Sarah Palin and Aerial Wolf Hunting – Opposing Viewpoints

 

        

  I received the following email from a fellow animal lover: 

 

Subject: Sarah Palin’s Promotion of Barbaric Aerial Hunting of Wolves 

Have you heard of aerial hunting? It’s a brutal practice. Wolves are shot from low-flying aircraft or chased to exhaustion, then killed at point-blank range. Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for Vice President, promotes this barbaric practice, exploiting a loophole in the Federal Airborne Hunting Act to allow private wolf killers to shoot down wolves using aircraft. We have to get the word out about this!
Please watch this powerful video by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, and then share it with every wildlife lover you know:   

http://actionfund.defenders.org/palinvideo  

This was my reply: 

I have to admit that watching videos of this practice turns my stomach, but there would surely be consequences to many animal species, including wolves and humans, if effective wildlife management practices were banned.  Let us not forget what happened in this country when horse slaughter was banned.  The resulting surplus of horses has resulted in plummeting horse values, and horses being abandoned and neglected in record numbers.  Now, perfectly healthy and well trained horses are selling at auction for less than $200, and some are being purchased by kill buyers for shipment to Mexico where there are no industry controls, and the barbaric cruelty being employed is beyond this writer’s imagination.  I would have to say that there has never been a worse time to be a horse in this country.  These are the unintended consequences of well meaning animal activists that failed to look at the big picture.

 

Before anyone starts sending hate mail, please hear me out.  Wolves and bears are top line predators, meaning that there are no natural predators to control their numbers.  If you love animals, you must think about the consequences to other animal species if they are allowed to overpopulate in any given area.  In a worst case scenario, disaster ensues for the overpopulated predator species as well. When their natural food sources become scarce, they will savage and prey on not only each other, but humans and domestic animals as well. 

 

Aerial management may seen unfair and barbaric, but consider the alternative that was used before airplanes were available.  They were poisoned with strychnine baits.  Poisoning likely effected non targeted species as well - such as eagles.

 

Alaska has attempted other management methods in the past.  This was taken from http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/management/control/predator_management.pdf :

 

Now let us discuss the impact of these predator species on humans.  There seems to be a misconception that managing the population of these species is merely an attempt to preserve moose and caribou for sport hunting.  On the contrary, the very lives and existence of approximately 16% of Alaska’s populaton is at stake.  These are the native tribes that have depended on wild game as their main source of sustenance for thousands of years.  It’s not like they can become vegetarians in these regions.  I might argue that the continued existence of rural native Alaskan people are at far greater risk than the wildlife.

 

Taken from http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=5791&page=36 :

 

  ”The first humans in the Western Hemisphere are believed to have come from Asia across the Beringian land bridge into Alaska 12,000-15,000 years ago.”  It is their home, too.  For those that argue that the problem is simply too many humans in Alaska rather than too many wolves and bears, let me point out that there are approximately 635,000 residents or about 1.1 persons per square mile – in an area that is twice the size of Texas and one fifth the size of the lower 48 states. In the lower 48, there are approximately 79 people per square mile. Plenty of elbow room! The state’s population ranks 47^th in the state. ”Human activities have had less effect on the ecosystems of Alaska than elsewhere in the United States. Conversion of land to agricultural use has been minimal, as is the extent of land alteration through mining and petroleum development.”

 

My conclusion:  Perhaps you don’t care about the tribes of people who are the last remaining ancestors of the “First Americans”.  Do you not care about all of the other animal species at stake when bears and wolves overpopulate?  Is there no concern for livestock, dogs, cats, and human children that are attacked when these predators are allowed to diminish too much wild game in a given area?  And finally, have you no concern for the effect on the wolves, themselves, when they overpopulate?  Aside from them preying on each other when food sources become scarce, it leads to a natural progression of disease and starvation among them.  

 

Posted by Bronco in the Daily Interlake:  “The waxing and waning of species populations are regulated by nature and she seems heartless and cruel in her choices at times. Forget romantic notions of her preserving only the animals we hold dear and erasing the invasive and ugly ones. Fish and game management agencies throughout the country have been employing well thought out agendas that have led to game populations that exceed those before we set foot here hundreds of years ago. Those agencies have people in them who are concerned for our wildlife, not butchers who rejoice in their deaths. It’s unfortunate for the wolves, I agree. They are beautiful, intelligent, animals that mate for life and have strong family values. But left to propagate unattended they will follow the coarse of all species who find their numbers swelled to overpopulation. Mother nature introduces disease and starvation.” 

 

Before we jump on the bandwagon and condemn the people of Alaska while we sit in front of computers in our comfortable and safe urban homes, let us educate ourselves about the issues first.

 

 A second email from my friend:

 

I know all about the protect by killing argument; however, it is my understanding that a well qualified expert disputed with good back-up material the necessity of killing the wolves. The reason the wolves were poisoned, trapped, and destroyed in almost all of the 48 states now 50 was because they didn’t want anyone alive but cattle, etc.

  

 My reply: 

I know how repulsive the culling of these wolves seems.  I can’t bear to watch the videos.  Horse slaughter makes me equally sick, but I now know that when there are too many, it creates a domino effect that puts a great deal of horses in jeopardy that otherwise wouldn’t be in that situation. 

I don’t know who the experts are that they are touting, but I do know that the Alaska Division of Wildlife Management does not just hire a bunch of rednecks with guns.  They hire biologists and mammalogists with specialized degrees and first hand knowledge of the region.

 

Knowing the very nature of a top line predator, I can see the possibilities for them wreaking havoc on every living creature in their territory, including themselves.  They really don’t have any enemies that prey on them.  They also have no qualms about savaging each other, especially if game becomes scarce, or there are too many males competing for females.  Death by bullets is far kinder than slow starvation and the inevitable disease that follows, or being ripped apart and eaten while still alive by their own kind.  Other methods of management have been tried in Alaska without success.  Programs such as sterilization and relocation have been attempted.

 

I’ve been an animal lover all of my life.  I think that the wolf is a beautiful and majestic creature, however, I do not love the wolf above all other animals, including caribou, moose, dogs, cats, lynx, bear cubs, etc., etc.  There must be a balance for the good of all.  It is not as if Alaska is having a free-for-all mass killing of wolves.  Without some intervention on a small scale, Mother Nature could be so much more cruel.

 

Now for the subject of hunting in Alaska.  Game is very abundant, and a substantial percentage of the population consumes wild game.  It is a resource that is viewed much the same way that cows and chickens are viewed by the rest of the country.  You will never turn the whole world into vegetarians and vegans.  Tribes in the northern regions that have lived there for virtually thousands of years have nothing else to eat during a good portion of the year.  It is also important to keep Alaska’s wild game hunting and consumption in perspective.  There are very few people in relation to its vast land mass.  Approximately 80% of animals such as caribou and moose that die are killed by predators like the wolf.  Human consumption is a drop in the bucket, and it is strictly controlled.  Would it be better to let predators overpopulate and consume them instead?  The predators certainly won’t abide by any rules or regulations, and yes, they often kill just for sport.  Ever watch a wolf pack eat a deer while it is still alive?

 

Alaska is like a foreign world for most of us, and it is difficult to understand that hunting and consuming game is a natural part of their lifestyle.  Why in the world would I think that a woman born and raised in Alaska, who happens to be Governor, should not hunt as a great deal of the state’s population does?  It would be like condemning every politician that eats beef, pork, or chicken.  Is it ok to eat meat or wear leather if you don’t kill it yourself?

 

I’ll say it again:  There are a great deal of animal rights activists in this world doing more harm than good to the animals that they seek to protect, because they are reacting out of emotion in almost everything that they do. 

 

Here are a couple of articles worth reading whether we agree with them or not:

 

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/predator-management.php

http://thehill.com/op-eds/let-alaska-shoot-its-wolves-2008-02-14.html

 

A third email from my friend:

 

Why are you accepting this “culling?”  I don’t believe it is necessary.  You are approving it on what basis?  Your experience with overpopulation of horses and dogs and cats????I don’t believe in killing to save unless it is necessary. 

And why did the governor do it?  I understand she had a really good time and was bragging about it. And what about the polar bears?  They certainly don’t need “culling.” 

My reply: 

Why did Sarah Palin do what?  

You are absolutely correct that I am not an expert on Alaska wildlife, and neither are the great majority of people jumping on the bandwagon, and screaming for a ban on wildlife management.  I do, however, try to study these issues before declaring a condemnation.  I wouldn’t say that I condone the culling of wolves, but I’m willing to state that there could be compelling reasons for doing it.  What I’m trying to get across is that I don’t have enough facts to condemn it, and neither do most of the people screaming about it.  It’s suddenly a huge issue all over the web because some people see it as a way to damage the Republican bid for the White House. 

 

Now, shall we research the situation concerning Polar Bears in the Arctic before we start screaming foul play? Polar Bear hunting has been restricted in Alaska since 1972.  Research indicates that declining Polar Bear populations are the result of melting ice rather than hunting right now. 

 

Back to Sarah Palin – did she shoot a Polar Bear?  I do not see an article where Sarah Palin killed a Polar Bear.  I do see an article where she displayed a grizzly bear that her father shot at some point in his life.  Do you have a link to an article about her shooting a Polar Bear? Why does she not call for a ban on predator management?  Perhaps Sarah understands the needs and lifestyle  of the people in Alaska that she was elected to serve.  Perhaps, having grown up in Alaska, she understands wildlife behavior and the dynamics of management and conservation.  As for Polar Bears, it is my understanding that the Department of Interior has recommended that they be added to some kind of endangered species list, but with allowances for energy exploration and drilling.  I really don’t know the details. I’m sure they know that they will never stop Arctic “Eskimos” from occasionally harvesting them for food. Of course, Polar Bears probably occasionally harvest “Eskimos” for food as well.  Right now the Polar Bear seems to be caught up in a political issue.  The environmentalists are trying to use the Polar Bear issue to prevent drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic.  It’s kind of like the way that they are using the caribou for their cause as well.  It doesn’t look like they are concerned about caribou being wiped out by wolves, though.

 

Looking for valid statistics on Polar Bear populations won’t be easy.  You have to be careful about believing everything put into print by bloggers and liberal news publications with outside political agendas that they wish to promote.

 

 

An email from another friend and animal rights activist:

 

Subject: DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE ACTION FUND: PRESS RELEASE

 

See especially the section on aerial hunting and the discussion in the box regarding Palin’s phony argument that aerial hunting is necessary to protect subsistence hunters.

