When you think you see neglect…
Recognizing equine neglect...It's not always black and white.
Often, it can take patience and a trained eye to spot it from a distance. Always, it takes concerned neighbors who are paying attention to help the victims.
Horses in their winter hair coats, dirty horses, or horses with tangled manes or tails are likely not neglected. (Every horse person alive is nodding as they picture their pristinely groomed angel going out and immediately rolling in the mud, complete with fairy knots in their mane and dreadlocks in their tail.)
So what do you do if you spot neglect? Here are a few things to know:
1. Report it to law enforcement. Depending on your county, this means the Sheriff's Department or county Animal Control. Write down the name of the person you speak with.
2. Report to the TN Department of Ag using the form linked to this page.
3. A follow up will be conducted. Officials have our contact information - as well as other reputable local rescues. If the owner agrees to surrender upon initial contact, we will be contacted then. On large-scale cases, several organizations will likely coordinate to help. Charges may or may not be filed at this time.
4. If the owner declines to surrender, depending on the situation, they will be provided an action plan that includes feeding and veterinary care on a timeline they must follow. It’s during this time frame that you can follow up. Check back in with the officer you talked with. Make sure that they are keeping tabs on the situation. Be polite and rational.
5. Upon a follow-up visit, animals may be seized and owners may be charged if officials believe the plan is not being followed and the condition of the animals has not improved.
6. Rescues do not have legal authority to enter a property and claim animals. Simply stated, if we did so, we would be charged with trespassing and theft of property. Partnership WITH law enforcement is essential.
7. Furthermore, it is extremely important to involve the authorities from the outset - this is the way in which habitual neglectors are punished for their actions and prohibited from owning animals in the future. Otherwise, nothing prevents them from selling this thin horse to go buy another and starve it, too.
8. Do not feed or water the animals. This can be the most difficult thing to drive home - but if investigators arrive to a fresh bale of hay and bags of grain, it makes it nearly impossible to prove that the owner isn't feeding their horses - even if you say so!
9. Under the law, a horse must be provided food, water and shelter. Shelter can be a grove of trees. Take photos without going on the property in question and document the situation so that you can provide clear, concise information. Follow up when needed. Don’t post addresses to Facebook, and avoid creating a situation that makes the property owner feel threatened or harassed - this doesn’t help anyone, including the horses.
10. Sometimes, a thin horse is a private rescue. Sometimes, your neighbor really doesn't know that older horses require special care or that hay quality matters. If you know the person well enough to have a good conversation, start there and offer to be a resource.
Safe Harbor and the other quality organizations are always willing to assist in the enforcement of the laws that protect our horses--but we need law enforcement agencies and courts willing to enforce and prosecute. District Attorneys, Sheriffs and other positions in powers of control over this ARE elected officials. Keep these points in mind when reporting the neglect you may come across - and don't be afraid to apply pressure accordingly.
The before and after photos are Jareth, who had been locked in a barn for several months and was only saved due to a domestic incident and educated officers who intervened. He was a BCS 1 upon arrival, and even though he was around age 30, there was no underlying health issue causing his condition. Today, he he a healthy BCS 5 and has a family who adores him.
More about equine body condition scoring: https://extension.tennessee.edu/publi.../Documents/SP782.pdf
