75 - 125 Kansas Minis "OMG Please help by WRITING!!"

[Floridachick]

This is HORRIBLE< I do not have time to read everything I am off to work. I will say be VERY careful what photos and info are posted and where, as it may be referenced as "baiting" and then not used against the guilty party. May these ,poor things get treatment sooner than later. FOOD TOO!

 

[Jill]

Last night, I got an email back from Jan Biles at the Topeka Capital-Journal. She wanted to know if the last name is Timble? I told her I was not sure, but that was my hunch. Anything "happening" yet? Those pictures twist my heart.

 

[FMC Minis]

The owner's name is Vernon Trembly. It sounds to me that he loves his horses and wouldn't do this intentionally.

From the recent email posted by 'horsehug'. This is a matter of whether the owner is even able to care for the horses or for the worst case senerio is he okay at all?

I have located 2 people living on the same road as him, maybe we can see if they know him personally or just could have someone go check and see if he is even living there. Either way the horses need care and it may be a matter of finding a person to see if the owner is alive to release them into foster homes. I think the law should be more involved, especially if this turns out for the worst.

Note: To the lady whom took the pictures, Can she go and knock on the door and see if he is home? I did some checking and his wife is still in Colorado, so he may not have any family or friends and no one knows to care for the horses if he isn't able to.

I have emailed the info to Gini at CMHR and hope she will post something of new info on here if she contacts anyone.

Thanks to all for your help! :bgrin

 

[Minimor]

I'm curious about who showed the horses to Jess yesterday? Was it Vern, or someone else? If Vern is old it's possible that someone else is supposed to be caring for the horses for him, and Vern himself does not know what sad situation his horses are now in.

Someone here last winter left his horses in the care of a neighbor while he went out of province for 3 months of cancer treatment. He came home to find his horses just about dead--the caregiver had not fed them, they'd just been turned out to pasture (deep snow, no grass to be had) to fend for themselves. The owner was horrified; he brought them to the vet clinic, and one mare went down in the trailer & couldn't get up--I don't know if he was able to save her or not.

If Vern truly cares about his horses perhaps he will give them up to a rescue so that they can be properly cared for again.

 

[Marty]

No use speculating about the owner now, wether he is invalid or not, the fact remains that the horses are in dire straights out there and need assistance immediately, and possibly Mr. Tremble himself needs help also. The rest can be sorted out later. I do hope the wheels for rescue are turning at this moment.

 

[littlesteppers]

Is there a way somebody just could throw some hay over the fence?? I know I would if I lived close.

 

[Mulligans Run]

I contacted the head of the rescue that helped with my mini and she is contacting authorities as well. She has sent them the photos from this thread and has written...

Good morning to all!I'm writing today to help out a group of concerned equine owners, on a possible cruelty case located in Bourbon County, KS. Although, I realize I have no jurisdiction, nor taxpayer, nor voting citizen, I believe this needs to brought to your immediate attention. You are all elected officials and someone needs to come to the plate to assist this situation as soon as possible.

I've reviewed your laws* in regards to equines within your state. I beleive there is a STRONG case in Bourbon County, KS.

The horses are located in Uniontown, KS on Limestone Road. I believe news reporters have been to the location and reported what they saw.

Please stop the cruelty of these innocent animals, and prove to counties and other surrounding states that Kansas will not tolerate any neglect/abuse/cruelty to animals! By the photos that were provided, (see attachments)I beleive you have MANY issues going on with this land owner. I would HOPE that your health department would acknowledge the waste material located on this land. Rubber tires is the largest breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which is the leading cause of West Nile both in humans and equines. The trash is a concern, for tetanus of these animals as well. I've searched for a contact for your State veterinarian, but I do not find one main person associated with the Kansas Agricultural Department nor a listing of state veterinarians. I see no food or water available for them either. Please do something, before more animals become sick or die, due to untreated injury.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns..

*K.S.A. 21-4311 - Cruelty to animals; custody of animal; disposition; damages for killing, when; expenses of care assessed owner, when; duty of county or district attorney.

Karla Sibert

IERAL

Iowa Equine Rescue & Awareness League

PO Box 8726

Cedar Rapids, IA 52408

319-560-0347

[email protected]

www.iaeral.org

She was very instrumental in a seizure in Iowa (involving the mini I have just rescued). I figured she would be a good source for assistance. If she hears anything I'll post here.

 

[Mulligans Run]

From Karla......

Here is the link that states the actual law for cruelty of Equines in Kansas. If you want to post this, it would probably be good, because then people know exactly what to expect etc. Unfortunately it is only a class A nonperson misdemeanor.. (not too harsh of fines, just like Iowa, that sucks!)As used in this section, "equine" means a horse, pony, mule, jenny, donkey or hinny.

