By ANDREA McCANN
Indiana Correspondent

OWENSBURG, Ind. — Two specialists in equine behavior and health conducted a workshop July 19 at Bar P Ranch in Greene County, Ind., for animal control officers who must investigate abuse and neglect complaints for humane societies and law enforcement.

The focus of the Horse Neglect Investigation Training, led by Dr. Jodi Lovejoy of the Indiana Board of Animal Health and Ed Chambers of Turning Point Equine Center, was to provide basic information on horses and their care so investigators can better determine if a horse’s welfare is at risk. Topics included identifying horse behaviors, scoring a horse’s body condition, guidelines for conducting investigations, horse handling safety, how to determine if a horse is malnourished or neglected, developing effective case reports and other skills.

Lana Robertson, president of the Greene County Humane Society (GCHS) and the impetus for the program, said the informative workshop attracted 28 attendees from five counties. They included law enforcement from the sheriffs’ departments of Greene and Owen counties.

A veterinarian, stable owners and humane society personnel and board members came from as far away as West Lafayette and St. Anthony.

“I do the horse investigations for Greene County Humane Society and for the Protective Animal League of Sullivan County, and have done approximately 20 of them in the past year,” Robertson said.
“No horse person, even those with over 50 years of equine experience, ever knows it all. There’s always something new to learn.

“This benefited the Greene County Humane Society, because it was a unique opportunity to learn from an expert – Lovejoy – how to build exact and effective cases against people who abuse or neglect animals. I’ve been body-scoring horses a long time, but I learned from Jodi how to do it in a better and more efficient way.

“Jodi, through the Board of Animal Health, investigates horses all over the state and is an expert at it. Her knowledge – given free of charge – was really helpful.”

Rachel Hubbard, an animal technician at the Greene County Animal Shelter, agreed. “I’ve had horses all my life, but I learned things I didn’t know,” she said. “It was interesting. I learned quite a bit.”

Some of the most important information Hubbard garnered was about equine instincts, physical signs of stress in horses, how to properly feed a malnourished horse, approaching an unfamiliar horse that may be abused and gathering information for an investigative report.

She said she learned it’s difficult to get an animal welfare case to court, so thorough documentation is key and includes lots of photographs. However, she also learned how not to infringe upon the animal owner’s rights.

A few things Hubbard learned to look for when investigating a case include lines in the hooves, which are a sign of stress. In a malnourished horse, she said, signs might be protruding hip bones, predominant ribs and a breastbone that sticks out. To test for dehydration, she said, she learned to pull out the skin on the animal’s chest, and if it stands up for more than a few seconds, the horse is dehydrated.

Other indicators might be found in the horse’s environment, as well, according to Hubbard. For example, she said a starving horse will often eat its own feces or strip the bark off trees.

Once a malnourished horse is identified, “When they’re that way, you don’t give them a lot of water, salt and food all at once,” she explained. “You give a small amount, like a handful of hay, every four hours for 10 days.”

But first, you have to catch the equine in question.

“If you’re approaching a frightened horse, don’t approach fast or hunker down,” Hubbard said. “Approach at an angle from the shoulder blades. And don’t lure them with feed; they’ll trample you. A horse acts out of instinct or fear. It’s not looking to hurt you, but you can’t trust it if it’s afraid. They’re animals.”

She said the workshop presenters explained which horses in a herd to keep an eye on, and gave examples of behaviors, such as pawing the ground, and physical signs, such as ears being laid back, of which investigators should be aware.

She said confiscation, owners’ rights and duties and legalities were also discussed.

Besides the obvious benefit of the knowledge gained from the training, Robertson said she heard feedback that it was a good opportunity to network with other animal control officials about problems they all share. From a law enforcement standpoint, Greene County Deputy John Fowler said it was helpful for him to learn the signs of a malnourished or mistreated horse.

“We don’t get a lot of calls, so therefore, training of this type has been limited,” he said. “That’s where this training was useful to us.”

He pointed out deputies drive all over the county and see horses that may not be as fat as some people think they should be, but he questions if they’re neglected. The information he gained from Lovejoy and Chambers will guide him in those determinations.
Fowler said he doesn’t believe horse neglect or abuse are as widespread as some people might think. He explained Greene County has no official animal control officer (ACO), so the GCHS provides that service. However, while that person has sanction over animal welfare, they are not a law enforcement official.

“From a law enforcement aspect, (deputies) don’t need permission to go onto someone’s property if we have a complaint,” Fowler said, adding that volunteers or the Humane Society ACO wouldn’t have that same authority. “We go with them, not as an expert on animal abuse – we go as an authority to check out the complaint.”

With this assistance, the ACO can get closer to the animal in question and its habitat to do a more thorough investigation. Without an exhaustive investigation backed by good documentation, Fowler said it would be difficult to defend a case and convince the prosecutor to take it to court.

The GCSD deputy added that a checklist and other handouts provided by the workshop presenters will be helpful when doing reports on abuse and neglect cases. “The big thing is educating people,” Fowler said. “That’s where horse groups can do a lot of good. It’s the same thing the shelter’s doing with small animals.”
The Purdue Cooperative Extension Service has donated a DVD entitled “Our First Horse: Considerations Before You Buy” that’s available to check out at the Bloomfield Eastern Greene Public Library and Linton’s Margaret Cooper Public Library. The GCHS encourages anyone thinking of buying a horse, and even new horse owners, to borrow the DVD.

This training was made possible through the Indiana Horse Council (IHC) Welfare Committee and organized by IHC Director of Development Mindy Vaughn. It’s the third seminar coordinated by Vaughn and Lovejoy and the first in Greene County, according to Robertson. Bar P Ranch is owned by Charlie and Esther Parton of Owensburg.