals injured in the storm. Some of them have been combing through the wreckage of homes and barns trying to help trapped or injured animals. Other non-vet folks like Yvette Fees and Toby Bogart are opening their barn doors to any horses in need of shelter while their owners rebuilt. Super kudos to them.

Many people are doing their utmost to reunite lost pets with their owners. The Lost and Found Animals of Oklahoma Tornados Facebook page is just one of the many volunteer-organized efforts to do this.

Horse Feathers Hay for the Hungry is offering to help Oklahoma horse owners in need of hay.

In many of the stories coming out of Oklahoma, there were some incredibly brave people who risked their own lives to try to save animals from the twister. A few people have actually criticized how these folks acted, some saying they should have locked horses in their barn, others saying they should have freed horses to run from danger. Quite clearly, some stabled horses were saved because they were stabled, and some were killed because they were stabled. THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER, and I call bullshit on anyone who thinks they could have done better. Personally, I would be too busy shitting my fucking pants to do anything except cower.

I still feel a little depressed, so let's move on to more hope. Camp Hope, that is.

Saint Francis Horse Rescue and Retirement, near Rosholt, WI, hosted Camp Hope this past Sunday. Camp Hope is a Stevens-Point-based weekend camp for grieving children and teenagers, and twice each year these special kids get to experience the best therapy in the world: interacting with horses.

I'm not sure why this awesome story isn't more publicized by the media. Well, for what little it's worth, North Horse officially salutes the incredible volunteers at Saint Francis!!

Prayers and Bewares: Fires, Storms & Brandy Woolums

A powerful windstorm swept through my area Tuesday night, and I am still picking up debris and repairing damage. The National Weather Service called it a "heat burst." We had very little warning. Farmers in my area have lost barns, silos, outbuildings and cows. Some people had major roof damage and small fires. My thoughts go out to these people, especially farmer Krause. In the past dozen years, he had a barn struck by lightening, killing all his milk cows in the process, his wife passed away, he broke his leg, he lost a field of wheat to a fire during the drought last year, and now this.

When I see what happened to others, I'm quite happy to deal with my broken fences, ripped-off shed roofing, a wagon that got blown into the pasture, and other "small stuff."

Prayers should also be directed to those folks in Wisconsin and Minnesota still fighting the wildfires that are ripping through thousands of acres. The National Guard and Red Cross are helping, and firefighters are working their butts off, but the fires are not nearly contained yet. Scary. Reminds me of the Great Peshtigo Fire, though of course that one was far, far worse.

Speaking of disasters, BEWARE of Brandy Nichole Woolums. She lives at 1728 Birchwood Street #3, Delavan, WI  53115. She is 27 years old (born 1986) and 6 feet tall. She is originally from Skandia, MI. She has a young daughter, who may have the last name "Blum." Woolums commonly uses aliases, which have in the past included Jade, Brandi or Brandie Williams, Nikki Knight and Nichole O'Connor. Her online aliases are too many to list, but have included Smokinsmart1, wickedlysweet, nikki b, Jade, and CrystalraneX. She has resided in Baraboo, Lake Geneva and Bristol, WI as well as Illinois in the past..

Brandy's favorite scheme is to sell tack... but never actually ship it. She will ask you to pay via Paypal and send the money as a "gift" payment type. She will probably give you some sob story about how doing this saves her money that would otherwise go to sellers fees, and she and her fatherless little girl really need every dime, etc.

Once you send the "gift," Brandy pockets the cash and never mails you the stuff. Because you sent the money as a "gift," you aren't eligible for Paypal buyer protection and you will NOT be able to get a refund or open a claim against her.

Brandy was recently involved in a lawsuit where it appears she "bought" horses, never actually finished paying for them, and was attempting to resell them. Brandy may also be involved in welfare fraud. I can't confirm this, but it is reported that she was convicted of fraud and animal cruelty in Illinois. She has been evicted from at least one boarding facility and at least one apartment building for non-payment of rent.

Woolums has owned, and may still own, the brown AQHA filly Eyed Be Smokin Smart, barn name Cinder or Cinders.

Brandy is an "adult model/actress" and "dancer" and may be working at a strip club. She describes herself as "bi-sexual." She may be moving to Florida.

That's all for now folks. Stay tuned for more.

Hey, don't forget to friend North Horse on Facebook!