 

http://www.defendersactionfund.org/newsroom/sarah_palin.html

 

According to information on Defender of Wildlife’s Web site, the Alaska Board of Game members are all hunters who are appointed by Palin.  The Alaska Board of Game is not “managing” predators to protect subsistence hunters but to increase moose and caribou to inordinately high levels for the benefit of trophy and sport hunters.

 

And see especially paragraph 3 of the following press release.  Apparently the most respected scientific organizations find no scientific justification for Alaska’s current aerial hunting policy.

 

http://www.defendersactionfund.org/releases/090308.html

 

My Opinion:

 

Well I suppose if the Defenders of Wildlife reported it, then it all has to be true, right?

 

I looked up the letter to Governor Palin that was signed by mammalogists and endorsed by the American Society of Mammalogists. There seemed to be a lot of complaining that Alaska might not be doing enough scientific study, but it mainly seems to center around Alaska not letting the National Research Council have complete control and final say over predator control programs. They claim that there is not enough proof that Alaska is handling it correctly.  I might counter that there is not enough proof that Alaska is handling it incorrectly.

 

Alaska reports:

Relationships between large predators and their prey in Alaska are complex, and no one model fits all situations. It is possible to generalize about some situations, particularly in Interior Alaska. This information on the biology of moose, bears, and wolves, represents highlights from 25 years of research and management programs conducted by universities and state, provincial and federal governments in Alaska and Canada. In 1997, the National Academy of Sciences published a summary and review of predator/prey interactions in Alaska (National Research Council, 1997). More research has been conducted since that review.  

 

You can read the letter and information from the National Research Council and the National Academy of Sciences here if you wish: 

 

http://www.alaskawolfkill.com/Palin_Letter.html

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=5791 

 

It seems to me that Alaska is very transparent about its programs, goals, and practices.  They provide a wealth of public information: 

 

http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=info.main

http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/index.cfm?adfg=wolf.control

http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/index.cfm?adfg=wolf.wolf_mgt

http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/management/control/predator_booklet.pdf

http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/management/control/predator_brochure.pdf

http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/index.cfm?adfg=control.predator_prey 

 

I don’t like the thought of wolves and bears being killed, or any animal for that matter.  I personally do not like hunting.  I don’t like the thought of wolves and bears depleting entire populations of other animal species.  I don’t like Mother Nature’s whole set up of survival of the fittest.  I usually try not to think about these things.

 

I’m the type of person that cries when my dog gets a hold of a baby bunny, and you can bet that I will try to save it if she does.  I once hit a squirrel with my car and took it to the vet.  I’m not very fond of coyotes that hang around my farm, but I once fed two orphaned pups for a couple of months. I hate snakes, but I relocate them instead of killing them. I frequently rescue animals, but I am not an animal rights activist.  I despise PETA.

 

I also think that Alaska should be able to handle its own resources unless it is proven that they are mismanaging them.  I think that people fail to understand that Alaskans depend on wild game for their dinner tables far more than the vast majority of Americans.  It seems unlikely that Alaska would purposely damage or destroy its own eco system, and I’m not sure why outsiders think that they are more capable and knowledgeable about how to care for it.

 

I see many politics involved in these arguments. I am sure that it is no coincidence that the issue of Alaska’s predator control programs has been circling around the web like a wildfire since Sarah Palin was nominated as the GOP Vice Presidential candidate.

 

I care not what the Defenders of Wildlife think about anything, and I do not necessarily rely on what they report as being honest and trustworthy.

 

OH MY GOD!  Shocking photos of Sarah Palin and Fellow Alaskans! In the lower 48, we take the fur off of the hide before we put it on our sofas.  We certainly never pose for photos with our dinner before it is prepared or cooked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost $135,000 to care for 69 horses for 4 months. Horses then sent to auction looking like this – Pricelessly shameful

Before Seizure:   

At auction:

                          

  

Jackson County Michigan dismissed the opinions of their own animal control veterinarians.  They dismissed the opinions of the first animal rescue group called in, and then shopped for another that would agree with them.

Pages of photos that are must see!

Horses at Turn 3 Ranch

Photos of horses 1 week after seizure

Jackson County’s Care of Turn 3 Ranch horses

Visit www.glhorsetruth.com for the complete story.

This happened to Turn Three Ranch, the owners of Treasured, Sky High Fame, and Buggy full of Money. Source : click here

speaker and founder of Faces of Agriculture, which puts the human element back into food production. Find out more at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail trent@loostales.com.

I HAVE said it before, but I have never said it louder: The true danger of the urbanization of America has nothing to do with paving prime farmland with concrete and everything to do with the urbanization of our nation’s thinking.

We’ve all voiced our frustration about the kid who doesn’t understand where his milk comes from, but the disconnect truly runs much deeper.

I was recently contacted about an “abuse of justice” in Michigan. While investigating the original incident, I have since learned about two cases in Michigan that started in a similar manner.

The first one involved the Mills family in the thumb of Michigan. One day this past March, during an illegal search of the Mills family farm, a dead horse was found.

In what was recorded as a bad winter in Michigan, the family was waiting for the ground to thaw in order to bury the horse. In case you don’t know, it is virtually impossible to get a rendering truck to pick up a dead horse, so waiting was the only real option.

After discovering the dead horse, felony animal abuse charges were filed against the entire family, and the oldest daughter lost her crown as county 4-H queen. I need to emphasize that she lost her title based on alleged charges of animal abuse.

During the course of the summer, all felony animal abuse charges were dropped, primarily because the judge in the case happened to raise sheep, and the arguments she heard made sense as to the normal care of livestock on a farm.

Unfortunately, because of the publicity of the event, the Mills family still feels the glare of community members that consider them to be animal abusers, and this is despite the outcome of the trial.

The second case is still in the court system, and at this point, the two individuals involved have not been so lucky as to find anyone in the judicial system who understands livestock agriculture.

Matt Mercier and Jim Henderson have built a herd of racing horses — rather, horses that compete in barrel races. In March, the two men reportedly had 69 horses on the farm they lease near Grass Lake in Jackson County, Mich.

I traveled to Michigan several weeks ago for a speaking engagement, but I had intentions of going to Grass Lake to research this case myself. Upon arriving in Michigan, I casually polled people about the Grass Lake case. Everybody I asked had heard about it, and they all (I am talking about ag folks now) indicated that the situation sounded awful.

Come to find out, even though the criminal trial is scheduled for Dec. 3, the court of public opinion has already convicted these guys. I, however, from firsthand experience and information I gathered about the situation, found these two guys to be poor managers but far from animal abusers.
You can find statements like the following in the press since the March impounding of the horse farm. Director of Jackson County Animal Control Kim Luce said, “The survival rate right now is pretty good. There are still exceptions when we start treating, such as worming them can cause adverse reactions.”
Luce told the first horse rescuer, Bradley Chaltry, and the press that the horses had not been fed or watered for six months. Chaltry, who owns Ponies are Us and Ratcliff Animal Rescue Services, made the following testimony in court:
“Yeah, ain’t been fed and watered for six months. At that point, I was wanting to breed my horses to it because you got a great horse if you don’t have to feed and water it for six months and it’s still alive. I mean, pardon me for that, but �”
At that point, Chaltry also said, still under oath, that after being called to come and assist with these allegedly severely starving horses, “We were wondering kind of as to why we were there.”
Chaltry indicated that 90% of the horses were in ideal condition, and only four were thin due to normal winter conditions combined with age factors, a couple of worming issues and one injury.
Dr. Bob Shray, a large animal veterinarian of 28 years, testified that nothing was occurring on this farm other than normal animal husbandry and a lack of picking up junk. Shray reminded the court that any time you have a living animal, there is a chance that it could die. Despite the testimony of an industry professional, the court felt it knew better how animals should be cared for. If a veterinarian isn’t able to determine the well-being of a horse, how can someone who has no training or experience in the field? Yet, these folks may be calling the shots that affect the future of food production in this country.

Reports were that the Jackson County Animal Control did not like the report either of these professionals gave to the court, so they replaced both of them. It is said that they found a replacement animal rescue organization that viewed the negative press as a potential revenue harvest of human emotions.

Among them was Laura Steenrod of Leelanau Horse Rescue, who stepped in and took over management of the horses. Incidentally, her operation is 200 miles away from the farm. Steenrod admitted her intentions to the press in saying, “I’ve probably tried to field over 100 phone calls in the last 24 hours. … The primary concern at this time is monetary donations.”
I see this as the most serious case of legal abuse I have ever personally witnessed. Two individuals have more horses than anybody in a community that thinks the horses can be given personal attention. The judge, in a civil judgment, indicated that all horses should have a stall and that maybe even the used blankets, as opposed to new ones, contributed to mistreatment.
Based on this civil judgment hearing, the judge gave the Jackson County Animal Control authority to seize all equipment from the farm, including $15,000 worth of horse tack plus pickups and trailers. What role does this equipment play in an animal abuse case, and why is it able to be offered up as sacrifice in this case?
There is a sign at the front gate of the farm today that reads: “No trespassing. Visitors by appointment only by calling Leelanau Horse Rescue, or send your donations directly to this address.” I called Steenrod and tried to schedule an appointment. She told me she had turned custody back over to animal control three months ago. When I asked her why the sign was still up asking for donations, she told me she needed to get that down. I inquired as to whether donations were still coming in, and she said, “Well, yes, some of them take a while to trickle in.” Of course, fund-raising in the name of animal welfare never seems to end.
The bottom line to this saga is that two individuals are facing prison time because they were treating horses like horses instead of like the family dog. The facts I have presented were gathered from local cattle producers who understand that what is happening to these two guys could happen to any livestock producer.
So, where is the uproar by the local livestock owners? Where is the Michigan Department of Agriculture? Oh, wait. The department merely said it has no control over local animal control officials.
Urbanization is coming to your area sooner than you think. Wouldn’t you rather fight it somewhere other than your own soil? Mercier and Henderson understand that thanks to the oldest school known to mankind — the school of hard knocks.

The December 3rd hearing was postponed to early January.  I don’t think that an actual trial date has been set.  I have heard that a different judge will be hearing the case.

Donuts and T-shirts anyone?

