Horses' owner disputes claims
By Andy Paras
COTTAGEVILLE — The organizer of a children's Bible camp said some of the 47 horses seized by authorities Tuesday are sick but denied that any of them were ever abused or neglected.
The Post and Courier
Elizabeth Steed, founder of Livestock Equine Awareness and Rescue Network, feeds a mare Tuesday that was seized from a Colleton County bible camp.
Eddie Ackerman, the minister at Wholehearted Church, which owns the Gift Horse Bible Camp, said Wednesday that he's been trying for weeks to determine why nearly a dozen of the horses stopped eating the oats, hay and grass he supplied them on a daily basis.
"I've never had horses that poor in my life, and I've had horses for 40 years," Ackerman said. "What happened to them is an absolute mystery to me."
Colleton County Animal and Environmental Control officers, with the help of Charleston County authorities, seized the animals after they said they received numerous complaints that the animals were being neglected and abused. The animals have been seized until a May 12 hearing before a judge. No charges have been filed.
Officials who visited the farm described moldy oats on the ground and algae-filled water in the buckets, allegations Ackerman denies. Several of the animals' ribs were clearly visible, which Ackerman doesn't deny.
Ackerman said he welcomed the help of authorities but said the allegations that brought them to his horse farm come from neighbors who have been unsuccessfully trying to shut him down for years. One complaint led to a neglect charge against him in 2003 that he said was eventually dropped after it was determined the horse had become ill and was not starving.
"I'm being unjustly persecuted by Animal Control because somebody has it out for us," he said.
He said he moved several of the horses to a new area on the horse farm in March following a recent complaint about one of his horses escaping. He suspects the new area may have something to do with the illness, be it from the ground or toxins in the pecan husks that come from the trees.
Within weeks, many of the horses stopped eating, he said.
Out at a Meggett horse farm where 27 of the horses are being kept until the hearing, many of the horses on Wednesday were pushing one another for the oats being fed to them by Elizabeth Steed.
Steed, founder of an animal rescue organization called Livestock Equine Awareness and Rescue Network, said she's seen little evidence that the horses don't want to eat.
"It's not holding water," she said.
She pointed to one of two feeding mares whose ribs were clearly visible.
"She's our poster child," Steed said, pointing to one of the mares with visible ribs. "She's like a runway model. She needs to gain weight."
Authorities said the horses in the worst shape were in the custody of the Colleton County Animal and Environmental Control. Officials said they expect all of the animals to recover, but it could cost thousands of dollars to give them the treatment they need, including specialized feed and vitamin supplements for those who are the worst off.
Steed, who helped remove many of the horses Tuesday, said she saw moldy oats on the ground and algae-filled water in the buckets.
"There's just no excuse for it," she said.
Ackerman said those in the worst shape were the horses he kept near the pecan trees. He said the condition of the mares likely had to do with the fact they were still nursing 9-month-old foals. He said he didn't call a veterinarian because Animal Control officers told him in late April that they were bringing one out.
Ackerman said he hopes the horses are returned to him. He started the camp years ago as a place for children from broken homes to learn about and ride the horses, and hopes to continue what he started.
"I think it has made a difference in some peoples' lives," he said. "It's not as big as I would want it to be but I think we have had an impact."
Reach Andy Paras at 937-5589 or aparas@postandcourier.com.
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mienliebte (anonymous) says...
Ackerman states that he didn't call a vet in because animal control told him that they were bringing one out. Why did he wait until they were involved to decide a vet was needed?
Also, it the animals are eating now and begin to put on weight, it's a pretty good indication of neglect. I'll be following this story to see where it leads.
May 7, 2009 at 10:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BootstrapRed (anonymous) says...
I say place Mr. Ackerman in a field, only feed him once every 3 days until he can barely have enough strength to stand, then try him for animal cruelty. Eye-for-an-eye.
May 7, 2009 at 11:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TLG87 (anonymous) says...
I agree, BootstrapRed!
May 7, 2009 at 12:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fred (anonymous) says...
And, then there was another local camp that let 1 horse die of congestive heart failure, and another die from infections from "Hugo wounds" because the camp owners apparently were too cheap to pay the vet to put these animals down.
The animals suffered for months, and were still used in lesson programs, until they could no longer walk. But, because the horses were still getting food and water daily, no complaints could be filed.
May 7, 2009 at 5:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lovesappleeaters (anonymous) says...
As a taxpayer, I would like to know why Animal Control would spend the extra resources, man power and taxpayer monies to confiscate the horses on the property that were neither sick nor thin. I have no problem with them taking the animals that were sick and in need of medical attention. Many I observed appeared fat and healthy. Why were the man's dogs, cats and chickens taken? The dogs I saw on the TV news video looked happy and friendly; not abused and neglected. Perhaps Animal Control was overzealous in this seizure. It stands to reason that if an individual was cruel, abusive and neglectful to one animal he would be cruel, abusive and neglectful to all of them.
Elizabeth Steed of Meggett Horse Farm has apparently not fed many horses in her time. My horses are rolly polly fat and push, shove, kick and lay their ears back at one another at every feeding time; horses are herd animals and that is what they do to establish their pecking order. Algae in water troughs? Come on... who doesn't? We live in The South. You can scrub and bleach them once a week and they will have algae in them again in a matter of days. Horses drink from ponds with algae growing on the surface all the time... I've never known it to harm one of mine in over 30 years. The young foal that was lassoed, thrown down on the ground and beaten by animal control officers in an attempt to load it into a trailer was conveniently cut from the news video. That in itself was pure animal cruelty of a helpless, frightened baby. Surely there were enough agents on the premises to lift the foal into a trailer. The veterinarian that was on site could have easily given it a mild tranquilizer. Perhaps this man just had too many horses, some which were sick and thin, but I do not see that as a reason to take ALL the animals from the premises putting further stain on the county's budget in these difficult economic times. As citizens we need to be able to objectively view both sides of this coin and we need to be given all the available information in order to do so.
May 7, 2009 at 11:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Wboromom (anonymous) says...
Colleton county animal control is hit or miss. I have seen horses in the county here that I know have been reported that looked worse than some that were taken and they do nothing, and I think they were over zealous here as well. I do not know the camp personally, but this seemed to be more of a hoarder problem than intentional abuse. This county is a poor county and Mr. Ackerman probably did not have the funds to feed them all but if other animals were healthy they should have been left and kept monitored. I agree with the algae comment, that has nothing to do with the water quality, at least they had water. The hay there looked of poor quality from what I have seen, I know horses can be finicky when it comes to roll hay. That may have been why they quit eating.
May 8, 2009 at 7:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jeanniehwilson (anonymous) says...
This is indeed a sad case. However, I have seen numerous pictures and different video coverage of the animals being lead away and I have seen horses that are just as skinny, or even skinnier at local barns, local shows, private property in Berkeley County, etc. Where is the outrage and assistance for those poor animals??
May 8, 2009 at 9:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Frosty (anonymous) says...
I had a horse when I was young. Charlie was watered every day so his water never had any thing in it. I lived in Cross.
May 8, 2009 at 11:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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