Horses and the Law: Tough Choices

 Minnesotra State Troopers shot two horses, Frenchie and Roper, when they got loose this last Sunday night near Faribault, MN. They nearly caused several accidents on a 70mph highway.  The horses belonged to Suzette Clemens, and had broken out of their pasture 3 miles away. The Troopers said they'd tried to contact local residents to find the owner, and also tried to contact local vets, but when no one came forward, they made the decision to put public safety first. Clemens is very upset with the troopers, saying that her horses are normally very calm, and that more should have been done to capture them or get help before the officers resorted to shooting.

I see both sides of the issue. It was a tough choice. I wish police officers had more training when it comes to animals, both in identifying neglect cases and in handling loose animals. On the other hand, even if this situation had involved the most well-trained cops and calmest horses in the world, the result might have been the same. Horses can and do panic and can't be caught, even by their owners. It's so scary. This sort of thing makes me want to paint my phone number on my horses and build 8 foot high solid concrete fences around my pasture. Cops shooting loose animals isn't rare, by the way-- it happens to tons of dogs all the time, and just last December, Minnesota troopers shot another loose horse on a public highway.

Speaking of scary brushes with the law, here's a legal decision you should know about. Let me sum up for you:

 So gal A was letting gal B ride her horses. Gal B brought her mother-in-law out to play with the horses. Gal B had her mother-in-law hold a horse while she blanketed and saddled it. The horse moved and stepped on the mother-in-law's foot, causing her to fall and break her hip. The mother-in-law is now suing both her daughter-in-law (gal B) AND the horse's owner, gal A. And she may win.

First, let me express just how pissed-off this makes me. Some assholes can't just have the good grace to say, "Well shit, bad stuff happens, let's move on." Nope, they have to go and sue someone. I could understand if the lady's daughter-in-law had put her in real danger-- like, say, asking her to ride a known bucker. But this was sheer accident, and a small one at that. How much of a bitch do you have to be to sue a family member over a totally innocent accident?

At first the court ruled that gals A and B were protected under that handy-dandy equine immunity statute, section 895.481. It's a law in several states which a lot of us horse owners have posted on those big white plastic signs, and the gist of it is that working with horses is inherently risky, so if you agree to work with them in any way, you can't sue us. (Though this probably only protects "equine professionals.")

However, the court decided later that gals A and B can't be protected under that law because of THIS:

 "[Equine professionals can't be protected if they provide] an equine to a person and fail to make a reasonable effort to determine the ability of the person to engage safely in an equine activity or to safely manage the particular equine provided based on the person's representations of his or her ability."

The mother-in-law agreed to go with her daughter-in-law to do horse stuff, and took the horse's lead rope of her own free will, but apparently that's not enough.Well that's crap on toast, because it theoretically means that before I allow anyone anywhere near my horses, I have to give them a fucking questionnaire asking about their abilities. Is this what the world is coming to? What's next, a required questionnaire for anyone who wants to anything even possibly remotely dangerous?

What about personal responsibility and common sense? If you agree to be around horses, or go water skiiing, or go walking in a lightening storm, or even cross the damn street, you should know what you're getting into and accept the consequences. It's called adulthood.

Obviously, people should be protected from those who purposefully hide the fact that something might be dangerous. But no law should require anyone to babysit a grown person.

This kind of decision by the courts, and the behavior of people like this mother-in-law, negatively impacts us all. It leaves us wondering whether we should be demanding that our friends and families sign waivers before petting our horses or getting a pony ride.

Just recently an acquaintance of mine expressed interest in riding with me. My first thought was, "Hey, cool, someone to ride with and show off my babies to!" But this lawsuit-happy society we live in also made me cringe at the possibility of riding with someone I don't trust 110%-- and that's unfortunate. We need more new people interested in horses, because only new blood will keep the horse industry viable. We need more butts in saddles, more dollars at events, more donations for horse rescues. *sigh*

Here's an horseback riding liability waiver you might want to copy. You may also want to look into liability insurance if you frequently have riders at your place.

Annie's Birthday Prize Contest!

Hey folks! Sorry for the length between posts. I've been battling allergies, getting in a ton of riding and gardening and cleaning and... yeah, basically IT'S SPRING and I can barely contain myself (or stop sneezing). So, on to the good stuff:

Every year I celebrate Annie's May birthday by doing some kind of contest or giveaway, and this year's contest is extra-specially amusing!

