New York: Travis DeValinger arrested and charged with eight counts of Animal Cruelty, accused of starving his horses

NEW YORK -- Eight horses were removed from a local farm after police executed a search warrant there following several reports of animal cruelty.

Police responded to the Adirondack Equine Center at 776 County Route 18 in Lake Clear and checked the conditions of 40 horses there, State Police said.

"The horses were examined and scored by two local veterinarians using the Henneke scale," police said Thursday.

That scale "is a scientific method of evaluating a horse’s body condition regardless of breed, body type, sex or age," according to the Habitat For Horses website.

"When we first walked into the barn, we had five horses in that barn. One of them was very thin (and) had noticeable bone structure. It was an elderly horse, about 40 years old. Another horse was missing an eye," said New York State Police Trooper Wendy House. "He was blind in the other. There were two mini ponies in one stall. All the horses were standing in at least one week to two weeks' worth of feces. We did not observe any hay or grain in any of their stalls or water. Some (horses had) very little teeth and others with teeth that needed to be floated."

Officials made the gruesome discovery earlier this week after they said a 16-year-old girl tipped them off.

"She was familiar with the ranch and the horses. The condition of the horses was deemed criminal," House said.

A search warrant lead police to seize eight horses and arrest their owner Travis DeValinger. He was charged with eight misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

ANIMAL CRUELTY

During the investigation, eight of the horses "were found to be emaciated and living in extremely poor conditions," police said.

State Police charged the horse owner, Travis S. DeValinger, 44, of Lake Clear, with eight counts of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor, under State Agriculture and Markets Law.

He was issued tickets ordering him to appear in Harrietstown Town Court on Monday, Dec. 18.

The Franklin and Essex county sheriff's offices and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals assisted State Police.

This case remains under investigation.

FIGHTING CHARGES

Reached by phone Thursday, Mr. DeValinger said he is going to fight the charges.

"The truth will come out," he said, [claiming] that he has cared for the horses and given them the best food possible, hay and water.

Joyce Mace, who runs Emerald Springs Ranch LLC in Saranac Lake, said you will not find a kinder, more gentle person than Mr. DeValinger.

"Even though he's our competition, I speak very highly of him," she said. "The things that are being said it's just — a lot of it is not true.

"He is a wonderful person who has defended everything that he comes in contact with, people or animals."

NUMEROUS NAMES FOR BUSINESS

State Police Troop B Public Information Officer Trooper Jennifer Fleishman said the Adirondack Equine Center operates under numerous names including:

ADK WildHorse Camp
XTC Ranch (Lake Placid)
Horse Camp for Girls
Lake Placid Horseback Riding
Saddleback Horse Camp (Lake Placid)
Lake Placid Sleigh Rides
Adirondack Equine Center
Adirondack Equine Center and Horse Rescue

Mr. DeValinger co-owns the business with his wife, Natalia B. DeValinger, 33, who resides in Lake Placid.

ASSAULT PLEA

Earlier this year, Mr. DeValinger faced charges of second-degree aggravated sexual assault, a felony, along with misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief, third-degree assault and criminal obstruction of breathing out of Harrietstown Town Court, Clerk Sabrina Harrison said.

He later pleaded guilty to the assault charge and was sentenced to three years of probation, which he is accused of violating.

He is due back in court for that charge Jan. 8.

FORGERY, LARCENY

In January 2012, State Police charged Mr. DeValinger, then of Keeseville, with two counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument, a felony, after an investigation allegedly revealed he had forged signatures on paperwork filed with a Champlain tractor-sales business, the Press-Republican reported then.

About four years earlier, when he was living in Saranac Lake, Village Police there charged him with third-degree grand larceny, a felony, for reportedly providing a check to a local bank when he didn't have the funds to cover it.

Police Log: Jan. 21, 2012 — Felony arrest
Press-Republican Jan 21, 2012
A Keeseville man faces a forgery charge.

Plattsburgh-based State Police received a forgery report at 3:12 p.m. on March 20.

As a result of a police investigation, Travis S. deValinger, 37, of Keeseville, was arrested at 9:48 a.m. Tuesday on Mace Chasm Road.

Police said the investigation involved forged signatures on paperwork filed with a local tractor sales business in Champlain, but the investigation is still ongoing.

DeValinger was charged with two counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument.