From: Turn 3 Ranch v. JCAC Blog

Some of the charges were posted on an internet message board:

Here is the break down as what the county is justifying the 143,000 for6000 in volunteer medical expenses (apparently they got hurt on the farm)
1300 for t-shirts with the rescue logo
500 for cell phone overages
736 for photo boards
4200 in feed (what happened to all the donations?)
89 to the NOAA center… (???)
32,000 in animal control over time fees (including kennel help and people who answer phones)
31,000 in animal control wages (including kennel help and people who answer phones)
760 for misc things (tarps, extension cords, steel tent pegs, hoses)
95 service call for a vet twice in the same day.
85 for necropsy
80 for necropsy
350 because the necropsy was for a legal case
274 for a whole bottle of dermosidan (sp)
22,000 a month to feed them until the criminal charges have gone through
3500/month for misc medical billsthey want to provide every horse with 1/2 bale a hay per day (some horses will get 1 whole bale a day) 6 round bales PER day in additions to the square bales a day. (justification for the 22,000 they say they need to pay for feed)
They also say it takes them 9 hours/day to feed.Don’t forget $100 to Laura Steenrod for hauling fees.$241 for tractor fuel on 5/28 and $373 again on 7/16!Oh and $320 for hay on 6/1 AND $640 on 6/1 AGAINAnd $660 for hay on 6/28 AND $310 on 6/28 AGAIN.

But wait.. $1750 for hay on 7/18!!!Oh and $2500/month to Great Northern Sentry for NIGHTTIME SECURITY AGENT. Now keep in mind they leave the lights (ALL OF THEM) on 24 hours a day, on my electric bill.

The above may be hearsay, you can argue … or you can go to www.glhorsetruth.com and look at the actual bond request from Animal Control.

I can’t find the charge for t-shirts on the bond request, but it appears that repeated charges for a quantity of 25 delivered rolls is probably donuts. 

More tidbits from the bond request:

Here are some interesting figures.

Since 3/21/07 they have had 349,600 pounds of hay delivered.

At the high end of 2.5% of body weight and assuming they ALL weigh 1000# (weanlings/yearlings etc.) the horses should have consumed 207,000 pounds for 4 months

This is only what they say are expenditures. Again, what about the donations!

Another crazy thing was the medical costs. We stipulated to $1817.10 which was they spent. Even though it was all to Dr. Hammer and he never provided information as to WHAT he actually did. The receipts they provided us only state a number of hours he was at the farm @ $95/hour. They of course did bill us for medicines. 20 horses received tetanus toxoid vaccines. No others, just tetanus. No reason why listed???

Hammer was there 3/27, 4/4, 4/26, 5/31, 6/6, and 6/21. It was a $35 farm call plus $95/hour.

They apparently did a lot of sedating. 25 ml Domperidone. A WHOLE BOTTLE of Dormosedan. Tobugesic. Xyla-Ject. Acepromazine. 100 needles and 80 syringes!

MSU charged AC $350.00 for a “legal charge necropsy” for Elvis in addition to $85 gross necropsy and $120.00 full necropsy. A necropsy equaled $555.00.

AC also bought 20 syringes and and 36 shots of Oxytocin from Crosroads Animal Hospital in Jackson on 5/1.

I can’t make these figures up. They are directly from the reciepts the Prosecution provided.

Here’s some more information for you:

The first week of seizure 6 AC employees worked a combined time of 195.7 hours BEYOND their regular schedules

6 employees of AC worked OVERTIME:

4/2-4/15: 93.6 hours
4/16-4/29: 107.5 hours
4/30-5/13: 159.2 hours
5/14-5/27: 139.0 hours
5/28-6/10: 172.3 hours
6/11-6/24: 123.2 hours
6/25-7/8: 174 hours
7/9-7/19: 99 hours

A grand total of time spent in 4 months BEYOND Wheaton being there 8 hours per day: 1263.5 hours
Total overtime $ requested by prosecution: $27,864.21

Here’s a kicker the Judge bought: Heather Wheaton apparently worked 132 hours in a 2 week period! Not once, but twice! C’mon!

Jennifer Lamp and Kim Luce asked and received a total of $63,596.17 for Animal Control employees in a 4 month period! That is $16,000 per month to feed round bales to horses and clean a maximum of 5 stalls!

You also have to believe that every single employee of AC was at the farm that much? Yeah right. In the 2 weeks of seizure the Kennel help (2 employees) and the CLERK spent 73.7 hours there BEYOND the working at the pound?

No wonder Jackson County Animal Shelter smells so bad… The kennel cleaners were hanging out at the Turn 3 Ranch making $16.65 per hour and the clerk who answers the phone was making $19.24 per hour! These are their own figures!

There you have it. Do some homework on this case before jumping to conclusions. Things just aren’t right in this picture.

Posted by xpButtercup at 8:50 PM

I highly recomend reading the full court  testimony of Mr. Chaltry who was from the first rescue organization that was called in.  If the implications weren’t so sinister, it would be more entertaining than adventures with the Keystone Cops:

  click here

From the comments section, I feel that this is worth repeating:

When I look at the case in Michigan, wouldn’t it have been so much better to work with the owners to correct perceived problems. In these types of cases involving large herds, there needs to be a non profit organization that can provide temporary stewardship – kind of like a Mare Stare type organization can can also act like a probation officer in order to provide both monetary help and guidance, but with the power to ensure that things stay on track. I don’t know how you keep corruptness out of animal rescue as long as there is money involved. In Michigan, it appears that they took a herd that was 90% healthy, gave them deplorable care, and then sold them at auction. How many of them went to slaughter? Along with these proceeds, there was an alleged half million in donations for the rescue group involved, a judgement for nearly $135,000 for the County, possibly the farm, and all of its equipment. Jackson County Michigan also sells animals from pound seizures to research labs. How hypocritical is that? Voluntary surrender is one thing, but there needs to be a lot more accountiblity when it comes to trying to seize animals. There also needs to be laws in place against releasing details and personal information on the accused before they are convicted in a court of law. I see no reason for creating a media frenzy other than to pull at the heart strings of the public in an effort to get donations. It may turn out that the accused is completely innocent, but they still get the donations out of it, don’t they? Animal abuse is an issue that probably inflames hatred more than the abuse or killing of human beings. The general public will always assume guilt. Leslie, is it time for a whole new type of animal assistance organization that County Animal Control Divisions can work with?Comment by kswatcher — December 20, 2007

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Who Wrote and published this statement?

 ”In Uniontown Kansas a near disaster was averted by compassionate horses lovers raising an alarm and then coming to the rescue of a man and his too many miniature horses. On September 17 a cry for help was issued by Chances Miniature Horse Rescue when it was notified of the plight of nearly 100 miniatures horses severely undernourished and in visibly poor condition. Through the joint efforts of caring Kansas citizens, Southern Winds Equine Rescue and Recovery Center, Chances Miniature Horse Rescue, Windingroad Rescue, Kansas Miniature Horse Club and numerous other groups 16 horses in the worst condition have been voluntarily surrendered by owner Vernon Trembly. Trembly, 71, has devoted his life to his herd of miniature horses and found himself unable to provide the care needed to keep his beloved animals healthy. The local sheriff had a Kansas State University veterinarian examined the balance of the herd and announced that they were NOT in imminent danger. Trembly has been told that he must reduce the number of animals he owns and clean all of the debris from his property. Donations of money, services, feed, medicine, equipment and support items have come to the rescue groups from around the world to help the Trembly minis. Work days are being organized for Sunday, October 14 and Saturday, October 27 to assist in cleaning up the property for the safety of the animals and to haul in hay and feed to assist the elderly man. Victor McMullen of Southern Winds Rescue is organizing a schedule for regular visits to assist in the care of the animals. Virigina St. Pierre of Chances Miniature Horse Rescue is working to identify buyers and foster homes to assist Trembly in reducing the size of his herd. Local miniature horse lovers have offered to provide mare care for his pregnant mares so they may safely give birth to healthy foals. Offers for purchase of his excessive herd are flowing from around the world. Rather than stripping Trembly of his life long companions, the miniature horse community is coming to his aid.”

A different twist on the “rescue” of Trembly’s horses seems to be popping up on various websites.  The above statement was apparently posted on craigslist.  The listing has expired.  I also found it on a forum website called STUMBLEUPON and a member with the user ID of “Slipped”.  ”Slipped” describes himself as: “danny is a 62 year old guy from Wellington, Kansas, USA.”  Here is the link:  http://slipped.stumbleupon.com/tag/animals/

 I also found this statement posted and described as a press release on a forum website called The Bubbler. 

What a coincidence – Southern Winds Equine Rescue owned by Victor McMullen is also located in Wellington, KS.

 A reference to a rescue organization called Winding Road Equine Rescue was included in this “press release”.  Because I had never heard of this rescue organization, I decided to research it.  Internet search engines only came up with one reference to the name in a forum thread that is discussing horse slaughter dated Sept. 24, 2007:

Kristin Chambers
Winding Road Equine Rescue and Retirement
Waverly, Kansas
 see  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HorsePolitics101/message/2675

There is no website for Winding Road Equine Rescue or any other variation of the name.  There is no telephone listing for Winding Road or Kristin Chambers in Waverly, KS that I can find.

Kristin Chamber’s profile has been removed from Horse Politics 101 website, but it used to show that she used the email address narrativedistance@…….

A quick check for user ID  narrativedistance on You Tube turned up this: http://youtube.com/profile?user=NARRATIVEDISTANCE   It shows that she joined You Tube on Sept. 25, 2007.  Her favorite video list contains four horse rescue videos, one of which happens to be the You Tube Video about Trembly Tiny Trails.

She made numerous posts on a miniature horse forum.  Her profile on that forum shows that she joined it on Oct. 9, 2007.  Once again,  the date is well after Sept. 17th when CMHR went public with their accusations against Trembly’s Tiny Trails.  Kristin uses the ID name of windingroad, and her posting signature includes Winding Road Equine Rescue and Retirement Center.  The last time that I looked at her profile on this website, it indicated that she is located in a time zone that is one hour ahead of Waverly Kansas.  I suppose that could be due to a computer glitch or accidental oversight when she filled out her profile information.  Here are a few of her posts on this miniature horse forum:

I am a very new shelter in Kansas (and new to this forum) about two hours from Uniontown. I’ll be heading out shortly to add to the eyes that can hopefully report back to those so far away.I’m not going with any agenda, other than to aid however I can in securing care for the horses. It is my hope they are seized, because I would like to see the laws enforced that were put in place to protect them and others like them.

Kristin Chambers
Winding Road Equine Rescue & Retirement

IF A FEW PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEND E-MAIL ADDRESSES, I CAN TRY TO SEND PICTURES FROM MY CAMERAPHONE. HOWEVER, I WILL BE LEAVING IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR.

