Hendersonville horse riding school investigated for animal cruelty

TENNESSEE -- A Hendersonville horse riding school is being investigated for animal cruelty after a video surfaced that appears to show a trainer whipping a horse.

The Sumner County’s sheriff confirmed to News 2 a complaint was filed Tuesday against the Cumberland Riding Academy (CRA) and that they are investigating.

 

The person who took the video said it was excessive and they believed it crossed the line.

On its website, the school states it is a full-service equestrian facility “offering full care horse boarding, riding lessons, horse training, horse show services and horse sales.”

After the allegations surfaced, the school’s owner, Daniela Romo-Leroux, released a statement saying, “The safety of CRA’s students and horses is of utmost importance to our organization, and abuse of our animals is not tolerated. CRA has been in operation since 2007 and has trained hundreds of Middle Tennessee equestrians. This is the first time allegations of abuse have been levied against CRA or a member of our staff. We are taking this matter very seriously.”

  

Romo-Leroux added they are conducting an internal investigation about the complaint and the school plans to fully cooperate in the investigation.

“It would be premature to comment further until that investigation is complete,” she said.

News 2 showed the video to Stephanie Solloman, the equine manager for Horse Haven of Tennessee.
The Knoxville-based horse rescue organization works strictly with horses that are neglected and abused. They also provide support to law enforcement across the state.

Solloman herself has more than 20 years of horse training experience.

“I think it was probably a lack of knowledge,” she said. “Usually where knowledge ends is where frustration begins.”

She told News 2 the error was with how the trainer was leading the animal.

VIDEO OF THE ABUSE:



“To me, it looked like a horse that didn’t know how to lunge,” Solloman said. “She would like to lunge the horse, but she really didn’t understand how to get that process started.”

During the video, Solloman said there are times when it does appear to be possibly abusive to the horse.

“I think it deteriorated she got really frustrated and ended up hitting him the face,” she said. “At the same time she was not allowing him to move away which borders on abuse.”

News 2 continues to gather information about the allegations and ongoing investigation.

(WKRN - April 21, 2015)

Princeton man receives 5 years for animal cruelty in dog's death

NEW JERSEY -- Michael Rosenberg will be sent to the dog pound for humans.

On Friday, the Princeton man who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges in a dog’s death was sentenced to five years in jail, according to Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Doris Galuchie.

Authorities said the alleged torture occurred in August 2012 after Rosenberg allegedly passed himself off as a certified dog trainer to the owner of the three-year-old German Shepherd mix Shyanne.

According to the complaint signed by the animal control officer, Rosenberg hit Shyanne with a crop whip, picked up and slammed the female dog on the ground, jabbed his fingers into the dog’s ribs, and did not seek medical attention for the Shyanne.

The indictment accused Rosenberg of “purposely, knowingly or recklessly, tormented, tortured, or unnecessarily or cruelly beat Shyanne, a three-year-old German Shepherd-mix breed dog, which resulted in Shyanne’s death. As a result of Rosenberg’s abuse, Shyanne suffered four broken ribs, one that punctured a lung, and hyperthermia.”

But after that incident, more allegations of animal abuse surfaced.

In June 2013, he was indicted on charges that he “purposely, knowingly or recklessly, tormented, tortured, or unnecessarily or cruelly beat his own mixed breed dogs Kaiser and Sanford.”

Rosenberg repeatedly picked his dogs up and threw them across the room, slamming them into a concrete floor, according to a signed complaint by Princeton Animal Control Officer Mark Johnson on Jan. 31, 2013.

Galuchie, however, said that indictment was dismissed as part of the plea agreement in Shyanne’s case.

Not only does Rosenberg have a thing for abusing animals, he is also a registered sex offender.

His Megan’s Law listing said he had sex with a juvenile female acquaintance in November 2011.

Recently, Shyanne’s story has been gaining attention.

State Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-11) introduced “Shyanne’s Law” last week to amend the state’s animal cruelty laws to require convicted animal abusers to receive mental health evaluations, according to a press release.