He was arraigned in Chesterfield Town Court and remanded to Essex County Jail on $10,000 cash bail.

He is due back in court on Jan. 23.

WIFE CHARGED

Mr. DeValinger's wife, Natalia DeValinger, now faces similar charges.

On Nov. 19, Mrs. DeValinger was charged with third-degree grand larceny after allegedly defrauding a Catskill man out of $10,047. He had booked a two-week-long camp experience at ADK WildHorse Camp but had canceled the trip and requested a refund, Fleishman said earlier.

Mrs. DeValinger reportedly failed to grant the refund and the camp continued to charge his credit card.

She was arraigned in Harrietstown Town Court and sent to Franklin County Jail on $8,000 cash bail/$16,000 bond, and was released two days later.

She is due back in court Monday, Dec. 11.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(Press Republican - Dec 7, 2017)

Earlier:

• New York: Despite never even laying eyes on the skeletal horse, Franklin County District Attorney Derek Champagne and New York State Police Captain Brent Gillam refuse to charge owner with Animal Cruelty

Colorado: Despite Penny Gingerich's own attorney saying her starved, skeletal horses gained weight after being rescued, sympathetic jury said she wasn't guilty of animal cruelty. The bumbling jury then fawned all over her and her attorney, James Cook, encouraging her to continue to neglect her animals.

COLROADO -- After deliberating for just an hour Friday, a jury panel found Penny Gingerich not guilty of all counts of animal cruelty.

Gingerich, 42, immediately broke into tears and emotion after hearing the jury's verdict. Family and friends also let out audible sighs of relief.

Gingerich was on trial for originally 64 counts of animal cruelty, which had been amended to 39 counts as of Friday after the Fremont County Sheriff's Office seized horses from her property Jan. 20.

In the hallway outside of the courtroom, Gingerich was greeted by all of the jurors who offered her hugs and handshakes. Gingerich in return said, "thank you" with tears in her eyes.

"No I can't, I just can't," Gingerich said, as she was asked if she could believe the outcome.

All the jurors also offered their congratulations to Gingerich's attorney James Cook for the case he presented.

In closing arguments Friday, Cook told the jurors that life caught up with Gingerich on the day and week the FCSO came out to her place and took her horses.

He asked the jurors if Gingerich and her husband Manny Gingerich raised her horses like a reasonable person should -- feeding them and watering when she can and feeding and watering them enough when she's called in to go to work.

Despite the District Attorney's office arguing everything Gingerich said during FCSO's investigation were excuses, Cook offered to the jurors a scenario many people face.

He told them a story of how he can run late for work from time to time. He said with getting children out the door and rushing to work, he has forgotten to feed his own dog.

"When I get home, I may feed her an extra helping, give her some human food and she's wagging her tail the whole time," he said, asking the jurors if forgetting to feed his dog on one occasion makes him guilty of animal cruelty.

"One incident, like the D.A. is describing is not deprivation of sustenance," Cook said.

Sorry James. But if you came and seized my dog, she would not gain 20% of her body weight in a month. These horses did not miss one meal because Penny and Manny were too busy with their own personal problems... these animals missed many, many meals.

He reminded jurors the skinniest horses were indeed the older ones, and that it would make sense if they gained weight after being seized because they were put in a pen and given all the food they could eat.

OK then, if you agree that TAKING PROPER CARE OF THEM resulted in weight gain, then your client PENNY GINGERICH WAS NOT TAKING PROPER CARE OF THEM. Duh.

And if Penny and Manny are supposed to be horse experts, why weren't these older horses on a feed plans that included mash and being fed separately from the other animals so they didn't eat their food? If there was NOTHING wrong, the horses would not have gained ANY weight at all.

Clearly, the jury in Fremont County was made up of morons or animal abusers.

After Friday's verdict, Gingerich said she just wants her horses back.

Cook indicated they will file a motion with the court in the next couple of weeks to get those horses returned.

He said in a case like Gingerich's, the owner is supposed to have her property returned to her; however, it won't be easy.

He said when the horses were initially seized, Gingerich was required to pay to have her horses held at the equine center.

At first, this was about $21,000 and after part of the horses were returned to Gingerich, it still would have cost her about $11,000 a month.

"Penny (Gingerich) could not afford that," Cook said.