The Prize:  $25 CASH $25 donated to an horse-related charity of your choice!

The Contest:  Horse stackers! The bizarre world of the internet has given birth to a new trend: stacking stuff on pets. Stuff on cats, stuff on dogs, the more stuff and the higher the stuff, the better! Horses have been woefully absent from these funny photos and it's time to fix that. Your job is to stack stuff on your horse, take a photo, and send it to northhorse.org. I'll post all photos on the blog. The most impressively stacked horse WINS! Let's see how calm and willing your horse is...and how creative you can be!

The Rules: 


1) Safety first. It's probably better not to tie your horse for this, just in case he/she has a bad reaction. Have someone hold him/her OR be your camera operator. Don't stack stuff that would hurt your horse if it falls. Don't stack your horse with other animals. If your horse is very spooky, maybe this isn't the contest for you.

2) No cheating by attaching stuff using tape, bungee cords, twine, etc. Stacked stuff needs to stay on by itself. However, you CAN use a saddle as your base, with fastened girth.

3) Be creative! Height is less important than overall cool factor.

4) The deadline to send in contest photos is midnight on Memorial Day, which is Monday May 27th 2013. I'll pick a winner within two days. I'll email the winner and ask where you'd like your prizes to be mailed.

I can't wait to see what you come up with! It's probably only fair that I go first with an example though:

Happy Birthday Annie!

Update on the Pleasant Prairie, WI neglect case here, including video.

REINS therapeutic riding center in Sheboygan, WI has gotten a grant from the Wisconsin State Horse Council.

Jamie Koy, an Illinois woman, has been arrested again for starving horses. This is what happens when there are no real penalties for animal abuse: repeat offenders, repeat suffering.

Ellie Mae and I are still working together to overcome her little quirks. Those quirks largely disappear when she's with another horse. My husband led Annie and I rode Ellie on a little trail ride, and Ellie didn't mind traffic, running water, a dog, a deer crashing in the woods, etc. She's wonderful! Ellie and Annie are now very close.

Sam the pony has learned to duck under the fence wire of the "short pasture" fence, giving him full access to the lush grass in the big field. I'm going to try a muzzle next. He has learned to carry a bit of weight on his back and take a saddle pad with a loose girth. The farrier is coming out today to trim everyone but especially Sam with those long toes.



That's all for now folks! Stay tuned for more North Horse in the next few days.

The Arrival of Ellie Mae the Mule, Backward-Dancing Super Star

I have always wanted a long-eared friend, and this weekend Ellie Mae the mule was delivered right to my doorstep! Saint Francis Horse Rescue & Retirement let me adopt her, and I've been grinning like a little kid ever since.

Ellie is 18 years old, a big girl at about 15 hands, and just as sweet as can be. She will sidle right up, demanding scratches, and then lean into you a bit, as if hugging you! There are no problems catching this cuddle-bug, particularly if she hears the sound of a carrot bag crinkling. I just love the way her muzzle fades from light to dark. And of course, those ears. I love those ears. When she shakes her head hard, they clap together!!

 Ellie has pretty good conformation for a mule. Mules that I've seen have always been very butt-high. Ellie is only very slightly so, plus she has a little bit of wither (compared to many totally mutton-withered mules) and a comparatively nice hip. I love her dainty, rock-solid hooves. Interestingly, like a donkey's they are not only upright and boxy, they have very small, shallow frogs.

Ellie settled in very quickly. Mr. Strut acted like a jerk at first, but he doesn't really like anybody, and he backed off pretty quickly. Annie and the pony made instant friends with their new mule buddy. Ellie was soon rolling around in the mud, happily trotting across the field and generally enjoying herself.

Today I took Ellie on our first ride together, and boy was it interesting.

From the start, Ellie was a little hard to lead out of the gate. She was a bit pushy, and lunged after patches of grass like a starving hippo. We had to have a small discussion about that. I quickly found out that Ellie does not like to be pulled. Ellie agreed that I was in charge, but I had to agree not to pull her. Asking with small tugs worked fine-- but pulling resulted in her setting her feet like a stubborn... uh... mule.

