2003

Roane County: 12/2003 - Horse loaned to a friend was really thin and not being cared for. Horse had been loaned  two years earlier. Seemed alert and taken care of. Had hay, feed and water. Blanketed due to cold. Vet was scheduled to come out for a teeth float.

Roane County: 12/2003 - Frail horse leaning up against the fence. Can't barely stand. Animal Control had spoke with owner on Friday. Horse was seen Saturday morning. Horse not around on Saturday at noon. Land owner agreed to let us search the property. Stated daughter owned the horse and it had testicular cancer from never dropping all the way. Spoke with daughter and she said someone had stopped by Friday afternoon (horse was seen Sat. morning) and offered to take it  and get it the help it needed. She had raised the horse and she "loved it dearly" but she didn't have the $1500 to have the surgery it needed. She had other horses on the property that looked good. (1 or 2 would have brought the money needed). She was explained to what a horse goes through when it is starving to death. Animal Control got a warrant to search the barn 1 week after we asked for it. By then no sign of the animal.

Anderson County: 12/2003 - Horse and pony living in small, muddy lots. Horse has plywood shelter covered with a tarp. Pony has no shelter.

Blount County: 12/2003 - 3-4 horses in a small dirt lot. Mare with foal are skin and bones. Hip bones protruding.

Blount County: 11/2003 - One stallion and pony being sold through a newspaper ad.  Stallion is in really bad shape. When potential buyer went to see pony to buy the owner took along a 50lb. bag of grain and poured out the whole bag. Owner knew nothing about coggins and had no type of paperwork on them proving they had ever been checked.

Knox County: 11/2003 - Local boarding stable has started buying and selling horses. One horse with deep, bleeding puncture wounds was taken on a trail ride by potential buyer. Next day both back leg's were bloody and still attended to.

? County: 11/2003 - Resident had applied for adoption through another rescue. Stated in application they had a 9 stall barn, pasture, etc. When home visit was done what they found was horrid. Wired together wood panels as makeshift stalls. Pit Bulls in some of some of the makeshift stalls and some chained to 3" logging chains.

Greene County: 10/2003 - OWNER FOUND GUILTY OF ANIMAL CRUELTY   36 horses from 11/2002. 

Blount County: 10/2003 - Horse found loose walking down the road. Body score 1 1/2. Dehydrated, sores on back feet and shoulder. Owner had kept staked in the back yard.

? County: 10/2003 - Two horses in bad shape. Thin and bony, Manes and tails with large mats hanging. Oozing eyes, infected foot. Water undrinkable. Owner was quoted  that he knew their hooves were in bad shape and that "one of these days" he's get around to doing something about them.

Smith County: 10/2003 - Under nourished horse found in field. Missing its left eye and the socket was filled with maggots and flies. Horse died and owners buried.

Knox County: 10/2003 - Owner being evicted from farm. All the animals in bad shape. Dogs, goats and 2 horses.

Blount County: 9/2003 - Miniature horses being neglected. Stabled for for years with no attention.

Warren County: 9/2003 - Horses that are starving. All are skinned up from fighting.

Blount County: 9/2003 - Three horses living in an unattended field. Covered in flies and open sores on their legs. Manes and tails are knotted. Feet in bad shape. No fresh water.

Knox County: 8/2003 - Local boarding stable inspected  by USDA. Two positive cases of E.I.A. found. Two barns get quarantined. The two horses had been purchased in the parking lot of a local East Tennessee auction house.

Blount County: 8/2003 - One very emaciated horse living in a junk yard.

Knox County: 8/2003 - Bunch of horses on a dirt lot eating bad hay.

Blount County: 8/2003 - Five horses in small lot. No water or shelter. Black mare with baby very emaciated.

Knox County: 8/2003 - Two horses in a very small lot. No water or food.

Knox County: 7/2003 - Horse in distress. No food or water. Living in a backyard.

Union County: 7/2003 - Horse tied to a tree.

Sevier County: 7/2003 - Horses being whipped in the parking lot of a riding stable by farrier.

Knox County: 7/2003 - Young filly being kept in a horse trailer.

Middle Tennessee: 7/2003 - Complaint received regarding a horse rescue making false accusations.

Sevier County: 7/2003 - Reoccurring complaints from local tourist about riding stable. Horses being used that have saddle sores and lacking shoes. Visitor to the park was very upset that these animals are being used in this condition.

