Randy Ostrander of Phoenicia was charged Thursday with one count of failure to provide proper sustenance, a misdemeanor under the state Agriculture and Markets Law.
The emaciated animal, a Belgium draft horse, was removed from the property at 775 Rte 214 in Shandaken on Sept. 6 and placed in a foster home, said Adam Saunders, the cruelty investigator at the SPCA.
He said the investigation opened a year ago with reports of two gaunt horses belonging to Ostrander.
“But when we started looking into it, he moved them to another property,” Saunders said, adding that there were two other horses at the new location.
Investigators, meanwhile, continued to monitor the animals’ conditions and recommend a special diet for the underweight animals, Saunders said.
“One of the original two horses belonging to Ostrander later died,” Saunders said. “He dug a big hole and buried the horse—this by his own admission. He claimed the horse foundered (a bloating condition)…which can kill the animal.”
Investigators at the SPCA were unable to verify the cause of death, Saunders said.
“We had to let it go.”
Meanwhile, the other horse “appeared to be gaining weight,” Saunders said, so officials backed off.
“Six months later, the neighbor called us and said the horse was extremely emaciated again.
SPCA Senior Investigator David Fix said the horse scored a 2.5 on the Henneke scale, falling some 800 to 1,000 pounds below its ideal body weight.
He said the horse weighs about 1,200 pounds, but the animals can go up to 2,200 pounds.
“He is doing well. He is putting some weight on. The veterinarian is monitoring it. All they’ve had to do for him is feed him. There’s no indication that there’s a medical condition causing the emaciation. It’s just a lack of food,” Saunders said.
Ostrander could not be reached for comment on Friday.
(Daily Freeman - September 22, 2012)
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