We worked on the leading thing, and Ellie got much better within ten minutes. Hah, testing me! Then we moved onto longeing. Or at least, I moved on to longeing, and Ellie stared at me like I'd suddenly grown horns. Was this another test? Nope, I don't think so. Ellie just isn't all that familiar with longeing. I spent the next while teaching Ellie some basics, backing off when she seemed to be getting worked up. Finally, it was time to mount up.

Okay, I confess, I tried to hop on her bareback at first. Yes, I'm an idiot. That experiment ended quickly when Ellie wouldn't stand still for mounting, and when I did finally get on, she instantly moved and I instantly came off the other side. I landed on my feet, but my brain woke up and said, "Hey idiot, it's been a long time since you've ridden bareback, and maybe your first ride ever on this critter shouldn't be bareback." I don't know, it was a moment of spring fever insanity or something. So I went to get a saddle.

She didn't want the saddle. The blanket was fine, but she knew what the saddle meant: work. Even after she'd had time to sniff it and get used to it, she skittered sideways circles when I went to put it on. I don't like to tie a horse the first time I do stuff with them, just in case there's a bad reaction, but I eventually had to tie her to saddle her (using a quick-release knot folks!). She did pull back, but not too alarmingly, and when she'd settled down I got the saddle on. Even though I cinched slowly, she did the balloon imitation trick. Do NOT knee a horse that does this, they will just become  more cinchy! I waited and did other stuff between tightenings... like putting on the bridle.

Ellie didn't want the bridle either and pointed her nose skyward. Hah, smarty pants! The key to foiling this trick is patience. It takes quite a bit of effort for a horse to hold her head up that high. Eventually they will lower their heads, and then you pop the bit in. Of course Ellie did clench her teeth, but what you do then, boys and girls, is hook a thumb in the toothless gum space and press down gently.

She chewed the plain snaffle quite a bit, so I'm thinking I might try a curb next time (I was told that's what she'd been ridden in, I just wanted to try a non-leverage bit first). I had to adjust the bridle quite a bit, which she was pretty patient about.

This time she was ok for mounting. The second I had my right foot in the stirrup, however, she walked off towards her new buddies. Thus, our adventure began in earnest.

I swear to God almighty, we spent more time going backwards than forwards. It was actually totally hilarious. I would pick a direction and ask Ellie to walk that way. If this direction was not back towards her new buddies, one of two things would happen: Ellie would back up, or Ellie would push forward and I'd have to bend her in a circle. Very often, we'd end up backing in a circle. Eventually, we'd get where I'd wanted us to go... just very, very indirectly.

I have to give the girl credit: despite her stubbornness, Ellie did not once offer to buck, rear or even crowhop. Even when I resorted to tapping her butt with a rein, she behaved like a lady. And holy crap can she bend! I have never seen such a sure-footed, flexible animal. Ellie can sidepass to the right while simultaneously backing up and bending her head so far to the left, she can touch my elbow. She might be a mule, but she's all pretzel! After I got over my initial fear that she was going to flip out, I quite enjoyed myself. Riding Annie is lovely... but sometimes it's like bending rebar. Heavy, stiff and slow. Ellie was the opposite; light on her feet, supple, like dancing. Except, you know, a bit more frustrating.

I did eventually get Ellie to walk down the road a bit, and it was then, heading away from home, that I finally got to hear the famous bray for the first time. I will never forget my shock. It was... it was... okay, it was like this:

Imagine a lion, a donkey and a horse are watching television together. You hear a laugh track on the comedy program. Then it suddenly cuts out, to be replaced by loud static and white noise. Angrily, the lion roars at the donkey, the horse whinnies in fright, and the donkey yells. The lion rumbles, and then all the noise stops.

I gasped and bent over in the saddle I was laughing so hard!

I will keep you posted on how Ellie and I progress, but there's other exciting news as well. Diego, the black stallion (now gelding) that I helped rescue last year was adopted by one of my friends, and was kindly delivered to her house by Saint Francis on the same day Ellie arrived at my own farm. Saint Francis gelded him, vetted him, trained him up and now I get to see him again! I'll be over there to take pictures and report on his own settling-in. Next, after entering a MWHF raffle, I won a "Reiki" Distant Healing session with one of those new-age psychic people. I look forward to telling you all about the silliness lol!!

Don't forget to friend North Horse Blog on Facebook for funny pictures, news updates and more. I always celebrate Annie's birthday with a prize drawing or contest of some sort, so stay tuned for that as well!