 I know there are so many people concerned and curious about what is happening and what will happen to the herd that has become known as the “Kansas minis.” I have way more questions than answers. But I do know that no matter where you stand on this issue, you want to know what is going on and you deserve to know. I arrived at Trembly’s Tiny Trails late morning with two big bales of premium horse forage and an empty trailer. I was accompanied by two new volunteers and two kids. SWER was on site and we were later joined by Deputy Gray. I didn’t have much of an opportunity to visit with anybody, so didn’t pose any questions I wish I could have. About four hours later, we left with two stallions and two geldings. One gelding is FAT. The other is okay. The stallions I was able to buy were black and Paint (or is that pinto in miniature horse world?) The spotted one has already been picked up and is making his way to the Kansas City area. He does not appear to be in ill health. The black one is thin and blind in one eye. I was able to get papers on the two stallions. Another volunteer put up temporary digs while I was on the road. All have shelter, water and piles of prairie hay.These are unbelievably difficult negotiations. We don’t hold many cards at this point. I had hoped for more with less, but I did the best I could.

Kristin Chambers

 I know how concerned everyone is, so I wanted to post I have three geldings here. They’re doing well so far and will see the vet at 2:00 this afternoon. Thanks to CMHR and SWER.

Kristin Chambers
Winding Road Equine Rescue & Retirement

Pea Eye, General and Bob saw a vet today. His opinion was 1) they are all senior citizens! 2) that explains their thinness-they were unable to vie for themselves at the feed bunk as well as the younger stronger horse. His prognosis was very optimistic for all three.Two of them are going to what sounds to me like an experienced and wonderfully indulgent forever home.As for Pea Eye, this is his last stop–his forever home. I look forward to many moons with him–and I imagine he does, too.

Kristin Chambers
Winding Road Equine Rescue & Retirement

So who is Kristin Chambers, and where is Winding Road Equine Rescue?  What has Winding Road Rescue –  rescued in the past?  Where did the money come from that was supposedly used to purchase these horses?  Were they purchased on behalf of CMHR ?  She indicates that only one of the horses is going to permanently stay with her.  Where were the other ones sent?

I found some other posts concerning Kristin that may shed some light on these questions:

Dec. 2, 2007 by Connie P.  “We finally have our two geldings that we purchased from Mr. Trembly home! I want to publicly thank Kristin for picking them up for us and keeping them at her farm for about a month before transport could bring them to us.”

See: http://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/index.php?showtopic=86760&h1=kristin for photos of these two buckskin geldings.

By Kristin:

I have made an attempt to get answers for the questions looming–as of yet, to no avail.  I’ll keep trying.

I am housing a 1999 black stallion and roan gelding, in addition to the buckskin geldings, and a palomino gelding I am fostering.  Just wanted to let ya’ll know there are no outward problems and all have settled in.  I’m calling the roan Sparky–for obvious reasons!

The new ones were not even the best of the worst.  The palomino and black need some weight, especially the black.  The roan is “sparky”–he had easily made his way to the feed bunk.  He does not at all look like a rescue horse.

Although these guys weren’t in trouble, they are gtting quality feed and hay, lots of scratches and pets and already they are on their way to new, better lives.

I’m not done yet.

Then another post by Kristin:

“will try to acclimate myself from the photos when I go back this Sunday for those interested in certain horses and their availability and whereabouts.  I have a hay donation for the herd and hope to pick up a little gelding I asked Vern to save back for me.  Ginny stated: You’re already hooked.  10-4 good buddy!!

I’m not sure what happened to the hay donation that she mentions above unless she attempted to barter for the gelding with it.  I asked Vern Trembly if he recognized the name Kristin Chambers.  He told me that she was among the hordes of people that showed up trying to buy horses after this story became a world wide news sensation.  He said that she  gave him a check in the amount of $1,600 for the purchase of 5 or 6 horses and it bounced!

I specifically remember the palomino gelding because someone else stopped by and wanted to purchase it.  Vern said “some little girl came by and said that she just loved him, so I promised him to her.”  When asked if she had paid for the palomino or been in contact about him recently, he said no, but he didn’t want to go back on his word and disappoint her.

Here is what I am deducing from this information.  I may be wrong.  CMHR and SWER were ordered to stay away from Trembly’s farm.  Vern Trembly was specifically advised not to sell or give away any more horses to anyone connected with theses rescue organizations.

We have Ginny St. Pierre’s own words:  “And Yes, CMHR has purchased 5 of the minis with funds donated especially for that purpose. The others were purchased by individuals and some turned over to CMHR and some kept by the buyers.”

And then we have this interesting comment posted by someone else on a different forum:

It looks like they have hit a roadblock in being able to get more horses today . Here is an update from Ginny (CMHR) that was posted on their forum.Update from Virginia:
Today was not as productive as Ginny, along with Victor’s group, had hoped. She and Wendi arrived at Mr. Trembly’s mid morning. One of Victor’s coordinators was already there. He had six horses, thought to be surrenders, in a pen near the front of the property. While the coordinator was on the phone with Sheriff Coleman, 2 of his deputies drove up. They quickly asked Ginny, Wendi and Victor’s people to leave the property. They were told that no horses would be taken from Mr Trembly’s farm before November 7th. The sheriff will oversee the feeding and care of the horses, once again. Before everyone was asked to leave, a lady named Kristin managed to get three horses from Mr Trembly directly. Kristen is Winding Road Rescue and Retirement Center.

So they used Kristen Chambers to purchase horses?  Is that it?  Not just horses that seemed to be in need, but specific horses that people on this forum saw pictures of and wanted to buy – even two matched buckskin horses that were part of a team that was Vern’s pride and joy? 

WHO IS KRISTIN CHAMBERS?

I can’t even count the times that Vern showed me this photo and described his pride in his buckskin horses.  He always said “I had the only 6 horse matched buckskin team in the country.”  He said repeatedly that he did not want to part with any buckskins.

Had Kristen mentioned that she was acting in the capacity of Winding Road Rescue or in connection with any other rescue organization, I don’t believe that Vern Trembly would have sold horses to her.

It also seems to me that everyone put a lot of blind faith and trust forward with regard to Kristen Chambers.  She pops into a forum on Oct. 9th claiming to operate an equine rescue center, and I can’t find a telephone listing for it or any other information.  It kind of reminds me of launching a You Tube Video and a world wide plea to save 100 starving miniature horses on the basis of a phone call and a few photos from Ronni Feldon without checking out her or her claims first. 

To date, these rescue organizations have not provided any help or donations for the horses living on Trembly’s farm.  They claim that all donations are being used for the horses that were surrendered to them which technically numbered at only 11.  They have no interest in seeing to the needs of any horses on Trembly’s farm that they cannot sieze.  The only help or donations that Mr. Trembly has received has come from local citizens in the community, and an organization called Mare Stare Cares.   Mare Stare Cares raises money to help equine owners that do not have the financial means to provide for their horses with special needs.  Link: http://www.marestarecares.com/Caring%20page.htm

 Meanwhile, the equine rescue organizations tried to demand seizure of the herd from the very beginning.  They disparaged local law enforcement for not taking action before their accusations could even be substantiated.  They stated publicly that the entire herd was to be placed into their possession and started to solicite donations on this basis before ever stepping foot in to the state of Kansas.  The worst part is that they risked a man’s life by inciting hatred, and then publishing his name, address, and directions to his farm all over the web.  This dangerous and potentially deadly approach to animal rescue would have been wrong regardless if any accusations were true or not.   I created this blog with the hope that other animal rescue organizations will take heed on this issue.  When did seeking publicity, donations, and pats on the back become more important than helping to see to the needs of animals viewed to be in a bad situation?  When did it become ok for self proclaimed animal rescuers to disregard due process of law and try to act as both judge and jury without the benefit of any investigation or explanation from the accused? 

CMHR’s  mission statement posted Oct. 23, 2003:

.Recently there has been some concern over what to do concerning rescue situations and trying to get CMHR involved. As a result, we are going to try to clarify how to best handle the situation so that CMHR has the best chance at helping the horses without judging the owners.All of us find that when we hear about a horse in need and a bad situation we tend to react with anger. This is not the way to get anything done about the situation, and that if we all stop long enough to re-read CMHR’s Mission Statement, we will actually cool off some and start to think with our heads, and not with our hearts. The part in bold is what we all must keep in mind or we will not be able to help the miniature horse in need.Mission Statement:Chance’s Miniature Horse Rescue is a not for profit organization dedicated to the well-being of all miniature horses. Our goal is to rehabilitate abused, neglected, or unwanted miniature horses through the charitable works of our members, sponsors, foster and adoptive homes. Surrendered miniature horses will be accepted without judgment. CMHR seeks to better the lives of all miniature horses through the constant promotion and education of responsible miniature horse ownership and breeding practices.Remember, it is critical to NOT judge. This is the only way that we are going to get people to trust us. This is and will be the foundation of our success. If we fail to keep that promise of not judging others, we will fail the horses as the owners won’t even think to come to us for help BEFORE the animal is in a severely needy state.Next, once you have decided that this is truly a needy case, you should contact the Board of Directors (BOD) of CMHR with the situation.Please be fully prepared to share the facts with the BOD. It is helpful if you have contact information for the owners, and pictures of the horse(s) and the situation of the horse(s) in need. With pictures, it helps us to assess the situation and to know how quickly we have to act.Following your contact with the BOD, the BOD will post necessary information on the case here on the rescue forum. The BOD will if needed, ask for the help for foster homes, transport, funds, and any other things that may be required. CMHR will not post the specifics on a public forum, but will be glad to answer questions in a private setting. Remember, this is where the trust issue comes in. We must gain and keep the trust of those who are voluntarily coming to us.Also, the BOD will keep the person reporting the case informed by email or phone calls of what is happening. Now, if CMHR is unable to accept a case, then it is fine for you to ask on the CMHR forum for ideas on how to help. BUT please remember, by posting on this forum, you are representing what CMHR is all about. So please be very careful to NOT judge others as CMHR does not want to be in a situation where we are asked to sensor any post. And feel free to chat about general rescue situations and how to handle them, but make sure that you are not pointing fingers at anyone.This forum is a wealth of knowledge, and can be a very big asset to the plight of the Miniatures in need. Let’s treat it as a treasure so that others will want to visit us and ask for ideas on how to help. So please remember, CMHR and its members are here to help, not judge.Thank You for your understanding and for helping us help the Miniatures!sincerely,
CMHR Board.

and in other posted comments:

“we have become a professional organization with the know-how to help both the miniatures in need and their owners.” 

“We do not judge, we do not give out names, we just care for the horses and get them into permanent homes. This has always been our way. However, this situation was dire and needed drastic measures. It was not to disparage Mr Trembly IT WAS TO SAVE THESE STARVING MINIS. “

Ginnie St. Pierre, CMHR President

CMHR requires a $25 membership fee from potential foster homes.  Their foster home application states:

1)     Once a foster family agrees to foster an equine they are responsible for all usual maintenance costs of the equine including boarding fees, grain, hay, paste de-wormer, farrier, and other usual and customary costs excluding veterinary expenses.  CMHR will be responsible for veterinary expenses incurred by the mini according to the Veterinary Procedures Policy.