Cruelty to animals is a class A nonperson misdemeanor.

http://www.kansas.gov/kahd/laws/animal_cruelty.shtml

 

[Minimor]

No use speculating about the owner now, wether he is invalid or not, the fact remains that the horses are in dire straights out there and need assistance immediately, and possibly Mr. Tremble himself needs help also. The rest can be sorted out later.

The thing is, Marty, if the horses are owned by Vern but are not actually under his care & control at this time--if he were able to be located and is capable of making decisions--if he is not aware of the situation his horses are in (and it is possible, if he is an invalid or something) he may agree to turn them over to a rescue. IF that were the situation it would be a much faster way to rescue the horses than going through the authorities who don't seem too interested in helping (not the sheriff anyway).

Is there a way somebody just could throw some hay over the fence?? I know I would if I lived close.

I don't know what the Kansas law is, but in other areas when people have done this for starving horses, it has jeopardized the cruelty/neglect investigation. If the investigators come out & see that the horses have hay, they will say that the horses are being fed & they cannot lay charges of neglect. It doesn't matter that someone else has thrown hay to the horses to help them--it only matters that the horses have hay. Unless laws that way have changed, but I do know that in the past providing feed for starving horses has been a problem. It is tempting to try & get feed to them though!

 

[littlesteppers]

I KNOW how its in Tennessee..not only are you allowed to feed..BUT even recover your expenses.. :aktion033:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

39-14-207 Feeding of impounded animals -- Care provided by humane society -- Recovery of expenses.

(a) In case any impounded animal is without necessary food and water for more than twelve (12) successive hours, it is lawful for any person, as often as necessary, to enter any place in which any animal is so confined, and to supply it with necessary food and water so long as it shall remain so confined. Such person shall not be liable to any action for such entry, and the reasonable cost of such food and water may be collected from the owner or keeper of the animal. The animal shall not be exempt from levy and sale upon execution issued upon a judgment therefor.

 

[virginia]

Good Morning All

No news to report yet. I do have the phone numbers of a couple of neighbors of Mr Trembly but no luck getting through to them yet. I'll keep on trying. Hopefully we can arrange for a possible shipment of hay. I am aware that feeding them may jeopardize a court case but if the minis die from starvation.....!

Ginny St Pierre, President, CMHR

 

[horsehug]

Just wanted to say I found Vern's number this morning and called him.

I was relieved to find him sounding like his old self and not ill, though he does have health problems.

He said he has some thin horses and some fat ones and that they are on pasture and also grained like they were when I first met him. He said he has wondered why the ones have gotten so thin. He also worms regularly. I mentioned that their teeth might be bad and he said he just does not know where to find an equine dentist close to him. So they have not had their teeth worked on. I definitely remember him asking me the last time I talked to him over a year ago if I knew where he could get a speculum to try to work on their teeth himself. But I didn't know where. I personally know how fast a horse can go down when their teeth need work.

I'm sure all this sounds like excuses to most of you but I do know Vern cares about his horses and has not known what to do for them.

Also he has his studs in another area separate from the mares. I knew he did not used to keep all his studs with the mares altogether when I was at his place in Colorado. And like I said they were healthy and looked great when I saw them there.

I suggested he try to get a regular vet out to see about their teeth.

He also said he had gone to Colorado for 4 days in August and when he came back a trailer load of his fattest horses were all stolen.

I think it sounds like he has tried to keep up but gotten overwhelmed and should have sold and cut down his numbers a while back. But he is not an evil person!!

I am just letting you know what I had heard from him. I am sure when whatever authorities get there they will come to their own conclusions.

Susan O.

 

[Mona]

Susan, with all due respect to you, I know he may be a friend of yours and not necessarily evil, BUT, he is definitely in over his head and doing wrong by those horses! I doubt it is the teeth, for surely it would not deplete an entire herd to skin and bones! He is definitely in the wrong here, and even though he may love his horses and has a heart of gold, it still does not change the fact that these horses are STARVING to death! My horses here are on VERY POOR pasture and yet are FAT, FAT, FAT! Yes, that is bad too, but I would rather see them FAT! I have no equine dentist here either, and in fact have only ever had two mare's teeth floated by a vet over the 13 years I have owned minis. I also tried to file a filly's teeth myself this summer as I feared it was pointy and rubbing her mouth and I had not even a vet here(at all, in this area) to do it. If you own animals that depend on you for their health, food, water and wellbeing you MUST provide it or face the consequences of not doing so. If your health is failing and you cannot care for them as they need to be cared for, it then becomes your responsibility to re-home them to someone that WILL care for them. Failing to do so is a CRIME, no matter how good at heart a person is. NO EXCUSES for this type of thing, at least not in my eyes! :no:

 

[kaykay]

maybe ginny can call vern and offer to bring hay and assistance until he can get his numbers down?

The horses will probably get the help they need much quicker if you guys can deal with the owner himself

such a sad situation

 

[sedeh]

Just wanted to say I found Vern's number this morning and called him.