Essentially Oily Horses? The "Science" of Alternative Medicine

So what's up with using essential oils on horses? First let's see what people are saying. Check out this 2 minute video. Hmmm. Sounds pretty unbelievable to me. We're going to need some more research here. Let's dive into the history of medicinal plants and aromatherapy.


Way back in the day, pre-medieval scholars started to believe that plant oils had healing properties. Not having any real medicine, they were pretty desperate for anything that might help combat infection and disease. They had limited success; some plant oils were mildly antiseptic, and smearing them over a wound could help keep it clean. (Honey and rendered animal fat were also used for this purpose.) Some plants had active healing powers, like willow bark, which acted as low-grade asprin. None of these home remedies were as effective as modern drugs, but they were (sometimes) better than nothing.

As ideas about medicine progressed, healers came to believe that scent was important in curing disease too, making nicely scented oils even more valuable. During the era of the Black Plague, many people believed that carrying around sweet-smelling flowers would help drive away sickness. No one yet understood how germs worked, so "bad air" was blamed for carrying disease. This idea continued into the Victorian period, where proper ventilation and fresh air, clean were considered extremely important for health. 

“All smell is, if it be intense, immediate acute disease; and eventually we may say that, by depressing the system and rendering it susceptible to the action of other causes, all smell is disease.”

--Edwin Chadwick’s Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain 1842

Eventually humanity developed real science, and the idea of smells as disease-carriers and healing tools dropped by the wayside. Then we skip forward a bunch of decades, and the 60s, 70s and 80s happened. All of a sudden ancient stuff was way groovy again. Crystal healing, astrology, incense, nature-worship and aromatherapy/essential oils came back into popularity. By this time though, believers had dropped the "scent can carry disease" angle and focused just on the good stuff.

The idea of "natural remedies" became very appealing. I can see why. No one likes going to doctors; they are expensive, poke you in awkward places, and hand you prescriptions for medicine you don't really understand. Natural remedies, however, give a patient a feeling of being in control again. They're usually easy to understand, you don't need permission to use them, and they don't often have side-effects. Plus, they sound appealing. Just based off of their names, would you rather take Geldanamycin or lavender? Well obviously lavender. But do nice-smelling oils work?

Mostly...not. No. Sorry. There is next to zero evidence that essential oils or aromatherapy have any measurable benefit in treating or preventing illnesses in humans or animals. Ditto for most other types of alternative medicine. Yes, there are some "studies" out there that say differently, but those "studies" are largely unscientific and conducted by the same folks selling what they're "testing."

BUT WAIT. We do know that the placebo effect sort of works! The placebo effect is basically Dumbo's "Magic" feather. Dumbo didn't need it to fly, but it boosted his willpower and confidence, enabling him to get airborn. Study after study has shown us that sugar pills given to patients convinced they were real medicine were pretty effective. Surprisingly, human willpower is one of the best tools in overcoming illness! This is probably why alternative medicines seem to work for some folks. The power of prayer, meditation, fasting, sweat lodges, and yes, essential oils, derives from our own willpower. Pretty cool, eh? The human mind is a miracle. We convince ourselves better.*

So case closed, right? Essential oils must be A-okay.  Uhhhm, WAIT. Unfortunately, the world is full of malicious bullshitters trying to screw folks over. Remember how the lady in the video claimed that the horse could be treated for "negative emotions" by rubbing oil on his ears? Yeah, that's the crap I'm talking about. Some peddlers of essential oils will try to convince you that their products can help cure anything, and so of course you should buy as much as possible. Check out this Facebook advertisement for Equine Raindrop Therapy (click to enlarge):

 Holy CRAP, they're claiming oils can treat everything from cancer to strangles!! Oils can treat aging, pain, laminitis, spinal problems, depression, viruses, ringworm... everything!
 It's the fucking fountain of youth over here!  
It's Magic!! Expensive magic.

 How much is a "Raindrop" treatment kit? $164!!
And about 1/10th of an oz of a single oil can cost over $50!!
A single day of learning about the power of oils costs $175!! (That's $21/hour for an 8 hour day.)

Holy fucking shit, if I had no morals, I'd be an animal psychic and an oil peddler. Cha-CHING$$!

Listen up folks. There's a fine line between "do whatever makes you happy" and being an idiot.

