Investigators returned to El Paso to check on Joe Rios collecting station located on the premises of the Rio Grand Classic Livestock Auction. An empty, single deck trailer was parked next the pen area. There were approx. 30 horses visible inside the pens, all of them had access to food and water. Several horses observed were thin. A worker was observed cleaning the back pen area. Investigators waited, but there was no more activity.

2013 started positive for our campaign against horse slaughter. Animals’ Angels just returned from a very successful meeting with our European ally, the Swiss animal welfare organization “Tierschutzbund Zuerich”. We met to discuss the details of the upcoming consumer awareness campaign in Europe and finished the strategic planning. Footage obtained by Animals’ Angels during investigations in the U.S. and Canada in 2012 will play an important role in the campaign.

Animals’ Angels conducted an investigation at several Swiss grocery stores, butcher shops and distributors to check labeling and origin of the meat.  Horse meat was readily available in many of the stores visited, investigators found the meat in form of steaks, roasts or sausage.  The fresh, chilled cuts of horsemeat were labeled with country of origin information, as well as the location where the meat was processed and packaged.  The majority of the meat found was of Canadian origin and had been packaged in Switzerland.

Investigators arrived at 10:00am. The trucks of kill buyers Charles Carter, Bud Shirley and Jeff Smith were already parked in the parking lot. Smith’s truck with Kansas plates did not have any markings and no logo or DOT number was displayed, which is a violation of DOT regulations.

There were approximately 80 horses in the pen area and all had already been moved to the pens next to the auction ring.  4 brand inspector vehicles were present, as well as 13 workers, which is a lot giving the low number of horses. When the sale started, 26 horses were run through as “loose”. Investigators noticed a sorrel in one of the pens, he was very anxious and pacing. He was blind in one eye, and had the number 8 branded on his left hip. Among the animals sold were also 6 weanlings & 5 burros, they all went to private individuals. All the horses were in very good condition. The auction ended at 2:05pm.

At 2:10pm, Carter got into the driver’s seat of Smith’s truck and drove to the loading chutes. Then Carter’s semi started up and backed into the east loading chutes. At 2:25pm, Jeff Smith started loading. Carter, his driver and the pen workers started moving the horses to the loading chute area. It was chaotic, as horses were not segregated.

Investigators noted that the horse blind in one eye was included in this group and he was extremely aggressive (it is possible that this animal was a stallion). He was loaded together with other horses in the center compartment of Smith’s trailer. Throughout the loading the animals were hit repeatedly on all parts of their bodies including the head. One of Jeff Smith’s men used his metal crutch to move the horses into the trailer. Smith finished loading at 2:52pm.

Animals’ Angels will continue to monitor this auction and file a DOT complaint about Jeff Smith.

Animals’ Angels attended the monthly horse sale at Mel’s Stable. The sale started at 9:30 am, there were approx. 280 horses present at the auction. Not all of the horses were listed in the sales catalogue.  It was a very cold morning (17 degrees Fahrenheit) and the outside water troughs were covered in ice. Next to the barn, members of the Amish community were racing some of the horses offered for sale. The silver pick up truck and stock trailer of kill buyer Bruce Rotz was parked next to the barn. Chuck Beam was also present, likely buying for Brian Moore.

Again, the small stable was completely overloaded with horses, some of the horses were standing tied to the feed troughs without any room to move. Most of the water buckets observed were empty. In the outside pens, right next to the other horses, investigators found 2 Standardbred horses with severe strangles infection.  The abscessed lymph nodes had already started to drain and the halters were covered in frozen pus. Both horses had no access to water.  The halter of one of the horses and his markings identified him as “Pop’s Shadow”, a 2008 Chestnut Gelding. Sired by “The Panderosa”, his last known owner was the Anatolia Racing Stable.

Animals’ Angels contacted them to inform the owner about the whereabouts of his horse. Unfortunately, Mr Durmazoglu was not interested and stated that he owned a lot of horses and was not sure if he still owned Pop’s Shadow or not. He also said that he was not “hands on” and that he tells his trainers to do what they want with the horse. He gave us the phone number of the PA trainer and hung up. Animals’ Angels phone call with the trainer was equally disappointing. Trainer Hartline stated that he remembered “Pop’s Shadow” was not performing well and then claimed to have given him to an unknown Amish family.  He also was not concerned about the fate of the horse he once trained.

Investigators arrived at 8:30am. In the parking lot, trailers were lined up to unload horses. There were already close to 30 horses in the pen area. Most of the pens had no water or feed. Several of the pens were extremely muddy and the horses were standing in mud above their fetlocks. All horses were in good condition with the exception of 1 severely emaciated, blind horse (BCS 2), 4 horses with overgrown hooves and 1 horse with a facial wound. The emaciated horse was a 20 year old bay gelding, sale tag # 108. He was brought in from Gypsum, CO.