I was relieved to find him sounding like his old self and not ill, though he does have health problems.

He said he has some thin horses and some fat ones and that they are on pasture and also grained like they were when I first met him. He said he has wondered why the ones have gotten so thin. He also worms regularly. I mentioned that their teeth might be bad and he said he just does not know where to find an equine dentist close to him. So they have not had their teeth worked on. I definitely remember him asking me the last time I talked to him over a year ago if I knew where he could get a speculum to try to work on their teeth himself. But I didn't know where. I personally know how fast a horse can go down when their teeth need work.

I'm sure all this sounds like excuses to most of you but I do know Vern cares about his horses and has not known what to do for them.

Also he has his studs in another area separate from the mares. I knew he did not used to keep all his studs with the mares altogether when I was at his place in Colorado. And like I said they were healthy and looked great when I saw them there.

I suggested he try to get a regular vet out to see about their teeth.

He also said he had gone to Colorado for 4 days in August and when he came back a trailer load of his fattest horses were all stolen.

I think it sounds like he has tried to keep up but gotten overwhelmed and should have sold and cut down his numbers a while back. But he is not an evil person!!

I am just letting you know what I had heard from him. I am sure when whatever authorities get there they will come to their own conclusions.

Susan O.

He may not be evil but he definately needs help! Those pics showed starving horses.....not just "thin". He sounds like some of these "cat ladies" that end up with hundreds of cats because "they love them" but can't care for them and they end up in horrible condition.

 

[Shari]

Gads...what is wrong with people. I will write.....and I do hope all those poor horses get help!!!

If he got in over his head... I know it is very hard to ask for help...the way many rescue places can be.

But he should of found someone to help him out and sell or find good homes for most of them.

Its too bad they got into this condition...for what ever the reasons.

 

[FMC Minis]

I agree he sounds like a hoarder that is in a bind and he can't see that they are severly going to starve to death! Nothing against his good intentions...but he does need some help with them. He sounds like a loving caring person for his horses, but it seems to have taken over and he no longer has control. :no:

He may not be evil but he definately needs help! Those pics showed starving horses.....not just "thin". He sounds like some of these "cat ladies" that end up with hundreds of cats because "they love them" but can't care for them and they end up in horrible condition.

I have seen this too many times where they just don't understand the severity of the situation OR the don't have the heart to let them go or ask for help!!!!

We can help him if he will let us and that will be better for everyone! :aktion033:

 

[Steph_D]

Here are a couple more news links if anyone's interested. These are located in Joplin, MO, but they also report things from Kansas.

TV stations are KODE and KSNF, they both use the same web site FourStatesHomePage.

There's also the Joplin Globe, a newspaper from Joplin that reports on Kansas things.

I'm not posting these to be mean or whatever, but because I care. I'm close, but not close enough to help. I pray that this man is able to get the help that he needs for his horses.

 

[ropenride]

I'm not trying to make excuses for Vern....but I know that his area was flooded really badly this summer and that COULD (but may not) explain all the trash in the pictures. It's very possible that he is feeling overwhelmed with circumstances and seeing his horses as they were and not as they are now. I agree....help is needed for the horses and want to applaud this board for trying to see that they get it. Contacting Vern and contacting his neighbors may be the quickest way for it to happen, as law enforcement wheels turn slowly. Because of all the water and flooding, the hay quality is not what it should be and maybe Vern doesn't realize this? Susan, can you call him again and maybe find out what he's feeding and make some recommendations for a higher calorie feed? I just really feel there is more to this sad situation than meets the eye (no pun intended) and as long as Vern is willing to accept our help we should try to help him, not alienate him, thereby making it harder to help these horses.

 

[Namaste Miniatures]

My heart is just sicken by this....

I was involved several years ago in the worst case of animal abuse in the state of Idaho. In this case.... I called the sheriff office 3 month's prior to have someone come out and look at these animals that were starving to death. They were NO help at all !!! They told me that since there was hay on the property that they could not do anything but yet he saw the staving cattle, just like in this case with mini's. After seeing about 10 cow's in a round bale feeder dead and the rest of the head eating them ... I had it .... I called the STATE BRAND INSPECTOR and he was on his way and than I called the local TV station's in our area ( they were on there way when I call the sheriff's office back and told them the TV crews were on there way out to the story of Animal Neglect. Needless to say the sheriff's office were on there way as well. The first one to the scene was the same officer that came out 3 months prior, I found him pucking his guts next to the road. I couldn't get help from anybody prior to that day. I guess by calling the State Brand Inspector was the best thing I could of done in this case... It got the ball rolling.

Has anybody called the State Brand Inspector and or the State Vet ?

There has got to be a local horseman or cattleman association, they will help and donate hay.

God, I hope these mini's make it.

Debby