“I can think of few things more vile then when a human would bring violence upon an innocent animal,” Beck stated. “Those who would intentionally injure an animal must know that we do not take these crimes lightly. It is also in our community’s interest to identify the abuser and try to get them help.”

Beck added that often acts of animal cruelty are “not just symptomatic of a personality quirk.”

“Such behavior is often telling of a serious psychological issue that poses a greater threat to society,” she stated in the press release. “This bill will allow us to punish those who would hurt animals, as well as prevent potential violence upon humans that could evolve from pattern acts of animal cruelty.”

(The Trentonian  - ‎Oct 17, 2014‎)

Earlier:

• Sex offender on probation racking up one animal cruelty charge after another
• Princeton dog trainer pleads guilty to animal cruelty charge, sentenced to 5 years for role in dog's death

Princeton dog trainer pleads guilty to animal cruelty charge, sentenced to 5 years for role in dog's death

NEW JERSEY -- A dog trainer accused of severely beating a dog in his care that died pleaded guilty today to a third-degree animal cruelty charge stemming from the August 2012 incident.

Under the terms of the plea deal, accepted by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Mark Fleming, Michael Rosenberg, 32, of Princeton, will serve five years for his role in the death of the 3-year-old German shepherd mix owned by his client Tracy Stanton of Lawrence.

Michael Rosenberg waits in the Trenton courtroom of Judge Mark J. Fleming
on July 12, 2013. Rosenberg pleaded guilty Tuesday to a third-degree
 animal cruelty charge. (Martin Griff / The Times of Trenton)

Rosenberg had been accused of dragging Stanton’s dog, Shyanne, along a road in Princeton.
Authorities also alleged that Rosenberg hit the dog with a crop whip, slammed it into the ground and poked its ribs. It was also alleged that he had abused his own dogs.

A necropsy showed the probable cause of death was blunt force trauma resulting in four broken ribs, a punctured lung, and hyperthermia.

“The dog died from hyperthermia, the dog was overheated, but there were also signs of abuse,” she said. “So he had to have beaten the dog. The dog was in extreme distress.”

Stanton said she was referred to Rosenberg by a childhood friend who had recently met him and was aware of Stanton’s desire to have Shyanne trained.

She brought Shyanne to Rosenberg, who convinced her to let him keep the dog to train further. Two days later, Rosenberg called her saying Shyanne had collapsed while running.

She said her boyfriend subsequently went to pick up Shyanne and found her unresponsive and hosed down with water. Shyanne stopped breathing while being brought to Northstar Vets in Robbinsville.

Stanton said she requested a necropsy be performed after noticing Shyanne’s paws were bloodied.

According to archives, Princeton Animal Control Officer Mark Johnson had previously issued Rosenberg disorderly persons summons for cruelty to animals after witnessing Rosenberg dragging another dog on Elm Road in October 2012.

Rosenberg’s five-year term will run concurrently with a four-year sentence he received in 2011 on child endangerment charges for engaging in sexual activity with a juvenile.

The sentence had been suspended, but his attorney, James Wronko, said the sentence was reinstated after Rosenberg violated his probation by failing a drug test and attempting to cheat on another.

However, Wronko said had it not been for the drug failures, the animal cruelty charges would have still triggered a parole violation.

Another animal cruelty charge was dismissed under the terms of the agreement. The other charge would have carried an additional five-year sentence.

After the hearing, Stanton, who described Rosenberg as “a sick person” said she is glad to be able to move forward.

“I’m happy that people, the court and everybody who has supported this have sent a message that this type of behavior will not be tolerated,” she said. “When this happened there was nothing else he could have taken from me that could have hurt me more. That dog was my life. She was my baby.”

A sentence hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 5 at 9 a.m.

(NJ.com - June 1, 2014)

Earlier:

• Man pleads not guilty in another animal cruelty case

Related:

• PUNISH - Princeton NJ dog killer & registered sex offender - MICHAEL G ROSENBERG