What is WRONG with some people?

[my miss storm cat]

Disturbing story from TT.....

Neglect alleged at Diamond Legends in Arkansas
(no author listed)


The Arkansas State Police and the Humane Society of Pulaski County served a warrant on August 9 at Diamond Legends Farm in Malvern, Arkansas, and rescued 31 horses in various degrees of starvation, including Grade 2 winning stallions Wild Syn, Hesabull, and Funontherun.

All the horses plus 29 dogs were removed from the farm and returned to their owners or placed with local veterinarians and volunteers, said Kay Jordan, an investigator with the humane society.

No charges had been filed as of August 31, but Jordan said Diamond Legends owners Hector and Marlea Mesta would face cruelty to animal charges.

Also among the malnourished horses were stallions A.P. Million, an unraced six-year-old A.P. Indy horse, and The Road Boss, a winning five-year-old son of Southern Halo. Investigators also found a dead decomposing mare covered by a tarp and a number of bones and hooves on the property.

"It was a sad thing," Jordan said. "There was no hay, grain or water for all but two of the 31 horses."

Jurgen Arnemann, a Kentucky breeder who owns Wild Syn and stood the 14-year-old Wild Again stallion at Diamond Legends was the first to uncover the inhumane living conditions when he contacted Hector Mesta to arrange for Wild Syn to return to the Blue Grass following the expiration of a three-year agreement.

"He didn't want to give the horse back," Arnemann said. "He said, 'Oh, I'd like to have him for another year. I have some mares lined up.' Well, I talked to my son, Thomas, and we somehow felt uncomfortable with that, so we drove down there."

When the Arnemanns entered the property they saw a field full of young horses, "and all you could see was ribs and bones sticking out. They were completely malnourished," Arnemann said.

When they were led to Wild Syn, whom Jurgen bred and Thomas trained through an 18-race career that included a victory in the 1995 Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland Race Course, they hardly recognized their horse.

"They had the stallion in 100-degree weather outside with no food and no water," Arnemann said. "The tub had dirt and dust in it, so there was no water for a while. The horse hardly made it up the ramp."

John O'Brien, D.V.M., examined Wild Syn upon their return to Kentucky and called Arkansas authorities. Thanks to O'Brien's efforts, the state police did a drive-by of the property and decided there was enough evidence to seek a warrant.

"It was probably one of the worst cases of abuse I've ever seen in my life," said O'Brien, who is based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. "You hate to publicize these things, but people need to be aware that this can happen. If we hadn't gotten that horse picked up, within a week he would have been dead."

Hector Mesta denied there were starving horses on his property. He said Diamond Legends has gone under after 20 years in the business. Mesta also said he was diagnosed with bone cancer earlier this year.

"My horses were in good shape when they were here," Mesta said. "They were not starving at all. They were being fed twice a day. Everything else is how someone interprets it. Unless you're in the trenches, you won't understand. I would never ever starve a horse. They ate before I did."—Pete Denk


http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/tod...66338&subsec=6