Houston County: 6/2003 - No feed, dirt lot. Sick and dying horses, covered in parasites. Horses are eating trees, manure, and fencing, to try to reach grass on the other side. The media did a news article, to bring awareness to the problem. HHT contacted the detective in charge, to inform him that we had pre-investigation files on this case. We also have foster homes lined up, with trailers and care, for when the call comes down. A vet went out with the Ag Agent, and the call was made to allow the horses to remain on the property, even though we had people willing to testify to the conditions over the past 2 to 3 months. This became another case, like the one in Sumner County. It has brought public awareness to the problems that our equine friends face daily in Tennessee.

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Roane County: 5/2003 - Horse living in overgrown weed field with no shelter or food.

Sevier County: 5/2003 - Riding stable complaint. Horses saddled, tied, no access to water, standing in the sun on a rocky hillside. Skinny, sunken in, and in poor health. Owner told complainant they had only done one trail ride all day. Complainant had been at other stables, and found well-cared for horses, being kept comfortable.

Sevier County: 5/2003 - Complainant visited a local trader and found several horses in desperate need of hoof-care. One yearling in the field had a severely infected eye, swarming with flies.

Loudon County: 5/2003 - Irresponsible horse owner offering a yearling stud for service, because they want to see what color babies it can produce.

Grainger County: 5/2003 - Out-of-state rescue was contacted by an individual wishing to provide foster care for this horse.

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This horse had been in this individual's care for 3 months. The rescue came to pick up the horse to deliver him to his adopter. The following photos are what they found when they arrived. The rescue plans to file charges against this person.

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Knox County: 5/2003 - This is a horse that looked great, last year. Owner had been hiding him, and other horses, out of sight to make people think that she had gotten rid of them. Only found 3 out of the 5. Plenty of round baled hay on property. Ag Agent has been informed, and she is being watched. We plan to speak with the owner.

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Blount County: 4/2003 - Three very thin horses. One horse locked out of a barn and has no shelter. Standing in small mud lot. Chewing up fence. Horse keeps getting thinner and thinner. No grass or hay.

UPDATE: Spoke with owner, who said they had plans to move horses to a better pasture. Educated about the danger of colic and founder, when doing a drastic change to feeding routine.

UPDATE: Horses were moved.

Sumner County: 4/2003 - Large pony-type horse standing in same place for days. After a long observation, it was body-scored at 7.5 to 8.5, which is considered overweight. Every time the horse tried to take a step, it looked like it would fall over. Not eating or drinking. Ag Agent was informed. Vet would not go out until asked by Ag Agent. Most likely it suffers from laminitis, due to his weight, or he may have an abscess. Owner is unapproachable, due to being insane (literally). Hopefully, someone will take notice.

UPDATE: Horse has been moved into a corral. Hay and water is available. Still standing in one spot, with little or no movement.

Sumner County: 4/2003 - Prize Quarter Horse breeder neglects animals and allows them to starve to death. Prize stallion found dead in his stall. Nine horses found dead on the property, in various stages of discomposure. The excuse was that the owner had problems finding hay. HHT had contacted Ag Agent in January and informed him of the problem. We were informed that everything was fine and the owners were being monitored.

UPDATE: The horses in the worst condition were surrendered over to the sheriff's dept. and placed into foster homes for treatment. Some were left on the owner's property.

UPDATE: Owner pleads guilty. The DA was not present at the hearing, so the judge allowed the owner to keep the remaining horses. The judge told her not to get any more for a year. Local residents are fighting this judgment. HHT has proper officials looking into this.

Jefferson County: 4/2003 - Two to three year old, very underweight. Hair falling out. Infected sores and cuts. No muscle-tone in hindquarters. Rescued by a concerned citizen.

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Blount County: 4/2003 - Horse in a 25 x 25 pen. Has nothing to eat. Has been getting thinner and thinner.

Knox County: 4/2003 - Eleven horses in a field. Horses are losing weight. Many have ribs showing. The field is flooded. There is nothing to eat. They are being fed the same old, nasty, round bale that has been there for months.

UPDATE: We have spoken to the owner before, and offered to help when the pasture was underwater. The owner refused. The county Ag Agent has been notified.

Loudon County: 3/2003 - Three horses running at large belonging to local stable.

Roane County: 3/2003 - Horse running at large.

Sevier County: 3/2003 - Three horses not being cared for.

Scott County: 3/2003 - Eight horses running at large for 2 months.

