But the owner of Equestrian Adventures is trying to set the record straight.
"This is a very hard business, if you look around there are not a lot of horse outfitters around anymore," says Gerry Bateman.
Bateman is speaking out after his business that houses around 30 horses has come under fire with allegations and complaints of animal abuse and mistreatment. Bateman says the horses garnering criticism for being neglected or underweight are older and just aging naturally.
"I refuse to put an animal to sleep because of their age when they have dedicated their life. It's my job to love them and give them a safe place to be until it's time to go," says Bateman.
The Fayette County Sheriff's Department and an animal control officer examined the grounds and determined that there is not sufficient probable cause to support a filing of animal cruelty or neglect charges at this time.
Bateman says he's hoping that if people are concerned about a horse's health, they come to him so he can explain what the situation is.
"If you look at my herd in general, you'll go 'Well why is there 23 large healthy horses and two skinny ones.' I hope that people will come to me and let me explain to them about how this works," says Bateman.
The Fayette County Sheriff's Department did say that officers will continue to monitor the situation.
(WVVA - Jan 9, 2016)
Earlier:
No comments:
Post a Comment