 

By the way, the photo of the little 30″ tall palomino stallion at the top of the page is a horse that I got attached to while helping out on the Trembly Farm.  I purchased him for $1,000.  Would these rescue organizations or the “good samaritins” that showed up to help out by “taking some horses off Trembly’s hands” think that he is worth that much?  Probably not, but he is to me.  His registered name is Moonshine, but I call him Butterball.  He certainly wasn’t starved while on Trembly’s farm.  On the contrary, he is over weight.  He is a half brother to a horse that Vern said came up missing from his farm in October.  That missing horse looks identical to a horse that was pictured on CMHR’s Forum website and referred to as “The Hitchhiker” .  They have stated publicly (online)  that “The Hitchhiker”  was picked up on the side of the road near Trembly’s farm.

“Rather than stripping Trembly of his life long companions, the miniature horse community is coming to his aid” – I cannot imagine who would have had the nerve to write such an outrageous and deceptive statement.

A Public Announcement Regarding Trembly Miniature Horses

This blog is strictly an opinion commentary. Public comments are allowed for the purpose of creating open discussions, and they are meant to be construed as opinions and nothing more.    

   I have had an in depth conversation with Mr. Trembly.  Mr. Trembly’s goal is to drastically reduce the size of his herd.  He is working to sell 20 to 22 horses as quickly as possible.  They will not be given away or sent to auction because this is not in the best interest of the horses.  In early spring, the goal is to sell an additional 20 or more.  Some of them need additional recovery time to get them in the best shape for selling them.  A few of the horses will require some gradual hoof trimming over a few months.  A local woman who used to be a professional ferrier is providing assistance.  He will retain only the best of his stock. 

     Mr. Trembly is not currently breeding horses.  He does not breed horses to foal during severe winter months.  Shelters are being constructed.  Metal feeders are being replaced with plastic ones.  The third priority is more clean up on the property.  He will have help doing this.

      If Mr. Trembly should ever breed another horse, it will be very selective with the goal of quality, not quantity.

     Special mini sized teeth floating equipment has been purchased.  Wormers and vaccines are being provided.

     Please allow some time for these changes to take place.  Local people in the community are doing their best to handle this in the way that it should have been in the first place.

Vernon Trembly: A closer look at the man and a lifetime of sharing his love of miniature horses

This blog is strictly an opinion commentary. Public comments are allowed for the purpose of creating open discussions, and they are meant to be construed as opinions and nothing more.

    

Other links:

 Newest photos from the Trembly Farm: http://kswatcher.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/i-visited-uniontown-again-here-are-the-starving-horses-that-victor-mcmullen-of-swer-vowed-in-writing-just-8-days-ago-to-seize/

     Vernon Trembly has two types of cancer, neither of which is expected to be fatal.  Even so, he makes frequent trips to Pittsburg, KS for treatment.  It has been much talked about that he lives with a girlfriend.  The “girlfriend” is a sweet 86-year-old lady confined to a wheel chair.  Vern Trembly is what stands between her and a state nursing home.  Vern’s health problems do not seem to slow him down very much.  Although he is thin, he appears to be very spry and energetic.  I have watched him toss around hay bales and 50 pound bags of grain with apparent ease.  He reminds me a little of Granny Clampet in that respect.

     I’m not sure where Vern is originally from.  It seems that he spent many years in Colorado, and is a member of the Rocky Mountain Miniature Horse Club.  He told me that he grew up on a farm, and has 4 grown children.  He has always had a passionate love for horses, and has been breeding them for over 40 years.  He laughs at the people that were outraged so many years ago at the concept of purposely breeding miniatures.  He said, “The more they complained about it, the smaller I tried to make them.”  There were other times in history when the equine community viewed miniature horses as abominations and useless.  King Henry VIII feared that the mini would be so loved that breeders would stop breeding large horses capable of carrying soldiers and heavy armor.  He ordered all horses under 56 inches tall to be destroyed.  We are fortunate that so many people in England ignored the order and hid their small treasured ponies. 

     Vern’s greatest pride and joy during a lifetime of breeding miniature horses is the harness team of 6 matching buckskins that he used to own.  He claims that they were the only matched set of 6 buckskin miniatures in the country.  Two of those buckskins have now been taken away.

Mr. Trembly has always liked to share his love for miniature horses, and his minis have been a familiar and appreciated attraction at festivals, special events and nursing homes across the midwest.

     Here are some excerpts from a story in The Girard Press by Stephanie Farley.  Read the entire story here: http://girardpress.com/stories/090606/loc_20060906030.shtml

WALNUT – Vern Trembly spent most of his Saturday giving kids in Walnut something to smile about.

Trembly said that sometimes when it gets hot out, he’s tired and his feet start hurting, he wonders why he does it. But every time he looks down and sees the “kids grinning from ear-to-ear, you just forget your problems and go on.”

Trembly said he hoped he was working with children who would otherwise not get a chance to ride a horse.

“He enjoys it as much as the kids do,” said Addie Burch, a friend of Trembly’s.

     Happy customers that own miniatures from Trembly’s Tiny Trails often send Vern letters and photographs.  He keeps and treasures them all.

     He’s even played the part of Santa Claus on a number of occasions.

See additional photos at Kodak Gallery: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=luydpui.aadbetw2&Uy=-x8rj7c&Ux=0

     I think that what sets Vern Trembly apart from the people that would see his life’s work in breeding miniature horses destroyed as well as his personal life in the community in which he lives, is that he not only loves animals, he loves people too!

     I just don’t see him as a man that deserved to be so maliciously destroyed in the media.  I see him as a man that needed some help.  You have only to look at these photos, most of which were taken within the last few years, and it is clear that his horses have been healthy and well taken care of in the past.  Some of his horses were sick.  They were not starved.  With all the criminals and truly evil people in the world, why is there such a fanatical lust for blood associated with this story?

           

I visited Uniontown again. Here are the starving horses that Victor McMullen of SWER vowed in writing just 8 days ago to seize.

This blog is strictly an opinion commentary. Public comments are allowed for the purpose of creating open discussions, and they are meant to be construed as opinions and nothing more.

    

 I’m too tired tonight to write much about this, but “after all, tomorrow is another day.”

     If you are unfamiliar with this unfolding story, start with: The Sad Story of Trembly’s Tiny Trails

 For now, here is a Kodak Gallery link to recent photographs taken at Trembly’s Tiny Trails by me: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=luydpui.5m5udqnm&Uy=-sskzza&Ux=0

     I understand that Victor McMullen of Southern Winds Equine Rescue in Wellington, KS claims that he visited Trembly’s farm just a little over a week ago.  He stated in writing his intent to seize the entire herd.  He claims that it is obvious that the entire herd has received no attention, that they are wormy, and still being intentionally starved to certain death.  Take note that he also said that  he didn’t walk past the front gate.  He claims that although 2/3 of the herd were munching on a huge hay bale, he saw 18 horses in pens that had no hay when he stopped by!  Red Alert!   I suppose that he has come to the conclusion that Vernon Trembly has a special vendetta to be cruel  to those 18 ponies, and not the others.  I know that I couldn’t keep hay in front of my mini 24/7.  He would eat himself to death.  It doesn’t take my horses very long to eat the hay that I give them 2 or 3 times a day.

     Even though  he didn’t walk past the front pasture gate on this 80 acre tract, it was very clear to him that there was no improvement and no efforts at improvement. that the horses had not had the benefit of hoof care or dental care, and that Mr. Trembly obviously wasn’t giving them the generous 9 doses of wormer that he himself provided to Trembly just 8 days before.  My what perception and super human vision he must have!

     You know, I just want to know what is to become of those poor starving goats?  Where is the goat patrol to seize the goats?

     Mr. Trembly was kind enough to lend me one of his photo albums.  I have many more pics to post tomorrow so that perhaps the world can get to know this kind and polite gentleman that has been the helpless target of thirsty wolves.    

Some New Photos of Miniature Horses Taken From Trembly’s Farm

This blog is strictly an opinion commentary. Public comments are allowed for the purpose of creating open discussions, and they are meant to be construed as opinions and nothing more.    

      The photos of some of the horses that were coerced from Vern Trembly have disappeared from the miniature horse forum website where the public call for action against him originated.  My point in originally writing this post was that they looked quite fat and healthy in such a very short time.  The Forum member that posted the photos commented about picking up the little Palomino on the side of the road, and taking him also.  She called him the little “hitch hiker”.   I surely can’t imagine how the little guy just happened to get out on the road at that particular time.  If I remember correctly, she also said that the little Palomino was for Shannon.  Would that be Shannon Hobbs of CMHR – the one that posted the video slide show on You Tube? 

     Good choice Shannon!  What a cutie!  I’d like to have him too! 

     It is puzzling to me why the miniature horse forum  removed these photos from their website.  I suppose that I am forbidden to even speculate or voice my thoughts and opinions about this.  I seems that whether or not publicly spoken words are free speech or libel, harrassment, and defamation,  can be a very vaque area of law depending on both the interpreter and who is on the receiving end.  Sometimes I see no logic in it, so I will just skip it. 

                I’m sorry there are no photographs here.  I will not republish them because photographs are generally considered to have implied copyright by the owner. 

     I will just leave the rest of the heavily edited contents of this page on here- minus the speculation about why the miniature horse forum removed so much content pertaining to Mr. Trembly and his horses from their website.

     Do these look like starving and dying horses to you?  They sure did get fat in one month’s time.  That sure is a beautiful little Palomino colt in the one photo.   She says that she picked him up off of the side of the road.  Gee, I wonder who let him out on the road?  I don’t know if she is kidding or not.    

To those people involved  or “not involved” in this “rescue” that want to sue me for seeking out the facts and questioning their tactics and motives:  Bring it on.  Let’s expose all the shameful details of this  “rescue” on the news.  Want to sue me for slander or libel?  Does this small blog even come close to what was done to Vern Trembly? 

     When I read some of the malevolent and incoherent ramblings posted in the public comments section of this blog, I ask myself  – Am I looking at pure evil towards all things human or a manifestation of multiple personality disorder and sociopathic insanity?  I guess that is why I truly like Vern Trembly.  He seems to like everyone no matter what.

     Free speech, ain’t it great?

Local Pit Bull Advocate Leads attack on Trembly’s Tiny Trails Farm

    

This blog is strictly an opinion commentary. Public comments are allowed for the purpose of creating open discussions, and they are meant to be construed as opinions and nothing more.