He said the remaining horses at the Colorado Humane Society's facility have been adopted off from what he's been told. He also said they are not really sure where the horses are at this time.

He said, with his motion, he will argue that the horses should have never been adopted off while the case was still ongoing.

I don't know whether these horses were merely on 

the property or part of the cruelty case.

He said they will ask for the horses back and money lost since they were seized.

When asked if Gingerich had anything else to comment to media, she simply stated, "Not guilty."

Not guilty doesn't mean innocent. 

Remember OJ? He was found not guilty. Remember Casey Anthony? She was found not guilty. It merely means the state wasn't able to present enough evidence for a clearly biased jury to find in their favor. Obviously the jurors fawning all over Penny and James tells you that they were biased from Day One.

On the other hand... it is entirely possible that the case was a bust from the get-go. The issues I have with it are: they seized a bunch of animals that weren't part of the case and had to return them, the photos available from local media don't show horses in emaciated condition, local media didn't have any testimony posted (that I could find) of veterinarians who ordered the seizure of the animals, no before-after photos of the animals that gained weight. It mentions in the article that even her defense attorney admitted that several of the horses gained weight after being seized so clearly there was some justification of taking them but the lack of information... we'll never know.

(The Daily Record - August 4, 2017)

Earlier:

• Colorado: Penny Gingerich and her husband Manny Gingerich deny claims of abuse
• Colorado: Sixty-three horses seized in Penrose during animal cruelty investigation

Colorado: Penny Gingerich and her husband Manny Gingerich deny claims of abuse

COLORADO -- Penny Gingerich, who — along with her husband Manny — has been accused of being cruel and abusive to 63 horses, has come forward to refute the accusations.

The couple, who have lived in the 1000 block of L Street for the past 10 years, had all their personal and business horses seized by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and other authorities Friday morning.

“I am in a state of shock, just beside myself and trying to hold it together,” Penny Gingerich told The Pueblo Chieftain Saturday. “This is just a mind-blowing thing.”

Fremont County Sheriff Detective Sgt. Megan Richards issued a press release late Friday that indicated her office is conducting an animal cruelty investigation that led to the seizure of the 63 horses, but she did not give specific allegations, only indicating that charges are pending.

The sheriff’s office received help from the Colorado Humane Society and the Denver Dumb Friends League in seizing the horses, according to the media release.

Gingerich, who works for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys’ Association Professional Rodeo Communications office, said it all started last Saturday when a neighbor who lives two blocks away accused her of “not feeding, not watering, starving, abusing and neglecting” the animals.

On Wednesday, Gingerich met with her veterinarian from Four Mile Vet Clinic, Richards and a horse rescue representative.

“The vet said some of the horses need to get their teeth done and be wormed and they will put weight back on. He said there were no grounds to take the horses and that he would do a report and get it to them early next week,” Gingerich said.

Authorities also spoke with feed store representatives, who indicated Gingerich buys hay and grain on a weekly basis, she said.

But early Friday, authorities showed up to confiscate the animals. Gingerich asked her veterinarian to intervene, but he was unable to get a return call from Fremont County Sheriff authorities, said Gingerich.

“The biggest complaint is about the old, skinny horses. There are probably about 10 or so that are old and retired horses who are just living out their days. They are not in pain,” she said.

“One horse who got into locoweed has mental health issues and is kinda skinny, but she is just living a life,” Gingerich said. “Some have cancer.

“The healthier horses I lease to youth camps and outfitters. Most are average, nothing special, but they are easy-going and gentle. Each horse has their own story.”

John Martino of Pueblo is the equine dentist who works on Gingerich’s horses.

“A lot of these horses are ‘rejects’ and I am sure are in much better shape than when Penny purchased them,” Martino told The Chieftain. “She is doing a service for the industry by taking them. The alternative would be a rescue or slaughter.

“Some of the horses had major problems in the mouth, and you are not going to fix it – just make it better. If you change things too fast, it is not a good thing. It has to be done gradually,” Martino explained. “Those with age have missing teeth and have a harder time chewing food. None of them seemed weak or not able to be ridden by young people.

“Penny evaluates each horse and knows how to feed them, has them on a worming schedule and has them on a feeding program. She is very knowledgeable,” Martino said.

A neighbor who lives across the street, Debi Stevens, is a horse owner and dog advocate who runs the inmate dog training program for the Department of Corrections.

