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Animal Expert Says Grass Lake Horses Were Tortured

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Posted: 5:52 PM Jun 6, 2007
Last Updated: 10:18 AM Jun 7, 2007
Reporter: Lori Dougovito
Email Address: lori.dougovito@wilx.com

31 comments

A | A | A

Three of the 69 horses at Grass Lake Township's "Turn Three Ranch" were tortured; that from a veterinarian in court Wednesday. The Prosecution says it was not done intentionally, but they were neglected so bad it could be considered torture.

This during a hearing to determine if the ranch owners, Matt Mercier and James Henderson Jr., will go to trial for the alleged abuse and if they can keep their horses. Both men face three count of animal torture, a felony and one count of failing to provide adequate care, a misdemeanor.

In March, Jackson County Animal Control seized their ranch after they found a dead horse in the driveway.

At least three horses were severely emaciated, according to Richard Hammer, D.V.M. Hammer was hired by Jackson County Animal Control to evaluate the horses. He fully examined the four worst horses. "In my opinion, it was abuse," he said of the horses’ conditions.

The defense implied the ranch owners did provide proper care for the animals, just not to the "high standards" others may provide. They say animal control officers acted inappropriately.

The hearing continues Thursday.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: me Location: jackson on Oct 1, 2007 at 02:51 PM
If you don't know the facts you should keep your opinions to yourself. I know the people who testified including the AC vet and the veterinary surgeon, as well as AC. There was no abuse or neglect of these animals, intentional or otherwise. AC thinks, like many people, that all horses are valuable. They saw an opportunity to make money, found a DA and a looney judge to help. The judge is certifiably nuts (I've met him), and all of the other people in the the DA's office refuse to work with AC because they have a habit of doing this.

Posted by: Alisha Location: Owosso,MI on Sep 28, 2007 at 11:01 PM
I'm apolled at what has been going on with turn 3 ranch. It is rediculous and they should ahve never had one single horse taken away from them. nore should they of had their trucks seized and theur tack stolen or their barns and fields flooded by animal control. Do people know that horses haven't been wormed or had their feet trimmed since Animal control took them. They are now skinny(for thsoe of you that think they where before AC took over you should see them now). They are infested with worms so bad worming them regulularly could kill them. Its all a big joke and more people need to stand up to end it.

Posted by: Dee Location: Jackson on Jul 26, 2007 at 08:46 PM
Del from Leslie, your a liar and a cheat. I do know the facts of this case evidentally you don't. And your idea of the law has changed. For starters they are getting charged with 3 counts not 4, next two of these horses had vet appts which AC cancelled, next the 4 yr old that was emaciated had been separated in the barn so not to be in a pecking order and also getting extra which the vet said she would bounce back. These guys are not animal abusers at all, it should not have been seized at all. I think some of you people spewing lies and hate are probaly a few of the people Matt and Jim had past lawsuits with and they won. Shame on you for being so evil. You know these mens life is loving horses. And the rest of you, you have been very mislead by AC's lies and exaggerations. We all have learned that AC Shelter is the worst in Michigan and other shelters won't take their animals because they are so miserably sick. What does that tell you about Jackson Animal Control Shelter? I think they need charged with animal cruelty.

Posted by: Joyce Location: Eastpointe on Jul 2, 2007 at 11:12 AM
Can someone provide a link to the video of the horses? Thanks

Posted by: Humane Treatment Location: Michigan on Jun 16, 2007 at 11:43 AM
It seems a little strange that another Local News Station is claiming that: "the Jackson County Animal Control's veterinary told the court that none of of the horses were starved or neglected, the horses were not tortured and blamed their shaggy fur and bony appearence on Michigan's winter weather." There appears to be a completely different story here. Does anyone know who the veterinary is for Jackson County Animal Control? Why would Jackson County Animal Control seize this farm and horses when their own veterinarian blames the appearence of the horses on Michigan's winter weather?

Posted by: Del Location: Leslie on Jun 13, 2007 at 12:18 PM
Also just because there are only 4 charges filed against them doesn't mean that only 4 horses were malnourished. How Michigan law works is that you get the exact same penalty for 1 count of Animal Neglect as you would for 1,000 counts of Animal Neglect. Usually with multiple Animal Neglect cases you are charged with one count (Like with Matt and Jim) and they choose the animal that it is easiest case to prove. If they charged them with 69 cases they would have pull evidence on all 69 horses at the taxpayers expense just to have the accused if convicted serve the same time as if they had just charged them with one case. The felony charges, while harder to prove, are served concurrently so you do get a bigger punishment for each convicted case. So don't state that only 4 horses were malnourished unless you've got some "facts" other than the charges stating that.

