A horse named Honey Boy from Brown County has been getting some statewide attention due to a case of what has been called extreme neglect, leaving the horse about 700 pounds underweight. Honey Boy has made the headlines of several news stations in the last few days as he is now under the care of Ranch Hand Rescue in Argyle, a rescue ranch that helps save farm animals from neglect and starvation.
Officials from the Brown County Sheriff’s office said that this case is not about intentional neglect, but more about an old horse needing specialized care, and the owners unable to provide it.
Brown County Sheriff’s Department discovered the extremely thin horse on May 3rd when they were called to investigate a “malnourished” horse in the Brookesmith area. According to BCSO Sgt. Lana Guthrie, an animal lover herself, she was infuriated when she first saw the condition of the horse which was, according to Guthrie, literally just skin and bones and had sores on its hips.
According to Guthrie, the owner of the horse immediately came out of the house and visited with her about the horse when she arrived, telling her that the family has owned the horse for years and that in the last year, it has really had a problem keeping weight. According to information from BCSO, the owner haltered the horse so that Guthrie could take investigatory pictures and then informed her of the senior type feed pellets that she had been giving the horse. Guthrie said that the owner told her that the 34-year-old horse was just not able to absorb the high protein food which had been provided to him.
“These people were doing what they could financially do; there wasn’t anything they could do that they knew to do otherwise,” Guthrie said.
Nearby was another horse that belonged to the same family, which was “fat” according to Guthrie.
Guthrie, along with the Corinne T. Smith Animal Shelter, worked to find a veterinarian that would take a look at the horse and give an opinion of the horse’s condition. A veterinarian in Coleman, Texas was able to work with the family and examine the horse, which was found to be extremely malnourished, due to what he felt was old age, poor teeth and the wrong type of food, explained Guthrie.
After removing two abscessed teeth and filing down the front teeth so that they would be even enough to chew food, the vet recommended that they feed the horse 11 pounds of senior horse feed and fine stem hay (which Guthrie stated is expensive and hard to find). The horse was left with only five teeth to chew his food and that the food falls out of his mouth before he can chew it, making it necessary for him to have the type of food that would instantly dissolve when put into his mouth.
“The vet said that he felt no matter what they did, he (the horse) probably wouldn’t live very long,” stated Guthrie. “The vet didn’t feel they (the owners) had neglected him, as they carefully wrote down and followed his directions (for feeding and caring for the horse). They just didn’t know how to care for him. The vet encouraged the owners to euthanize the horse.”
Guthrie explained that given the vet’s opinion, she strongly felt that the case was not intentional and therefore, the owners were not going to be prosecuted. She felt the owners had done as instructed and were interested in the horse’s well-being.
“We didn’t find any evidence and the vet didn’t find any reason to believe any abuse or neglect had occurred. After talking to the vet, I felt very comfortable in closing the case,” stated Guthrie. “To prosecute a case of neglect, we’d need a vet to make a written statement that he felt there was reason to believe there was neglect or abuse and we could not find a vet that would state that.”
Because BSCO determined the case was not prosecutable, they placed the owners on a monitoring program, where deputies would check on the horse as they patrolled the area. Being their granddaughter’s horse, the owners did not want to put him down; however, the cost of the recommended diet was estimated to be $400/month. When it was decided that the owners could not properly care for the horse and did not want to put the horse down, they agreed to voluntarily surrender the horse to the rescue facilities.
“
The family was interested in releasing him to a place that could get him up to speed,” said Guthrie.
The family, along with BCSO, sought help from the Corinne T. Smith Animal Shelter, which agreed to provide a week’s worth of this costly food until the animal could be moved to a rescue ranch.
Local horseman Larry Neaves, owner of a horse hospice facility in Brookesmith, wanted to take in the horse, but due to his facilities being full, asked a friend at Ranch Hand Rescue in Argyle, Texas to take on the horse. Owner Bob Williams of Ranch Hand Rescue usually requires that any animal he takes in is from a case that is actively being prosecuted; however after seeing pictures of Honey Boy’s condition, he made an exception and took possession of the horse on June 2nd.
Williams and Neaves had a different opinion of Honey Boy’s condition. They respect BCSO’s determination not to prosecute; however they feel that the horse was neglected, even if it wasn’t intentional.
“There has to be accountability and restitution. It’s a real issue for us because we take on expensive rehabilitation efforts and these owners get to go on about their lives,” stated Williams. “Children, animals and the elderly cannot take care of themselves. Owners should seek help or give the animal away before it gets to this condition.”
“No doubt it was neglect, the horse wasn’t properly cared for even if it wasn’t malicious intent,” said Neaves.
Both Neaves and Williams felt a change in policy for non-prosecutable cases of animal cruelty needs to be implemented across the state.
“When someone beats an animal to death, it is a felony; but when someone starves an animal to death
it is only a misdemeanor,” said Neaves, who is also a retired federal law enforcement officer.
Neaves explained that when owners are allowed to voluntarily surrender an animal, there is no policy in place to keep them from getting other animals in the future and repeating the cycle. Both he and Williams hope to work with BCSO to find a solution that may help put an end to these situations. Neaves stated that he hoped in the future, something such as a legal forfeiture issued by a Justice of the Peace which also contains a stipulation that the owners cannot own animals could be a possible solution.
“At the end of the day, to make something positive from this, you need to give law enforcement a chance, communicate with them, and figure out a solution by creating awareness,” said Williams. “To me, it isn’t a case of blame, let’s be constructive. We want to see accountability and restitution.”
Honey Boy has problems with dehydration, dental, anemia, skin sores, problems sweating, and because of his malnourishment, digestive problems according to Williams. At the ranch, they are soaking his food for 4-6 hours, soaking hay for 24 hours to make it more digestible for him, feeding him every four hours and spraying him down every two hours to keep him cool. It is a 24 hours, 7 days a week job at the ranch to save animals like Honey Boy. Although the horse is 34-years-old, Williams and Neaves still have hope that Honey Boy could possibly recover. They said they have seen horses live to be 40-years-old.
To learn more about Ranch Hand Rescue, or to donate to Honey Boy’s care, please contact Bob Williams by visiting their website: www.ranchhandrescue.org
Williams said that he will keep BrownwoodNews.com posted on Honey Boy’s progress. Photos provided by Williams.