The is an update to a previous article:  The Sad Story of Trembly’s Tiny Trails

 The Anti Defamation League:  The increasing use of Holocaust imagery by animal rights activists is a “disturbing development.”

Tehachapi News:

“Lynchings, bombings, and Nazi, scumsucking pig are just some of the thousands of threats and epithets thundering down upon the head of a poor woman who runs an animal rescue shelter after Ellen DeGeneres tearfully denounced her on television”

   Links to some of the comment threads, that were deleted from the miniature horse forum - where the news media circus surrounding the Trembly Farm was first launched,  have also been removed from this article at their request.  Wow! That was a mouthful to say, but apparently free speech and libel can be loosely interpreted depending on whether you are on the giving or receiving end on any given day. They were links to conversations between forum members and CMHR  president Virginia St. Pierre, before all of it mysteriously disappeared one night.  This is not the only information that has been removed from the web.  Other forums associated with the miniature horse forum were also instructed to delete information.  When too many people began posting negative opinions on You Tube about the way CMHR and SWER rescue organizations handled this situation, those comments were also removed.  The comments and conversations painted a disturbing picture of an angry mob that was more intent on confiscating a large herd of miniatures horses than gathering the facts before hand. 

     In looking at the photos of the horses claimed to be among the first group surrendered by Mr. Trembly, I can only say that I see some thin horses.  I know that one of the horses depicted is very elderly.  I have no way of verifying if these horses were truly among that group, because no documentation was written on which horses they took that day.  Mr. Trembly was handed a hand written document to sign.  He did not have his glasses with him.  He is diabetic and cannot read without them.  He was pressured to sign anyway. 

     The horses do not appear to be in a critical state or near death.  I cannot come to the conclusion that their thin appearance is from lack of feeding.  There are numerous health conditions that could bring about this kind of malnourished state.  From the independent information that has been gathered, I suspect it is a combination of parasites, and not having had their teeth floated.  It is my understanding that although Mr. Trembly was treating his horses for worms on a regular schedule per his veterinarians advice, it was not the correct medication.  It wasn’t until some of them began losing weight that his veterinarian suspected tape worms which do not respond to the most common worming medication used.  Before the self proclaimed ”good samaritan” known as Ronni Folden took photographs and contacted CMHR, the horses were receiving the proper worming medication.  This type of infestation cannot be cured quickly with a single dose.  Regarding the issue of teeth floating, many veterinarians do not have the proper sized tools and the experience for dental work on miniature horses.  Mr. Trembly has confirmed that there is not a vet within a reasonable distance to have teeth floating procedures done as often as needed.  For those of you unfamiliar with the term teeth floating, I’ll just simply say that a horses’s teeth continue to grow throughout their lifespans, and certain back teeth must be filed down occasionally.  Most horses require a tranquilizer while it is being done.  As for the alleged eye problem and the horse with suspected penile cancer, I would expect a few eye infections, injuries,  and yes cancer cases in a herd of approximately 100 horses.  Most veterinarians would have advised euthanizing the horse with suspected cancer rather than to spend time and money in an attempt to prolong his life.  

       The most important issue that I want to discuss are the events leading up to the world wide news coverage that has all but destroyed Vernon Trembly’s life as he knew it. 

      It is my understanding that a woman from Fort Scott named Ronni Folden initiated everything with a call to CMHR ( Chances Miniature Horse Rescue ).  She claims that she just happened to be driving around Bourbon County and noticed a few of Trembly’s horses that were meandering near the front gate of the property.  She thought that some of them looked much too thin, and in her mind, an animal cruelty and abuse case right before her eyes that needed to be battled and fought!     I’ll let Virginia St. Pierre provide you with her version of events.  Here is her explanation in a later forum thread.  I have only highlighted the paragraph concerning Ronni Folden whom I wish to discuss next.  When conversations first began, it was stated that Ronni stopped by the Trembly farm twice in one day and did not find him there.  Now it is being told as 4 times.  It really doesn’t matter which is correct.  It is important to note that conversations on the miniature horse forum show that an all points bulletin and media alert was launched on September 17th.   The Sheriff’s department has reported to us that the first time they became aware of a complaint about Mr. Trembly’s horses was in a letter received Sept. 19th.  You might also notice that Virginia states that the story in the media had already begun the previous week by the time she traveled to Uniontown to validate Ronnie Folden’s claims.  She says it was Ronni that stated there was no hay available to the horses.  In reality, the round hay bale was present, but a trailer on Vern’s property contained a plentiful supply of small square bales of brome hay which was of a much higher quality, and was being provided to the horses daily.  You will see that she admits that she only looked at the horses near the gate, and did not walk out on to the large 80 tract, or get a good look at the majority of the herd.  She just assumed that they were all in the same condition, and that there was no water for them.

    Two members of CMHR that reside in Kansas visited the Trembly Farm before Virginia arrived, and they reported back that the situation was not nearly as bad as what Ronni Folden described.  This seemed to matter very little to CMHR, and that ’s when the arguments began.

Quote from post by Mary on Oct.15th:

 

Well, what can I say? I’m so sorry I took the word of a website I once highly regarded and believed what they were saying about Mr. T. his horses and the Sheriff’s Dept. to be the absolute truth.

I went to Mr. T’s farm with the belief that I would find “75-100 starving horses” because thats what I was being led to believe and the pictures they posted appeared to back up their claims. Boy, was I ever wrong!!

I soon realized that the pictures were very selective, and not an accurate depiction of what the true story of this whole unfortunate situation really is. Afterall, anyone can go and take a picture of a horse laying down and claim it cant get back up, right?

I’m not going to sit here and say everything is perfect at Mr. T’s place, there are issues that need taken care of. The main thing is this…Mr. T WAS and STILL IS addressing the issues of the horses. He had been working all along with his vet tying to come up with a treatment plan for them, and when one thing didnt work, they would try the next thing.
 
I was also led to believe that the Sheriff’s office was “lying” and not doing any follow-up, and again, that is not the case. The Sheriff and Deputy have been working relentlessly to come to a solution that would benefit the horses as well as Mr. T, as well as to try to please the angry mobs that took over their phone lines, emails and fax machines.

I have profusely apologized to Mr. T and to Deputy Gray for my actions in all of this, and told them how glad I was that I had the opportunity to see for myself that all the negative things being said were not true.

I do plan on going back to see Mr. T, not with the intentions of trying to get a few horses away from him, but to offer my support and anything else I can do for him and the horses remaining on the property.

To those that I sent emails to (and you know who you are) I also want to apologize to you, I should have checked into the accuracy of this before sending out the emails. Did I ever get a life-lesson out of this, one I wont soon forget!!

Quote from Linda on Oct. 15th:

 OK Here goes, my last post on this subject.  I talked to Mr Trembly for 1 1/2 hours tonight. I have to tell you all that he is one wonderful man. I agree with all the last few posts, ty for posting you guys, you are being so thoughtful. Vern has been working with a Vet and trying different methods of feed and worming. During the summer the horses were belly deep in pasture feed. They had a drought this year, as we had last year so bad, and his fields dried up, like mine did, and that’s when he had to start feeding hay,like we did  here at our ranch. The man he had dealings with to buy hay from sold em off to someone else for more money. He had to drive to another state to purchase more hay. It was night time when he loaded up, when he went to unload the next morning, he saw what a mistake he’d made or suckered into getting what was called hay, NOT, it was not very good and small bales at that. He is, and was then, doing all he could do to take good care of his horses working along with the Vet.
In the first postings it said they rounded up all the thinest ones, NOT they took the buckskins and younger mares and maybe colts. It was not the arrangement they had made with him, he says. They took mostly the ones they wanted. Did you see the picture of the little filly (I think it was a filly) being held and put into the trailer. Did it look thin to you? Not to me. That just showed me that it was getting fed pretty darn good from momma.   

I have included this next post in it’s entirety so that nothing is taken out of context.

This is the explanation and view point of Virginia St. Pierre:

UPDATE 10/2207,

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virginia	Oct 22 2007, 12:41 PM Post #1
	I am totally amazed at some of the things that were said on “some message board” and YouTube, by people who have no idea as to what happened and is happening. CMHR has been labeded “Nazi” me a liar, Shannon is accused of altering pictures etc. I know that i will not change the minds of these people, I don’t care, but for the people that have believed in CMHR and what we are doing, I will give a summary from the very Git-Go and this is the truth, wheather you choose to believe it or not. First, the “22″ that Mr Trembly is claiming was stolen from his farm happened way before this got started. He came home froma trip ad found his gate open. He told me the minis were on the road and then they were gone. Actually he told me several versions of this. I have no idea who or how and neither does he. Some people seem to think we stole them..NOT! Second. Ronni who was brave enough to report the situation is in my eyes a hero. She and her sister were out driving and happened upon Mr Tremblys farm (which can be seen very clearly from the road as it passes tight by 1/4 of the farm) She was very concerned at the condition of the minis she saw and went back 4 times trying to catch Mr Trembly in. He was never located in those visits so she left him a note asking to buy a couple of the minis she thought needed the most care. He never responeded to her note. If he actually was trying to recude his herd, why did he not contact her????? She then went to the “authorities, HSUS, and others and received absolutely NO HELP. She then did an internet search and found CMHR. We were sent pictures. CMHR then tried to no avail to talk with the Sheriff, the DA and others and got the same responses from them. When nothing could or would be done, Gini Acton posted the request for emails, calls etc. It was the only way we could get someone to do something! This not CMHRs way, we accept giveups every month (this month alone 7 more have come into our rescue) from people who can no longer care for them. We do not judge, we do not give out names, we just care for the horses and get them into permanent homes. This has always been our way. However, this situation was dire and needed drastic measures. It was not to disparage Mr Trembly IT WAS TO SAVE THESE STARVING MINIS. Third: We are all volunteers, we DO NOT RECEIVE ONE RED CENT! Yes, my second trip was financed by a wonderful member who has been a staunch supporter of CMHR since we started. (Thank you!) And Yes, CMHR has purchased 5 of the minis with funds donated especially for that purpose. The others were purchased by individuals and some turned over to CMHR and some kept by the buyers. The only ones not purchased were the 10 that were taken out by SWER (NOT CMHR) and turned over to us for Foster and adoption. THESE 10 were the WORST!!! NOT the BEST as Mr Trembly has been claiming. I have pictures taken at the Foster Moms barn of 8 of these. I know the speculation has run rampent over these ten but I have been unwilly to post the pictures as they are bad, but I am now being forced to do so. I hadn’t wanted to fire up this Board again but must do so now to protect the good names of SWER and CMHR. These pictures were taken while I was there by another Board Member who accompanied me. (They will be in a later post as this one will be quite long). I’m sure some of you won’t believe what you will be seeing and will probably say they are doctored. Again, I don’t care, you are free to believe what you want. I have already stated that when I first went out there to see for myself if everything we were told was true, that I was so horrified by what I saw that I initially reported back that all but maybe 5 or 6 were in terrible shape. I was wrong (so sue me, I’m only human) The healthly looking ones were up at the round bale that was out there and I did not get a close look at them. Apparently the bigger stronger ones would not let the smaller weaker ones near the hay. I was there twice that day, once at noon and again at 4pm. Mr Trembly had not yet put in an appearance which is why I filled the water buckets that had been dry at noon and still were at 4pm. And Yes, I was mobbed by the minis trying to get to the water. Why? I don’t know as I have now been told there is pond available to them. All I know and can say is that the skinny ones were very thristy. The media frenzy had been started a week previously and I can only guess that that is why the hay bale was there. When Ronni had made her several trips to the farm, there was NO ROUND BALE THERE. I have no reason to doubt her as she nothing to gain by all this and wanted only to get some kind of help for these minis. I have met her and found that she is a reasonable and caring person. She too has been vilified by a lot of you for doing what she thought was right and sticking to her guns. Ronni, I salute you!. I was there too when the KSU Vet and his crew came by. But by that time the 10 WORST had already been taken and they never got to see them. If they had, I guarantee their decision would have been different. BTW, it is only speculation as to what the Vet actually said and did. SWER and CMHR are NOT privy to anything on his report as it was paid for by the County and has not been given out to anyone that I know of so this too is speculation and rumor. When I left there on Friday with the 13 we got out that day (purchased)by CMHR and individuals there were 70 minis left. Mr Trembly was gone on Saturday to his Merry-go-round function and when I returned on Sunday morning there were 57 minis left. Supposedly he sold 13 between Friday night and Sunday morning even though he was gone all day Saturday. These 13 are unaccounted for. He may have sold them or hidden them I have no idea and have been unable to verify anything on these missing 13. Mr Trembly has been nothing but a gentleman to all who have gone to his farm and called him. He is charming and personable (he charmed me) He says all the right things to people, tells them what they want to hear, then does his own thing. It is his right. To those that think his word is gospel, you are asdly mistaken. But again, I know you will believe him (who has something to gain) and disbelieve me (who has nothing to gain except the welfare of those minis) I feel sorry for you. His claim that the only skinny ones are the old ones is a complete falsehood. I checked several of the skinnier ones and most were under 10 years old. Even if they were all old, there is no excuse for a mini to be skin and bones, none what-so-ever. If proper care is given them, they all should look just fine. They were left to fend for themselves in herd of 100+ and only the stronger ones were doing good. Especially the 4 robust mini mules and the stronger stallions. We have VET PROOF that the ones taken are not all old, some are quite young but almost all have bad teeth some are even unable to eat properly. Does this sound like a well cared for herd??? NO Now, for the latest horrible truth. Mr Trembly will NOT SELL any of his mares, skinny or otherwise!!! Except for the original 10 of which 5 were mares (horribly skinny mares) not one of the minis that has come out is a mare. All are either geldings or stallions. Why! WHY!! Well because, and this is from two very respected members of this board who have talked with Mr Trembly directly, HE NEEDS THEM FOR BREEDING!!!!!!!!! His plans are to buy a stallion (the ones he has are too closly related to his mares) and breed…. My understanding is that the DA, Sheriff and SWER have told him that he needs to get down to 40 or less and he will NOT BE ALLOWED to increase his herd. Maybe I am wrong here too as I can only tell you what SWER has told me. So, to all those who want to finance Mr Trembly directly..go for it, you will be enabling him to do this all over again and maybe the next time his minis need rescuing another rescue that you aprove of will get involved and some of you will actually GO OUT THERE and see for yourselves instead of picking and choosing what you want to believe. I am sure I am going to get slammed again for this post, so BRING IT ON! I know what I am doing is right. Ginny President, CMHR and Proud of it!!! ——————– Now RE located in Spencer, TN
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     I was curious about our “good samaritan” from Fort Scott.  With only the name of Ronni Folden, I did manage to locate her phone numbers and addresses.  I was kind of surprised at just how non existent information seemed to be on the Internet regarding both her and her husband, but it’s not uncommon.  After a lot of searching, I came across her profile on a website called Care2 where the general public is given an opportunity to report news stories.  This is how she describes herself:

Ronni F.

powered by Care2.com • Care2 Home • E-cards & Fun • Shopping • Healthy Living • News Network • Petitions • Click to Donate
<>     Add as friend Introduce yourself Invite to group See Shortest Path Send green star Block Contact “stop breed bans !!!!!”Fort Scott, KS, USA female married, 3 children Speaks: english Joined Oct 26, 2006What I Want to Do: Protect Animals and End their Suffering, Make a difference for animals, HELP IN FINDING LOVING HOMES FOR ANIMALS, End animal experiments Causes: Animal Welfare Activities: Listening to Music, Amusement Parks, Movie watching, horseback riding more about Ronni F. »   Personal Professional Contact Singles Joined Oct 26, 2006 Charter Member no    1° Network Care2 Activist Aspirations Rabid  Here for Support a Cause, Other  Group Host of none yet Groups ALL AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE PITBULL TERRIERS GROUP, Abolish Animal Abuse, Against Horse Slaughter Businesses, Against the slaughter of innocent dogs, American Staffordshire Terrier and Pit Bull Lovers, Animal Control Officers, Rescues and Cruelty Investigators Help Group, Animal Outreach of Kansas, Animal Rescuers, Barrel Horses In Action, Bully Breeds & BSL, Earths Horse Lovers, Horse Chat, International Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, Large Breed Lovers more » People Helping Animals, Animals Helping People, Pit Bull Project, Pit Bulls 101, Power Breeds United!, Q-Horse!, Save the Pits!, They Came For The Pit Bulls…., equestrians, fighting dogs Hometown Ft.Scott,Kansas    Homepage     Birthday Oct 24     Languages english   About Me animal loving,will stop at nothing for a cause I belive in       Introduce yourself to Ronni       Lifestyle     Pets cat, horse, dogs   Activist Aspirations Rabid     Political Leaning Depends     Religions Christian – Other   Eating Habits All kind of food, lots of water, garlic   Wild Fact About Me I’ll try anything(almost)once !!!     My Philosophy live and let live     What Gives Me Hope the fact that some people still care     If I were Mayor, I’d make the world a better place by stop breed bans and put strong animal abuse laws into effect.     What/who changed my life and why my Nan,she passed away in may of this year but she was the strongest,most loving woman I’ve ever known     What Bugs Me ignorance, liars, People who steal, The destruction of rural areas, people who WON’T use their minds!, people who steal and harm others, people who rape, People who can’t be their self, George Bush, cruelty, Any one that would hurt an animal, Any one that would hurt   Passions horses, pitbulls, MY CHILDREN!!!, my husband, animals   Inspirations animals, my husband   What Scares Me breed bans, Losing the ones I love, George W. Bush     Favorites     Role Models Monty Roberts, Clinton Anderson-natural horsemanship tr, Dennis Reis, grandmother   Quotation Punish the deed not the Breed !!!!!     Interests PITBULLS(education-rescues-rehabilitatio, HORSES!!!!!   Books Horse Education Books, any books about /the PARANORMAL, John Saul, Harry Potter Series, Anything by Stephen King or Dean Koontz   Music oldies, bluegrass, country   Movies Pulp Fiction, Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Green Mile, Grease, Fried Green Tomatoes, Finding Nemo, dirty dancing, Harry Potter, horror   TV Shows supernatural, Criss Angel Mindfreak, Will and Grace, medium, Animal Planet, American Idol   Favorite Foods chocolate, chicken, spaghetti, pizza, mashed potatoes   Favorite Places the mountains, woods, The country, LAS VEGAS   Can’t Live Without my children, sex, my animals, my husband     Introduce yourself to Ronni       Friends of Ronni Zach E. (8) LarS S. (762) View all: 2 friends View Network: 72,643 members » Kudos 0 New Butterflies, 17 Total   Cathe R. (405) Testimonial on Oct 26, 2006 Write Testimonial | View all 2 »     Comment Board No comments yet. Add one!

 Ronni really does seem to have a “rabid” passion to be an animal rescue activist!  I see that she also has a passion for Pit Bulls.  I’m sure she doesn’t own and keep any Pit Bulls in Fort Scott, KS because they are illegal there.  During Ronni’s moment of fame while being interviewed by a local Kansas City news station, she says, “ These are miniature horses, and they are used to being pets and being shown.  They are not used to being put out in a pasture to fend for themselves.” 

  Hmmmmm………  and I just thought they were horses. 

     If I have analyzed the information correctly,  Ronni saw some thin horses while driving around in the country.  She took some photographs, and perhaps stopped by there more than one time in a single day before calling CMHR.   She told them that she had left a note for Mr. Trembly ( I don’t know where – on a tree or gate?  ) to inquire about purchasing a couple of them.  When there was no immediate response, she claims to have contacted The Humane Society Of The United States, the “authorities”, the County District Attorney, the County Sheriff, and “others”.  They all refused to do anything.  She then emailed a few photographs to CMHR, and CMHR immediately launched a multi media based campaign by contacting news stations and newspapers.  They created a video from the photos and posted it on You Tube, and then asked members of horse forums and clubs around the world to spread the word and harrasss every Kansas politician and law enforcement entity that they could think of.  They did all of this on the basis of a phone call from a stranger, and a few photographs.  Media Alert!  100 to 110 miniature horses are dying in Kansas!  There was no time to check out this stranger’s credibility.  There was no time to verify that the claim was accurate.  They saw no need to talk to the Sheriff themselves, or ask the owner for an explanation before launching  a plan with the primary goal of confiscating the entire herd, and to hell with the man they were destroying in the process.  He probably deserved it, right?  And there were so many more deserving people in their close knit world of  miniature horse breeders and club members  just waiting in line to purchase or adopt them.  Yes, they were on a mission, and as long as the world agreed with them, they were heroes in the making to boot!  Whenever anyone voiced concern or disapproval of their plans and actions, they found it to be “shocking”.  Certainly the doubts being raised weren’t putting CMHR in a positive light.   They doubters and thinkers had to be silenced.

“We are all volunteers, we DO NOT RECEIVE ONE RED CENT!”