Posted by: Brenda Location: michigan on Jun 11, 2007 at 03:20 PM
Jamie from Sunfield... AMEN !!!!!! Its not right to feed yearlings like this during their "growing" years to save a few bucks, only to sell them for top $$ as racehorses to unsuspecting owners who might have issues later. Wake up people..... where there is smoke there is usualy fire....

Posted by: Betty Location: South Carolina on Jun 11, 2007 at 09:10 AM
Del.... I think that you are 100% right... but its not an excuse....they knew better, and had money to buy quality feed, if they didnt they had enought value in horses to sell some, (like the rest of us would have had to do) and pay for feed. No excuse...

Posted by: leslie Location: jackson on Jun 11, 2007 at 09:07 AM
Alisha...you say "People get the facts or keep ur mouths shut."... I think that this applies to you as well... I think that the ONLY "facts" you have, are the ones that came from the mouths of the accused. Just because the accused send out propoganda e-mails about how innocent they are, and how corrupt the media and Animal Control are does NOT mean that they are FACTS and it does NOT mean that they ARE innocent. It just means they got caught. You people are NOT horsemen if you cant see that this was NOT the right way to take care of a horse. Even feedlot horses get better care than these horses did.

Posted by: Jamie Location: Sunfield on Jun 10, 2007 at 10:05 PM
Alisha your comment is just like the rest. You can't stick up for them. They did wrong and they are paying for it. You say that people shouldn't say anything about them because we don't know them. It sounds like you don't know them either so you need to shut your mouth. I do know them and i have asked them before why the were not caring for the 2 horses I seen at the time and all they said was " yeah we need to get on that ". Those are not the only horses that were neglected either, Alisha. A friend of mine bought 3 horses and 2 out of the three had stunted growth due to there problems. The problems the owners did not take care of and now my fiend has to raise a horses that was neglected and could have been prevented. These people are lazy. It's not hard to take care of a horse if you know what you are doing. i fyou get in trouble for the way you bring up your horses you are doing something wrong and you need to get rid of them and get a fish.

Posted by: Alisha Location: Owosso,MI on Jun 10, 2007 at 09:36 AM
Holly crap people there was like 4 horses(out of 69) that where old or ill. If they where taking such bad care of them why where the other 65 horses fat/over weight and have good feet. Guess what people. Horses can just drop dead without any warning. I have a friend that went out to her field one day and found her gaited mare dead. No signs or anything. The mare was fat and sassy and just droped dead. Michigans Animal Control is a JOKE. They put me through hell with a mare rescue mare I adopted. I had already put 500 lbs on that mare and we still went to court for animal neglect, starvation(horses have round bale in front of them 24/7), abandonment(live on site and worked hroses every day), etc(and the other 2 horses where FAT). If they wheren't taking care of their horses then why would animal control of turned away a load of hay that Matt and Jim had schuled to be delivered. You people make me sick. Your running people into the ground and you don't know them, you don't know the care of their horses, and you haven't ever seen their horses. People get the facts or keep ur mouths shut.

Posted by: Jamie Location: Sunfield on Jun 8, 2007 at 03:44 PM
Del u r right. If u can't afford to take care of your horses sell them to a better farmer/horse taker that can. Don't let them get that neglected.

Posted by: Del Location: Leslie on Jun 8, 2007 at 01:40 PM
I'm willing to give these guys the benefit of the doubt and say they took excellent care of their horses in the past. Last summer hay was *expensive*. I could barely afford to buy enough for my horses. Many other people were in the same boat. My guess is that they didn't buy enough and hoped for a mild winter. With the idea they could put the weight back on come spring. We didn't have a mild winter and we had a terrible cold wet spell in the spring as well as late frosts. It doesn't help that one of the men was injured. Sounds like they gave the food they had to the most valuable horses in order to make sure come spring they could make a little money. But you know what, no matter what the circumstances are,, the way they took "care" of their animals THIS WINTER was neglectful.

Posted by: Eunice Location: Mulliken on Jun 8, 2007 at 12:38 PM
Wow!! Iam a huge animal lover especially horses and this story made me sick. Those guys should never get another animal again and be tossed in prison and forgot about.. And to Bill from Texas are you kidding me are you even reading the same story as the rest of us.. Abuse Is Abuse plain and simple. Those poor horses had no way of defending them selves from those abusers. All animals are gifts and precious.. Im just sickened by this.. I agree with you melissa from Micigan they should go through what the horses did..