Horses don't benefit from the placebo effect like humans do. You can't convince them a medicine works, so they won't convince themselves that it works. The most that will happen is that you become convinced the oils work, so you're calmer, so your horse is calmer too. Fine and dandy. BUT...

Besides not actually fighting cancer or strangles, essential oils can be dangerous. They can provoke allergic reactions, cause skin to become more light-sensitive and, when used frequently, even damage the liver. Essential oils that aren't organic can contain concentrated pesticides. Many people mistakenly use essential oils directly on skin, when they should be diluted with "carrier" oils. Not diluting them can cause serious skin problems.

And the $164 you could spend on "Raindrop Therapy," couldn't you use that to better effect? Instead of rubbing your horse's ears with peppermint, how about hiring a professional saddle fitter? What about getting radiographs of your horse's hooves, so your farrier can see exactly what he's working with? What about simple crap like sunscreen, flyspray, vitamin supplements, a new winter blanket, better fencing? How about a session with a trainer? And what about vaccines, worming, etc? I sure as hell hope you're not skipping out on actually essential vet care to pay for shellacking your horse's face with rosemary. But some people really do skip out on actual medical care in favor of faith healing-- sometimes even when it comes to their own children. Just check out this terrible story.

The moral of the story here folks is that there's nothing exactly wrong with oiling up your horses... just don't depend on it to actually accomplish anything.

You can read more about quack science medicines for horses here.

*By the way, the opposite is true too-- humans can convince themselves sick. Hypochondriacs actually do experience weird symptoms. And crowds of humans can convince each other that a "mystery illness" is spreading-- these people experience symptoms even though nothing is medically wrong with them. It's called psychosomatic mass hysteria, and it's more common than you might think.

Rick De Los Santos, Future NM Horse Slaughterer?

Front Range Equine Rescue is doing some good work to prevent a shady asshole, Rick De Los Santos, from reopening the Valley Meat Co slaughter plant in New Mexico in order to slaughter horses. You can see their press release here.

Front Range recently uncovered the fact that Los Santos lied on applications to re-open his slaughter plant. Front Range reports,

"On Valley Meat's December 2011 and March 2012 applications for inspection, when asked to list all of his felony convictions, State or Federal, Mr. De Los Santos falsely answered 'None.' In fact, Mr. De Los Santos has been convicted of two felonies, once for residential burglary and once for criminal trespass."

You might recognize the name "Valley Meat Co" from a recent scandal involving a video where a man mocks animal rights activists before shooting a horse. The man, Tim Sappington, made the video specifically to enrage horse lovers opposed to horse slaughter. Sappington was a maintenance contractor at Valley Meat. Sappington no longer works for Valley Meat, but the New Mexico company is hardly innocent, and seems to foster a workplace culture that encourages a total lack of empathy for animals.

“All you animal rights activists, fuck you!” -Sappington

In response to pressure from horse lovers, Valley Meat has hired a pet lawyer who seems to be sending out threatening letters. Valley Meat has sued multiple environmental and animal welfare activists for defamation when they pointed out the slaughter plant's dodgy activities. One of those was piling up dead dairy cattle behind the slaughter plant until the back fence line was hidden behind mounds of rotting carcasses (see the original Inspection report here). Valley Meat also recently sued the government for "dragging its feet" in approving the plant to start killing horses.

On Tuesday Valley Meat did finally pass its Inspection, and Rick De Los Santos is more than ready to go. He may get his wish. With AQHA in favor of horse slaughter, several Native American tribes including the Washington Yakimas supporting it, and Oklahoma set to eliminate the ban on it, there may be enough public pressure to provide the final push.

Folks, whether or not you agree with the necessity of horse slaughter, let's not have this guy be the one to start it up again, okay? He's obviously a douche of the worst kind. No, don't send him death threats. Some people have, and it isn't helping us animal lovers look like sane, reasonable people. Instead, contact at least one of these folks and tell them to stop Valley Meat Co:

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250

Susana Martinez, Governor of New Mexico
490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Rm. 400
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Telephone: (505) 476-2200

Read more about New Mexico horse slaughter here.

This is a good article too:

"Secretary Vilsack Says Another Option Needed for Unwanted Horses"

 You can also donate to Front Range here. They do a great job hiring lawyers and lobbyists to take legal action against animal abusers.