“I am the first one who would have called if she had not been taking care of them,” Stevens said. “These horses are just fine – none of them met the body condition standards to be confiscated.

“I have a 26-year-old horse, and I know no matter what you do, sometimes they are going to be a little skinny,” Stevens explained. “I am frightened by this confiscation of her horses – this is a nightmare.”

Although Gingerich has not yet been criminally charged, she has received a notice informing her she has 10 days to come up with $22,680 to cover 30 days of care for the horses or she would lose ownership.

“I don’t have $23,000 sitting around, and now I don’t have a business,” Gingerich said. “I took out a five-year business loan when I took over the (horse leasing) business three years ago.”

An email to Richards asking for comment was not returned Saturday. A phone call to Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker seeking comment also was not returned Saturday.

Editor's note: In a story in Sunday’s Chieftain about the confiscation of 63 horses belonging to Penrose resident Penny Gingerich, her place of employment was incorrectly identified. Gingerich works for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys’ Association Professional Rodeo Communications office, which is in the same building as the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame but a different department. A reporter made the error.

Some of the comments on the Sheriff's Facebook page:

Amanda Rossi - It is stunning how people can jump to the defense of this horse owner. It is further stunning that people would assert that this was nothing more than the county or rescue organizations trying to make money from the seizure via a care bond for the horses. People need to wake up, engage their brain, and stop blaming everyone else - including the horses - for this situation. The owner is to blame. She set the conditions for this to happen. The horses should not suffer due to her lack of business acumen.

As for the money, well....Fremont County taxpayers - YOU paid for the time and effort of law enforcement and the courts. YOU will continue to pay for the costs associated with prosecuting this case. Meanwhile, those horses have to eat and need care. And who pays for that? If not her - then it would again be you without the rescue(s). No one is going to Vegas on any care bond money - so everyone can dispense with the stupid rescue profiteering conspiracies. This lady is no hapless victim of law enforcement persecution. This whole thing is going to run in the red from start to finish. So your options are to either send the owner a sympathy note of support or a thank you note for burning your taxpayer money.

John Martino - This is absolutely ridiculous. I performed equine dentistry on a large number of these horses last fall. Yes many have quite a bit of age on them, many did not receive good care during their life. Some of the horses that I worked on had never had dental work performed on them. People that do not take care for their horses do not pay for dental care. Some of these horses were thin, but none were weak or sickly. It is not a perfect world. These animals were not being abused. This lady talked about her worming program and feeding program. Every time I came to work on horses this lady was feeding or taking care of her horses in some way. This lady gives horses a chance to have a quality life, and gives young people a chance to ride. Do the people criticizing this lady know what the alternative is?

Cindy Pieropan - It is tremendously difficult to get law enforcement authorities to seize horses in this state. So, when it happens there must be substantial evidence to convince a judge to provide the order.

Kyle Fisher - I'm pretty sure they wouldn't seize 63 horses lightly. I choose to give our local law enforcement the benefit of the doubt.

Gary White - Just because they came and took the horses does not mean it was right, I wish everyone would get the facts before casting judgement and saying good job

Siddie Mcwilliams - What they did to her horses was something that shouldn't have been done... she goes to my boyfriends feed store to get hay and she went down there 2 times in one day to get hay so there for I no she is taking great care of those horses... I will help her fight for them back... I will be with her through all this

Amanda Rossi - For all of those that believe that it is normal for an old horse to be a skinny horse - that isn't true. If weight can't be put on then a vet needs to evaluate for reasons why - and age is a fact but not a diagnosis. If the owner took on skinny horses - rescue types, etc. - then she should have documentation of some kind (vet confirmation, rescue confirmation, brand inspection with effective date of ownership, etc.) that those skinny horses were in the process of rehab.

I fostered a thin mare and if a concerned neighbor had called the sheriff thinking I was neglecting her - I was ready to prove that the mare was a rescue and currently being rehabbed. So, I'm not buying the idea that the owner was trying to help these previously neglected horses and is simply misunderstood or law enforcement wouldn't listen or consider any evidence she had to the contrary. Had she presented evidence to law enforcement that was the case - I doubt the horses would have been seized - and certainly not all 63 of them.

Jefanda Ward - Got time to harass folks but not enough time to root out corruption? What other murders have been covered up in Fremont county?