Posted by: Wow!! on Jun 8, 2007 at 11:40 AM
To Jay of MI. Ofcorse the child you are talking about is not going to bring out a neglected horse. That would be silly. These horse owners don't want to show it off that they are not very good with animals. They just wait for one to drop dead in there driveway......

Posted by: Animal Lover on Jun 8, 2007 at 10:57 AM
One horse was found dead in the driveway? Jamie from Sunfield you are right. These people should have their horses taken way if they are charged. The people that are trying to stick up for these animal neglecters are stupid. You can't cover up a problem. They did something wrong if they are going to be charged for it. They are going to charge these people with a felony. They shouldn't have let it get this far. You can't stick up for that.

Posted by: melissa Location: michigan on Jun 8, 2007 at 10:11 AM
I think that maybe they should go through what the horses went through. I know the vet that looked at these horses, and what he had to say about it was unreal, what they put the animal through was awful, i think a couple years behind bars will help them think about what they did!!

Posted by: Karen Location: Jackson on Jun 8, 2007 at 09:29 AM
The barrelhorse world people are truly ignorant if the choose to believe that this is not abuse based on the "facts" that have only come from the "accused", or statements from others who are not local,who have NOT seen it, who have only seen horses the horses they have in public. Yes, I am sure they DO take care of the ones running and making them money, they have too. Robin from OKlahoma..so we can say what the AC did was wrong by not getting the colt with the wire injury seen "that day" as you say... and we can hollar and screem "foul" towards the AC...but Remember had the OWNERS taken the colt to be seen THAT day the injury happened, that colt wouldnt even be an issue. right.? I do not understand why good horsemen/women would condone an act like this, you all know that those horses were NOT being taken care of the way they should have been. These were not "poor" people who "had a bit of rough luck", these are business men, who just dont care about the by-products of thier business.

Posted by: Jamie Location: Sunfield on Jun 8, 2007 at 01:15 AM
Think aboout it. They are possibably going to be charged for animal neglect. They did something wrong. They should have got these horses treated if they have so much money. Right Cindy from Grass Lake? These poor horses were neglected. Face it friends of the neglecter family. They did wrong and now they are going to face what they have done. It's not fair to the horses.

Posted by: Jamie Location: Sunfield on Jun 8, 2007 at 01:07 AM
To Michelle from Michigan, abuse is abuse. Say what you want to say. People like you make people do this to animals. Your experience I'm sure. Don't call me out. Bash someone else. Rock on animal lovers.

Posted by: Jay Location: Michigan on Jun 7, 2007 at 10:01 PM
This is not the entire story. I've seen a young child show a horse at horse shows that came from their ranch. It was certainly not a mistreated horse and it was also well trained. Three or four horses out of 69 were not in good health? And they were being treated for their problems? Does that mean 65 or 66 of the horses were fine? That's the way I'm understanding this. Still appears to be a witch hunt to me. I've seen a lot of farms in Jackson County with animals in much worse condition! Why is nothing happening with them? Also, why were Matt and Jim not given an opportunity to make changes, a warning so to speak rather than all this?

Posted by: Angie Location: Michigan on Jun 7, 2007 at 09:54 PM
To Bill in Texas: Just a little scenario for ya.. Think about it. Would you feel the same way if say a family with 10 kids only took care of 5 of them. Well I guess you would think it was ok if they made sure to show the healthy ones too oh wait, should I say the "fat ones". What a joke!

Posted by: Robin Location: Oklahoma on Jun 7, 2007 at 08:13 PM
Immediate care should be sooner than one week! That is like THAT VERY DAY. The AC should be charged with neglect. If your family member were injured and needed immediate care, would you wait a week? If you did you would be charged with criminal neglect and michigan AC should be too.

Posted by: Gail Location: mIchigan on Jun 7, 2007 at 07:16 PM
wow..Who needs to see 'all the facts' in this case? I should think only 1 fact, an indisputable fact, should really matter here, that's the fact that there was 3 horses severely emaciated, and these 3 horses were OBVIOUSLY not cared for. This isn't rocket science folks, its plain good old fashioned common sense, DUH. Of course, there's not much of that in the world these days. Right is right, wrong is wrong. If you can't properly care for an animal, you simply have no right owning one. These people have shown they can't properly care for animals, and therefore shouldn't have them. Irregardless of whether this is a business or not, horses feel pain just like any other creature, and since this was a business, they must not have been very good businessmen, as it takes money to make money....Investing in their horses wellbeing probably would have made them money...Look where they are now! Hope it was worth it. How truly sad.