     I asked myself why an animal rescue organization would launch a media campaign like this.  Simply to fufill their need to recognized as heroes to the world?  Another answer came to my mind after reading a comment posted on You Tube.  It was in response to someone saying that their tactics would hurt the reputations of all animal rescue organizations.  The response (paraphrased) :  “This isn’t hurting CMHR at all.  Our membership and donations have skyrocketed in the last month”. 

Hmmm…..  Worldwide hero recognition and lots of donations.  Nope, I don’t see a motive there.

     Numerous disparaging comments were posted by CMHR in comment threads about the Sheriff and Deputies of Bourbon County.  They voiced anger at their lack of concern and refusal to act immediately on a plan for herd confiscation.  The Sheriff either wouldn’t or couldn’t do anything, and it was probably the latter.  After all, Ronni said it was so.

 I received an interesting story from an individual whom is working closely with Mr. Trembly and the Sheriff’s Department to make sure that necessary supplies and help are readily at hand.  I have not had time to verify the story, but I will copy and paste it here as it was sent to me: 

     Here’s some irony for you… about 2 and 1/2 to 3 years ago a man rescued 4 QHs from the Bourbon Co. humane society in far worse condition than Mr. Trembly’s sick minis ever thought to be in. He spent over $3,000 getting these horses healthy again. After they gained their weight back and were happily, the previous owner appealed to the court to get his four QHs back. Another $2,000 or so was spent by the rescuer to keep this man from getting them back. Do you know who that man was?

Deputy Sherriff Grey. Yep, sounds like the kind of man who turns his back on animal neglect huh?

It would seem that hundreds of concerned people, including me,  were easily able to locate phone numbers for both Mr. Trembly and the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Department.  They are not only very easy to reach at almost any time of day, but are also perfectly willing to spend time and chat with anyone that calls.  Would someone please tell me why CMHR didn’t at least do that before turning the matter into a global media circus?   It is a very small town surrounded by other very small towns.  It isn’t difficult to get information in this type of rural area.  I’m not sure who said it first, but it brings to mind this quote, “The best part about living in a small town is that whenever I don’t know what I’m doing,  someone else surely does”. 

     Links to other cases:

http://www.glhorsetruth.com/Pages/OtherCases.htm

http://turn3vsjcac.blogspot.com/

The Sad Story of Trembly’s Tiny Trails

This blog is strictly an opinion commentary. Public comments are allowed for the purpose of creating open discussions, and they are meant to be construed as opinions and nothing more.

71-year-old Vern Trembly raised and sold registered miniature horses for more than 40 years.  He liked to share his passion and love for these small creatures by taking them to special events and celebrations, and setting up live pony ride carousels for children.  He frequently took them to old folks homes and grade school events so that other people might enjoy them too.  His pride and joy was what he believed to be the world’s only 6 miniature horse Buckskin harness team trained to pull a little wagon.  Buckskins are rare and hard to come by in miniature horses. He kept and raised a sizable herd on an 80 acre farm in Uniontown,KS that he called Trembly’s Tiny Trails.  So great was his love for his small friends that he usually camped out on this farm, that does not have  plumbing or electricity, in order to be near them.  When Vern had several horses contract eye infections shortly after birth, they were unable to tolerate the medication for the ailment.  They went blind, but he kept them anyway.  When horses became old and frail, he still kept them.  His heart was too big to put an end to their lives when infirmities rendered them “useless” as most breeders would have done.      Over the past couple of years, Bourbon County Kansas  suffered a drought.  Good hay became scarce.  The ponds on the property became stagnate, creating a parasite problem in the herd.  Although he provided his horses with fresh water in numerous containers scattered about the property, there was no practical way to keep them from drinking from the ponds.  The parasite worming medication that he had always used seemed to work for some of his horses, but not for others.  Seeing that some of his herd was becoming thin and unhealthy looking, he sought help from the local veterinarian to find a medication that would work for all of them.  He frequently traveled many miles in search of better hay than could be obtained locally.      This sad story all started with this video created by Chances Miniature Horse Rescue     Click Link to the video at You Tube       I received this video by email from a friend.  I was angry the first time that I watched it.  I thought, how could the bastard do that to those poor creatures?  I knew that Uniontown wasn’t very far from my town, and I felt a need to know more.  I began searching the Internet for more information on the large herd of miniature horses that were starving and dying in Kansas.      I came across numerous stories and newspaper articles with additional photographs.  This story had gone global almost overnight.  Conversations about it could be found in almost every equine forum on the web.  Trembly’s farm had become a circus with a plaque of reporters and rescue workers swarming in.  Not everyone was out to lynch Vern Trembly though.  The local county Sheriff and authorities didn’t seem to see the situation in the same way that the rescue organization did.  A veterinarian from Kansas State University examined the horses and reported that no horses were in immediate danger.     While looking at the additional photos and information, it was very apparent that a good deal of the herd did not look thin or ill in any way.  I watched the video several more times while taking a much closer look.     The film actually only contained several horses that looked really thin and emaciated.  These horses were filmed multiple times at different angles to make it appear that there were a lot of them like that.  The horse skull in the video was not the skull of a miniature horse.  The wounds that they claimed were present on two of them, couldn’t really be seen in the images.  It was all packaged up nicely to the tune “In The Arms Of An Angel” to further the tragic effect and pull at heart strings.       It took a lot of searching to find a way to reach Vern Trembly.  He only has a cell phone, but I finally found that number listed with a miniature horse club.  I had a nagging suspicion that all was not as portrayed, and I took a leap of faith by calling him and asking permission to visit.      What a wonderful and compassionate man he seemed to be during our phone conversation.  He was also an extremely frightened and confused man.  He didn’t understand what was happening to him, and he broke down crying while telling me about the threats being made by two different rescue organizations, and the horses that they coerced him into surrendering to them.  He said, “I thought that they would take the thinnest ones – the ones that really needed some help.  That’s what they said that they wanted.  The Sheriff told me to just give them a few and maybe that would appease them.  They took the smallest and the best of my herd.  They even took two of my Buckskins.  They said that they wanted 7, and I agreed to that, but then somehow they changed that number to 11 on the paper I signed.”      I drove down to Uniontown accompanied by two close friends and a horse trailer in tow – just in case.  I had no idea what kind of situation would be revealed, but he certainly seemed like a good man that needed some help.  My intention was to take in and provide free care and boarding for a few of the worst ones if needed.        When we arrived, Vern Trembly was sitting in an old car blocking the front gate.  He said that people were pulling up with trailers at all hours either trying to steal horses, or purchase them.  He had sold quite a few of them for $100 to $200 each because rescuers were threatening to press charges and try to confiscate every horse if he did not drastically reduce the herd down to only a few.  He said that he had gone into town the previous day for supplies, and when he returned, the gates were wide open and all of his horses were wandering around on the road.  After they were all rounded up, 22 of them were missing.  He could not prove who had taken them.      I have to say that the video made by this rescue organization is “over the top” and not an accurate portrayal of the situation.  The video makes it looks as if horses are confined to a junk yard and meandering around dangerous trash and debris.  That is not the case.  The trash and debris shown is actually in front of the pasture gate, and not in the pasture with them.  Eighty acres is a fairly large piece of land.  Put into perspective, there really wasn’t all that much of it.  The grass was very sparse at the front of the property where the horses are fed grain and naturally like to congregate.  If you walk a hundred yards back, there is grass despite the time of year and the drought.  One odd thing that caught my eye, were large clumps of grass near the entrance that had obviously been pulled out by the roots and tossed aside.  It appeared that perhaps someone had done a little landscape rearranging for photos.       While touring the property, I saw numerous water containers further back on the property.  There is no water source at the front of the property, and the container in that area, that was claimed to be an empty water trough with mud at the bottom, is not used.     I saw a pen with quite of number of goats, but they certainly seemed to all be fat, sleek and healthy.     Pregnant mares, stallions, and special needs horses were all separated in different small pens.  The pens were constructed out of a “hodge podge” of materials, but they seemed to work.  The majority of the herd were free to roam the entire 80 acres. I spotted almost all of the horses that were depicted in the video, and I asked Vern about each one of them.      At least two of the horses that were depicted were very elderly.  One was over 30 years old.  It is often a struggle to keep weight on elderly horses, and they were receiving special senior care feed.  The horse with the very long and over-grown hoof was blind and very skittish due to his blindness.  I am guessing that trimming his hooves would require a tranquilizer in order not to terrorize him in the process.      I remembered seeing a conversation among the rescuers in one of the equine forums where they were talking about a little filly that escaped as they were loading up the first 11 horses.  She ran back into the herd, and they were unable to take her.  Because she was the smallest in the group, I easily spotted her and confirmed that she was the one that they had been talking about.  She appeared to be plump and healthy and of excellent quality.  It occurred to me that Vern must be telling the truth about the events that preceded my arrival.  Why on earth would they be taking that little filly and leaving behind the thin, old, or blind horses that could use some care and TLC?  The horses that they used to claim that the herd was starving were still there!      To further substantiate my suspicions, I found a photo that they had posted on a forum showing a baby foal being loaded into an SUV.  That baby foal was as cute as the dickens, but certainly didn’t appear to be thin or unhealthy.      I knew that a lot of self proclaimed “do gooders”, not affiliated with the rescue organizations, had rushed down to Uniontown to see what they could buy up after reading and hearing about the story.  I asked Vern which horses were spoken for and not yet picked up.  They were among the best and most valuable.  They were the paints, palominos, buckskins, and chocolate sorrels with long flaxen manes.  With tears in his eyes, Vern said, “Over half of my horses are gone.  If I can just hold on to my smallest mares I can stay alive”      I went home and posted some of my findings in the comments section below the video on You Tube.  Within 24 hours, threads pertaining to the Trembly Rescue Mission were deleted from one miniature horse forum, along with the photo of the foal being loaded of course.  Oddly enough, no photos of the ”rescued” horses have been posted anywhere on the web to date.  There are only written updates about their tragic condition and self congratulatory pats on the back among the rescuers.     Fortunately, other people that have traveled down to Trembly’s Tiny Trails have come forth and reported findings similar to mine.     Now don’t get me wrong.  Trembly’s farm is certainly no paradise.  The herd was too large for one man to care for, and some improvements need to made in pasture and herd management.  Slandering this man and creating a bargain seekers equine shopping mall out of the situation was a shameful way to handle it.  He needed some help.  It was wrong to confiscate and steal his horses, and then coerce him into selling even more of them at pitiful prices.      Local people are angry about the media circus that has plagued and embarrassed the community for weeks.  Vern’s friends and neighbors avoid speaking to him now.       I, for one, will be watching to see how this story of one elderly man’s encounter with the animal rescue organizations comes to a end..

Link to story update: “Local Pit Bull Advocate leads attack on Trembly’s Tiny Trails”