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Posted : 7/4/2009 11:18:00 PM

Last horse found dead on fly-over
11 horses dehydrate at 3,000 acre ranch
Galen Scott

gscott@weatherforddemocrat.com

DICEY — The number of horses found dead on a 3,000-acre piece of property near Weatherford Lake climbed to 10 Thursday when authorities discovered the body of the final unaccounted-for animal during a helicopter flight over the property.

Of 40 horses originally present, 29 are reportedly receiving treatment, 10 were found dead and one was euthanized by Parker County Animal Control officials, according to Deputy Danie Huffman, a spokesperson for the Parker County Sheriff#%92s Office.

An investigation was launched Wednesday after a passing motorist reported witnessing a horse struggling to get up at the property, located in the 4500 block of FM 730 near the community of Dicey.

A veterinarian advising animal control officers was unable to determine exactly how long the horses had been without water but told investigators the animals had not been fed adequately, according to the release.

Investigators are unsure how long a water well on the property has been non-functional.

A ranch hand was reportedly hired to care for 40 horses on the property.

Seven of the dead horses were buried Wednesday, said Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler.

“Hopefully, we#%92ll have a good idea today what the total facts of this situation are, and then our findings, as soon as our investigation is complete, will be forwarded to John Forrest, our county attorney,” Fowler said. “I was a horse owner and rodeoed a lot of years and I can assure you I#%92m very upset about this.”

Cuttin74

Posted : 7/4/2009 11:23:07 PM

Latest News [H2][/H2] Comments 0Recommend 0
11 horses die in heat without water [H2][/H2] 11:46 AM CDT on Friday, July 3, 2009 [H5][/H5]
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA-TV

Latest News
Comments 0Recommend 0
11 horses die in heat without water
11:46 AM CDT on Friday, July 3, 2009
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA-TV
Video

July 3rd, 2009
Jim Douglas reports [H2][/H2] More Video

View larger E-mail clip
More video
PARKER COUNTY - Animal cruelty investigators are searching for answers after 11 valuable horses were apparently allowed to die of thirst in a parched North Texas pasture.
Workers buried the bodies in a mass grave Thursday.
Eleven out of 29 horses died in the heat, including one a veterinarian euthanized. The horses are recipient mares, which are used to carry the implanted embryos of expensive cutting horses. They're owned by a well-known Weatherford horse breeder who did not respond to News requests for an interview.
Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said the owner paid a worker to tend the pasture.
"It was his job to feed, water and care for these horses," he said. "For whatever reason, it wasn't done ... The troughs were dry. Dirt at the bottom of the troughs was dry. There was no hay out there."
WFAA-TV
A passerby noticed the horses in the field.

Sheriff Fowler said the well that fed the troughs had stopped pumping. Investigators said they still aren't sure exactly when it happened. A highway worker noticed some horses down Wednesday in the field off FM 730 north of Weatherford. A concerned citizen stopped and took photos.
"An equine veterinarian tells me horses can die within 24 hours if they don't have water," Sheriff Fowler said. "And in this weather, she says they need to be checked twice a day to make sure they have water."
The sheriff said he is turning the case over to the county attorney to decide who could be charged. Potentially, the deaths could lead to 11 counts of animal cruelty.

E-mail mailto:jdouglas@wfaa.com?subject=horses' target='_blank' title='http://forum.horse.com'>mailto:jdouglas@wfaa.com?subject=horses'>jdouglas@wfaa.com

Found link to articles on "all about cutting"

hunterseat

Posted : 7/4/2009 11:27:26 PM

That's very sad. To die of thirst in the heat must be complete torture.

Even if someone is prosecuted it won't save those that died. [ ':('

]

Luckintheshadows

Posted : 7/5/2009 3:39:36 AM

I agree, that's really sad, and I'm glad that the law is getting involved! Because those people deserve to be punished for such neglect.
There's no excuse.

Cuttin74

Posted : 7/5/2009 1:37:10 PM

11 RECIPIENT MARES OWNED BY WEATHERFORD BREEDER DIE IN HEAT WITHOUT WATER
July 3, 2009
On July 2, 10 recipient mares died of dehydration and one was put down in a pasture of 40 head of surrogate mares carrying embryos sired by leading cutting horse sires. Channel 33 T.V. reported the horses belonged to Joe Landers, who along with David McDavid, own a Weatherford breeding operation.
Click here for Channel 33 article>>
Click here for Weatherford Democrat article>>

Death by dehydration.
some or all of the following effects before death. This is in the case of a human
   The mouth would dry out and become caked or coated with thick material.
   The lips would become parched and cracked.
   The tongue would swell, and might crack.
   The eyes would recede back into their orbits and the cheeks would become hollow.
   The lining of the nose might crack and cause the nose to bleed.
   The skin would hang loose on the body and become dry and scaly.
   The urine would become highly concentrated, leading to burning of the bladder.
   The lining of the stomach would dry out and the sufferer would experience dry heaves and vomiting.
   The body temperature would become very high.
   The brain cells would dry out, causing convulsions.
   The respiratory tract would dry out, and the thick secretions that would
result could plug the lungs and cause death.

Cuttin74

Posted : 7/6/2009 2:19:36 PM

mailto:ColoState@Edu' target='_blank' title='http://forum.horse.comColoState@Edu'>mailto:ColoState@Edu'>ColoState@Edu
Subj: RE: National Cutting Horse Association

I do not have the firsthand experience to make specific recommendations for cutting horses. However, I will state some general principles about problems I am concerned about. One of the most serious animal welfare concerns for many species is what I call "Biological System Overload." An animal is pushed past its biological limits and it breaks down. Biological system overload may occur if horses are pushed into performing before their bones are mature. In pigs and chickens, serious leg problems and lameness have been caused by indiscriminant genetic selection for lots of meat production.
Sincerely,
Temple Grandin

Cuttin74

Posted : 7/10/2009 1:40:49 PM

CRAZY !

Industry News - AM Animal activist stance prompts senator to hold up Obama nominee By [email=lkeefe@meatingplace.com]Lisa M. Keefe[/email] on 7/6/2009 Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss is holding up confirmation of President Obama's candidate for regulation czar over the nominee's pro-animal rights arguments, according to Washington, D.C. political news site, The Hill.

Harvard law Prof. Cass Sunstein, Obama's choice to head the White House office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, has argued that animals should have the right to sue humans in court.

The Hill quotes Sunstein from his 2004 book, "Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions," as writing, "I will suggest that animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human beings as their representatives, to prevent violations of current law."

In a 2002 paper, "The Rights of Animals: A Very Short Primer," Sunstein is quoted as writing, "On reflection, the spotlight should be placed squarely on the issue of suffering and well-being," and that his position "strongly suggests" that "there should be extensive regulation of the use of animals in entertainment, in scientific experiments, and in agriculture," according to The Hill.

Sen. Chambliss told The Hill he is concerned about Sunstein's beliefs and their potential impact on agriculture. Chambliss is holding up the nomination until after Congress' July 4 recess.

Sunstein's nomination already has cleared the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee process. The Hill also reports that Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, who sits on the Agriculture Committee, has met with Sunstein and was assured that Sunstein would not promote onerous regulations for farmers.

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Cuttin74

Posted : 7/17/2009 12:18:48 AM

http://www.allaboutcutting.com/
Has posted the real story behind the stragic deaths of the 11 mares.

paints/pintos

Posted : 8/1/2009 3:52:00 PM

That is so sad....

TanyaC97

Posted : 8/2/2009 1:28:10 AM

I am very glad the owner had the courage to speak out and set the record straight. He also took the responsibility on himself, which is not an easy thing to do.

Very tragic loss.