An anonymous caller told the APL on Jan. 5 that they saw the horse owner walking a brown and white horse in the pasture on Jan. 1. The caller described the horse as "lethargic, emaciated and bloated," according to court records.
Two days later, the caller reported seeing the horse's dead body being removed from the stables, records say.
APL investigators on Tuesday obtained a warrant to search the stables, and seized two severely underweight horses -- a palomino horse named "Helena" and a chestnut horse named "Sassy," according to records.
In response, the fair board -- officially named the Cuyahoga County Agricultural Society -- last week evicted Double D Stables, which oversaw the horses.
On Monday horse owners attended a City Council meeting to list more instances of neglect, starvation and beatings in the barns, which are leased to barn managers, who rent stalls to individual owners.
It's "a very muddy system right now. It is all different people, owners and leases," APL President and CEO Sharon Harvey said in an interview Tuesday. "My hope is the county is going to take a serious look at this and the fair board and determine what needs to be done to make it a little easier and make sure the animals are OK while protecting people's rights."
The allegations have raised questions about management and inspections at the barns.
Who owns the barns?
Cuyahoga County owns the fairgrounds on Eastland Road, but the fair board oversees the property and the buildings.
For more than 30 years the society's board has leased five barns, including one divided in half, to barn managers, who in turn lease stalls to horse owners.
What abuse has been alleged?
The APL initially responded to a report that a horse had starved in the barn overseen by Double D.
Several northeast Ohio residents who own horses spoke to Berea council, describing cruelty dating to 2011.
Allegations included:
- Horses being dragged, and beaten with shovels and wooden boards
- Neglect and starvation
- Prolonged isolation in dark stalls
- Horses being left to stand and sleep in two to three feet of manure
- Illegal on-site slaughter of animals.
Have there been prior problems with Double D Stables?
Janet Kihm told Berea council about the death of her horse in 2011 at the Double D barn at the fairgrounds.
She boarded six horses at the barn, beginning in 2010, said Kihm, of North Royalton. She visited daily and provided several contact numbers to the barn manager.
One day when she went to see Chickasaw, the manager told her the horse was acting colicky.
"They told me they walked him for some time and he was feeling better," she said. "I took one look. He was not fine."
The horse died two days later.
She was contacted later by Berea's animal control officer, who had received a cell phone video of Chickasaw being tied to a back of a truck and beaten the day he was ill.
The barn manager was charged with animal cruelty but pleaded no contest and was found guilty of disorderly conduct in Berea Municipal Court.
Kihm said bedding was not provided for her horses, nor was a dumpster for manure.
She did not contact the fair board about her concerns.
"As boarders were were told to go through the barn manager," she said.
Who investigates abuse?
Berea's animal control officer is responsible for responding to complaints at the fairgrounds.
But since the city cannot house horses, it defers to the APL, said Berea law director Barbara Jones.
Harvey said Tuesday said if someone does not give permission to enter to investigate an allegation, the organization must have probable cause to get a search warrant. She said she is glad residents are speaking out.
"People have constitutional rights and you cannot just barge in and look because somebody says they think something is going on," she said.
What is the fair board's obligation?
Fair board President Timothy Fowler said what occurred in the stable violated the board's mission to properly care for animals. That led to evicting Double D.
Fowler said the fair board can inspect the stables, but has to give the tenant notice because of renters' rights.
"If we were to witness anything improper for animal care that wasn't related to the building we would report that to the local authorities," he said in an interview.
"Everybody has rights in this situation," he said.
What do other fair boards do?
The Lake County Fair Board has a barn manager who oversees the four rental barns and the stalls rented to horse owners, said secretary-treasure Michell Byram.
There have been no problems with horses, she said.
The barns are regularly inspected and while tenants may be notified, managers can enter without notice.
What is the city's obligation?
"We are actually at this point trying to sort it out," Jones said Tuesday.
Jones said she will set up a meeting next week with residents who spoke out at get more information.
Jones said a police sergeant and the city's animal control officer went to the fairgrounds early Tuesday morning and did not find any evidence of violations.
Jones said she planned to talk to the fair board and APL about oversight.
"Once we figure out what exactly is happening, if the APL is dealing with the entire situation we will defer to them," she said. "It is simply because they have a little more teeth and the ability to care for horses."
(Cleveland.com - Feb 2, 2016)
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