Cindy Pieropan - For all of the people saying how ridiculous this is and what a wonderful, caring horse owner Penny is, she took 8 skinny, sad horses, in advance of the seizure, to a sale barn in Ft. Collins that is well known for having the state's 3 largest kill buyers make most of the horse buys there.

She sent 8 of her allegedly precious, but emaciated, horses to a barn to be purchased for slaughter to make a few bucks. Please tell us again what a loving and responsible horse owner she is?

[A vet came out on January 18 to examine the herd. On January 20, the sheriff's office showed up to seize the animals. Gingerich must have known this was coming because:]

"Gingerich had removed nine horses from the property, eight of which were found at a sale barn in the Fort Collins area, according to the sheriff's office. The location of the 9th horse remains unknown. The sheriff's office didn't provide information about the horses, which have been taken to a secure holding facility."

(Pueblo Chieftain - Jan 24, 2017)

Earlier:

• Colorado: Sixty-three horses seized in Penrose during animal cruelty investigation

Arizona: Havasupai horse owner Leland Joe, 34, gets probation in cruelty case

ARIZONA -- A member of the Havasupai Tribe must give up four of his horses and will face three years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to two animal cruelty misdemeanor charges on Thursday. Leland Joe will be prohibited from owning or caring for horses during his probation and must also pay $1,200 in restitution as part of the plea agreement.

Joe was arrested in April and charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors related to cruel neglect and failure to provide necessary medical attention to one of his horses in the village of Supai in Grand Canyon. The felony charges have since been dismissed.

 

 

Three other horses on Joe’s property that displayed signs of severe malnourishment and had visible sores also were confiscated by state and federal authorities when they investigated Joe’s property on April 14. Joe spent five days in jail after his arrest.

The $1,200 in restitution will go to the Coconino Humane Association, which is caring for the horses. All of the animals appear to have been used as pack horses to haul tourists and other gear to and from the rim of Grand Canyon to the village of Supai and Havasupai Campground seven miles and 2,000 feet below.

Michelle Ryan, executive director of the Coconino Humane Association, said the association will keep the horses for at least 20 days more because Joe has 14 days to file a notice of appeal. After that point, the organization will decide what to do with the animals, whether it be keeping them for longer, putting them up for adoption or sending them to another rescue shelter, Ryan said.

The four horses are improving, but some are still hundreds of pounds underweight with visible sores along their spines, hip bones and shoulders. The scabs were most likely caused by heavy packs repeatedly rubbing on the horses’ bony frames, Ryan said.

Brownie, a mouse-gray male horse that was the subject of the initial charges, is still just half the weight of a healthy horse his size, Ryan said. He hasn’t gained much weight over the past several weeks because the animal’s energy has gone toward healing, Ryan said.

In the plea agreement, Joe confirmed that he had owned Brownie for about a year and that the horse had open saddle sores for at least several months prior to Joe's arrest. Joe also attested that he had no horse feed on his property at the time the horses were taken. During his initial appearance in federal court in April, he told the judge he is the sole provider for his family.

 

Joe’s two female horses, a small white one named Lit and a brown one named Blue, are still 200 to 300 pounds underweight. Both have saddle sores and Lit has permanent indentations on her face from a halter.

The other horse, Red, had saddle sores along his spine.

Havasupai Tribal Chairman Don Watahomigie did not return calls for comment about Joe’s case or a tribal initiative he discussed in April to help horses in Supai.

Susan Ash, a Flagstaff-area horse owner who founded the Stop Animal ViolencE Foundation to help horses in Supai, worked closely with federal investigators on Joe’s case and said her organization was pleased with the results.

“We are very aware of the fact that this is just the first step and there is an awful lot that still needs to be done down there,” Ash said. “The tribe needs to make concrete moves toward changing practices toward pack animals because we're going to be watching closely.”

Joe had not been prosecuted or punished for his actions by the tribe and at this point there have been no other federal prosecutions for animal cruelty on the Havasupai Reservation, according to Patrick Schneider, assistant U.S. attorney and tribal liaison with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Flagstaff.

 

As far as his office can tell, this is the first federal prosecution of its kind, Schneider wrote in an email.

Ryan emphasized that fact.

“We’re looking at it as a landmark case,” she said.