Posted by: SC Location: Jackson on Jun 7, 2007 at 06:55 PM
There is FAR more to this story than what the media is reporting. Search for "Turn 3" at barrelhorseworld dotcom or check out this link: http://www.barrelhorseworld.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=122557&start=106&posts=119

Posted by: Del Location: Leslie on Jun 7, 2007 at 05:51 PM
Bill you are ignorant of the true story. Do a little research. 3 Vets have "examined' these horses. Vet number one Robert Sray said the horses were in fair to good condition. (You know he was paid to say that too!) According to your own arguments we can just toss his testimony out. To make it worse in an interview with a newspaper when he was asked about how why his view differed from the other two vets who examined the horses he admitted that he performed a visual inspection only. I have a hard time believing a visual exam of pregnant horses with their winter coats is going to be more reliable than the physical exam done by two other vets. So then we've got the report of two other vets. So you don't believe Richard Hammer because he was hired by animal control. Take a look at the report that a neutral party veterinarian gave. V.S. Chickering an independent Vet who works for the State of Michigan in the Department of Agriculture said not only were three horses extremely emaciated but that the property was in such poor condition that it posed a serious safety risk. I hope Jim and Matt spend a long time in prison.

Posted by: Cindy Location: Grass Lake on Jun 7, 2007 at 03:00 PM
I think its a sad day when we defend people who neglect animals. Those two men are not backyard animal owners. They make that ranch a business, those horses make them money, they need to put some back into them. Its disgusting to know that people who KNOW how to take care of horses PROPERLY, would allow this to happen. plain and simple...no excuse. Bill from Texas, how exactly can YOU know all the facts, or the "real story" What people "say" and what they "do" behind closed doors are two differnt things. The vet who was asked to testify didnt get paid for saying that it was torture..He was stating his qualified opinion. How much are you getting paid to say it wasnt torture.? See, it works both ways. "The defense implied the ranch owners did provide proper care for the animals, just not to the "high standards" others may provide"... If those were my BUSINESS, and worth so much money as they state... why would they NOT be maintained at the HIGHEST standard of care.?

Posted by: Michelle Location: Michigan on Jun 7, 2007 at 10:15 AM
Jamie from Sunfield, I dont blame you for thinking the way you do about this case. There are many people that think the same way about this case. Thanks to unfair, unprofessional, NONivestigative, false, one-sided reporting on this case most people, who are not close to the case, have NO idea what the "real story" is. Let me assure you, there was no abuse, torture, or cruelty that went on. The 4 horses were being treated for their individual issues. This case is all about money. Plain and simple. And if the people reporting this story would have done just a little bit of actual fact fiding, as they were encouraged to...they would have come to the same conclusion. It is sad that today you cant read or listen to a news story and know that it is fact because most of the time it is not.

Posted by: Jamie Location: Sunfield, MI on Jun 7, 2007 at 08:52 AM
For people to do this to animals is insane. Animals are a gift to us. Horses have such pride even in their name alone. They depend on us for food and comfort. To have these guy's treat these animals is not right. They should pass a law on people like this. It should be that if anyone is charged with animal abuse that there should be a judgement on them so that they could not be allowed to have any animals in thier care. It's not fair and I think these guy's should try dong this to a human thier own size. Not an animal that can not defend it's self. Unhappy animal lover :(

Posted by: Bill Location: Texas on Jun 7, 2007 at 02:53 AM
I saw your first videos of the horse abuse accusations and it was a shame your reporters did not show the fat horses in the background of your videos. As a long term horse owner I know how accident prone horses can be and for them to take 4 of 69 horses with known ailments or old age and confiscate property and destroy two mens lives is insane. I hope you will reprimand your reporters for being scammed by two beligerant and totally off base women acting like drama queens. I have delt with these two men over many years, bred to their stallions, purchased horses from each other .... and never have I got an unhealthy horse for them. I find it totally unprofessional of your news people to cast the light on this seizure per your news videos. I hope these two men can sue you for slander and unjustified persecution. As news people you should know there are weird people similar to the PETA organization that accuse people of so many wrongs and you validate it by placing it on your news casts as truths. Horses are not house pets they are a livestock business. The people that read the Black Beauty and Black Stallion books are totally off base and have never owned a horse in their lives... all they have is a glorified book or film as their base for creating havoc and your news station was totally out of line. I think it is past time for you to apologize to Jim and Matt and offer to pay their attorney bills... without your zealous drama based news coveage that poor under educated animal control person and the one from the other county did not have a leg to stand on. The paid "professional" witness testified it was torture.. he was paid to say that... so do something American and protect these two guys from further belligerant nonsense!! So...are you going to apologize and send your money to defend these two men!!

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