Knox County: 3/2003 - Two horses on no pasture; seen eating manure. No hay in 2 weeks. Checked and found two horses on dirt lot. Two strands of electric webbing in bad shape. Owner was just bringing hay. Stated colt was recently given to them and they didn't want it. Said they would surrender to HHT. Later changed their mind. Owner given copy of fencing laws and told that they needed to fix fence to keep horses in.

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Lauderdale County: 3/2003 - Dead cows and horses all cut up on property. Local officials are intimidated by owner and refuse to do anything.

Roane County: 3/2003 - Approximately 90 horses on 40 acres. Possible outbreak of Leptospirosis. Owner is giving these horses away. Very good possibility of cross-contamination to others there and to horses that come into contact with those contaminated. Local health officials contacted, but seeing as this is not one of the mandatory reportable diseases in Tennessee, it will most likely continue to be unsolved. The problem is, other horses on same property for sale could also be contaminated. Leptospirosis is contagious to both equine and humans.

Click HERE for more info on Leptospirosis.

Loudon County: 3/2003 - Three horses keep getting loose. Owner doesn't realize they are missing, even after a week.

Knox County: 3/2003 - Horse in small pasture with nothing to eat. Chews on trees and eating manure.

Sevier County: 3/2003 - Contacted by tourist. Riding stable using horses that are in pain. Wire being used instead of curb chain.

Knox County: 3/2003 - Four horses belly deep in water, eating off a floating round bale of hay.

UPDATE: Checked this out and found 11 horses total. Pasture was completely under water. Very little dry ground. We offered to find temporary homes, if the owner was interested. The owner declined our offer.

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Knox County: 2/2003 - Goats that have no food.

Roane County: 2/2003 - This has been an on-going problem. Stallion remains tied to a 24' rope on a stake in a field. He continues to get loose and runs through the neighborhood.

UPDATE: HHT has sent a copy of Tennessee Agricultural Laws that explain proper fencing for equine to the sheriff's department. Explained that the county could be held liable if someone is injured due to this animal running at large.

Nashville Area: 2/2003 - Seven horses in a 12 acre muddy field. Property was sold one month earlier and no one has been there to care for them since. Three of the seven look okay. The other ones are very ribby.

Grainger County: 2/2003 - Pony with 6" long feet, in with some goats.

Monroe County: 1/2003 - Stallion loose and breeds neighbor's prize QH mare. In with two other horses. Horses are always getting loose.

UPDATE: HHT has educated the owner and local sheriff's department on Tennessee laws regarding adequate fencing and equine running at large. This has been an on-going problem. The county could be held liable if someone was to get hurt on the narrow road these horses run loose on.

Dunlap, TN Area: 1/2003 - Training barn that only gets cleaned once in a while. 3" deep manure.

Claiborne County: 1/2003 - 3 to 4 horses looked good before summer, but now look starved. No hay or pasture.

Monroe County: 1/2003 - Owner picked up for neglect. While at the sheriff's department, he surrendered the horse over to HHT. When we went to pick it up, we found a dead donkey in the barn, a goat wrapped up around a tree, and a small puppy covered in mange on the front porch.

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Pickett County: 1/2003 - Two mares, 1 colt and a jack. Bad shape. One has died.

Sevier County: 1/2003 - Two horses with no protection. Bulging stomachs, hip bones protruding.

Roane County: 1/2003 - 1 horse, 1 llama, 1 goat, 1 donkey, 1 pig. In good condition when they came onto the property, now looking bad. All animals are on about an acre of land, chewing on trees, small lean-to for shelter and very little hay.

UPDATE: Checked and all are in okay shape. The horse is a known stall chewer along with being a kicker, biter and fence jumper. He is an older horse and has been known to lose weight this time of year. Only way to treat would be to stall, but because of his terrible habits, he is not stall-able. Plenty of hay is being put in shelter for the animals. Situation is being monitored.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we try to help those who can not help themselves. Pray that or state laws will be changed to allow us the authority to pull a horse in need of help, without having to go through all the red tape. Pray that our local law enforcement will take our request seriously and try to intervene when needed. Please continue to help support us financially. A lot of man hours and gasoline go into checking out every case turned over to us to investigate. Your donations allow us to continue our fight against horse abuse & neglect.

If you would be interested in volunteering, adoption, or need to surrender a horse to a good home, please contact HHT. We will send you the correct application.