(AZDailySun - May 14, 2016)

Earlier:

• Arizona: Havasupai Tribe member Leland Joe, 34, charged with animal cruelty

Arizona: Havasupai Tribe member Leland Joe, 34, charged with animal cruelty

ARIZONA -- After a multi-week investigation, FBI agents on Thursday arrested a member of the Havasupai Tribe on charges of cruel neglect, mistreatment and failure to provide necessary medical attention to one of his horses in the Village of Supai in Grand Canyon.

Leland Joe, 34, had his initial appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in Flagstaff. He is charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors related to treatment of the horse.

 

  

Because of how animal cruelty is treated on tribal land, the charges are state violations that have been assimilated under federal law.

Joe was arrested following a joint investigation by the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Arizona Department of Agriculture. Four horses, including the horse named in the federal charges, were taken into evidence.

It was repeated observations of the poor condition of Joe’s horses by visitors and veterinarians, as well as complaints mounted by a citizens group, that spurred the federal investigation into Joe’s horses, the affidavit said.

The document described one of Joe’s horses as thin, malnourished and with visible open and bleeding sores or wounds along the length of its spine.

The affidavit states the animal had “suffered cruel mistreatment, in that it has been inflicted with unnecessary serious physical injury and cruel neglect…”

It was suffering from serious, and likely life-threatening, medical conditions, the document said. Other horses belonging to Joe were in a similar state, it said.

 

Joe will be held in the Coconino County Jail until a detention hearing on Tuesday.

The case is believed to be the only instance of federal agencies pursuing an animal cruelty case on tribal land, according to Patrick Schneider, assistant U.S. attorney and tribal liaison U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona. He said in researching the issue his office had not found a similar action by any federal agency anywhere in the country.

 

Although now in the spotlight of the federal legal system, the treatment of horses and mules used for packing gear and other items to and from the Village of Supai has for years been a topic of concern among visitors as well as veterinarians and nonprofit organizations working to improve conditions for the animals.

They emphasize that horses like Joe’s that suffer serious mistreatment and abuse are an extreme example that doesn’t represent the condition of most horses used by tribal members.

(Arizona Daily Sun - April 15, 2016)

West Virginia: Authorities find Gerry Bateman in compliance after ordering him to better care for his older horses

WEST VIRGINIA -- A deputy sheriff and the Fayette County Animal Control officer made an unannounced visit Friday to a Gatewood Road area facility to check on the condition of horses.

The owner of these animals (Gerry Bateman of Equestrian Adventures) cooperated fully and completely with this inspection.

From January 2016:
"Bateman says the horses garnering criticism for being neglected
or underweight are older and just aging naturally"

The visit was the result of a recent examination by a veterinarian hired by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office to check the horses after allegations of abuse and neglect were received. The doctor gave several recommendations to the owner.

Based on the recommendations made by the veterinarian earlier this year, the owner reported that he had changed the type of feed that he was providing to the horses to a much more expensive, custom-blended feed containing higher levels of fat and protein and has been supplementing this feed with corn as well as hay, the press release states.

 

Upon a recommendation of the veterinarian, the owner also changed the type of worm medication that he was using for these horses, the release stated.

“Officers were able to observe several hundred pounds of feed in both the barns where the horses are fed and in an adjacent storage building. Officers also examined the horses and found that these horses have gained significant amounts of weight since the last visit...,” according to the press release.

“There was an ample supply of grain at the facility and the owner was actually heading out to purchase additional hay when investigators arrived at this facility,” said Fayette County Sheriff Steve Kessler. “The look of these horses has significantly improved over the past six weeks.”

The sheriff’s office will continue to monitor the conditions of the horses, a press release from the sheriff’s office states.

Back in January, Bateman was on the defensive and said, "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."

Well, Mr. Bateman, how "this works" is that older horses need more care. Just like when you get to be 80 years old, you'll need more care. You'll probably need softer food to eat, food that is probably less spicy so as to not affect your stomach, you'll need to go to the doctor more often, the cold will affect you more than it did when you were in your 50s. I hope you learned from this experience and will continue to care for your animals properly.

(Register Herald - Feb 20, 2016)

Earlier:

• West Virginia: Concerns of unhealthy horses in Fayette County
• West Virginia: Horse owner, Gerry Bateman, speaks out amid animal abuse allegations