Kill buyer Jason Fabrizius arrived with his medium size semi and long stock trailer and backed into the chute area. He moved 3 horses and a mule out of the pens, saddled them and then tied the animals to the trailer.

At 10:40am, Charles Carter arrived in his burgundy pickup truck with stock trailer. The auction started at 1:00pm. 118 horses sold in 2 hours and Carter & Fabrizius bought a lot of them. Again, Carter was observed driving the price up on horses the local rescue organization wanted to buy.

Nevertheless, the Spirit Wind Horse Rescue was able to save 7 horses, among them the emaciated gelding and the horse with the facial injury. Animals’ Angels is currently investigating the previous owner and will follow up with local law enforcement.

We would like to thank Spirit Wind for saving these horses and for their assistance with this investigation!

The Socorro export pens are operated by the Texas Department of Agriculture. From here, horses are shipped to Mexican horse slaughter plants. The main supplier to these pens is the Beltex Corporation, which ships the horses from their Frontier Meats feedlot in Morton, TX. Upon arrival, investigators noted that a Tres Trucking semi with a single deck trailer was parked in front of the closed pens. The horses inside the trailer appeared very agitated and were observed fighting. A closer look revealed that there were over 30 horses inside the trailer, segregated only by two dividers. 10 minutes later, the export pen gate opened, the truck entered and backed up to the loading ramp. Unloading started almost immediately, all horses walked off the trailer without problems. However, several were thin. Once unloaded, the horses started to search the pens for food. No hay was provided to them. According to the Texas Department of Agriculture’s website, the export pens charge $5.00 per horse/day. This fee does not include hay. However, USDA regulations for the protection of slaughter horses demand that the horses have access to food, water and rest for 6 consecutive hours prior to transport. Animals’ Angels has provided this information to our European Allies, where it will be used to inform consumers about the plight of the horses that are slaughtered for the European market.

When investigators arrived at the Presidio slaughter horse export pens that morning, they immediately noticed two Montoya Trucking semis leaving the pen area. One of them was loaded with so-called “rejects”, horses rejected for import into Mexico by the Mexican border veterinarian. There are multiple reasons for rejection, such as ticks, sickness, injuries or emaciation. According to a report released by the EU Food and Veterinary Office, thousands of horses are rejected each year at the Southern border and then returned with the shipper. Their fate is of great concern, since a rejected horse is of no value to the kill buyer. Montoya Trucking ships horses to the Presidio pens for New Mexico kill buyer Dennis Chavez. His operation made nationwide news in 2012, after Animals’ Angels investigated his feedlot and found multiple dying horses. Chavez was charged with several counts of animal cruelty and is currently awaiting trial. Public documents indicate that Chavez ships horses to Presidio approx. twice/week. The “rejects” are marked with a large red “X” and returned to his feedlot. The Montoya trucks spotted on 2/22/13 pulled two open roof trailers that offer the horses no protection from the elements. The trailer sides, however, only have one single row of circular holes in the middle, making it next to impossible to see the horses inside the trailer. Investigators followed the trucks, but were stopped at a border checkpoint while both trucks were waived through. Unable to catch up to them (truck were exceeding 85 mph earlier) investigators returned to Presidio to continue their observation.

Investigators returned to the export pens to document if conditions had changed. Temperatures during the observation were unusually cold with temperatures as low as 17 degrees Fahrenheit. It was business as usual at the pens, all three export pens were accepting horse deliveries and especially the Brito pens appeared to be very busy. Investigators noted that a new set of pens was being built across the street from the Brito pens, likely to provide more room for the arriving horses. The Brito pens were very crowded on several occasions. A limited quantity of hay was available to the horses during early morning hours, leaving the horses without food for the rest of the day. Horses were observed searching the ground for food. Additionally, the metal water troughs inside the pens were documented completely frozen on one occasion, making it impossible for the horses to drink. Several rejects, marked with a red “X”, were spotted inside the pens, indicating that these horses were returned to the pens a 2^nd time for another attempt to export them to Mexico. Based on Animals’ Angels observations during this and earlier investigations at Socorro, Presidio, Eagle Pass and Morton, this seems to be a common procedure. Rejects are returned with their shipper and then shipped again a few weeks later. Some horses show traces of three or four different slaughter tag numbers, indicating that they were shipped and rejected multiple times.

Similar to earlier visits, dead horses were found at the C4 pens as well as the Baeza pens. C4 is still keeping most of the horses and conducting all his loading activity in the back of the premises, making it impossible to judge conditions and treatment. It was also noted that many trucks loaded with horses arrive in the middle of the night now.

Investigators arrived at the bi-monthly auction at 4:00pm. The parking lot was already crowded with stock trailers from Kentucky and most of the surrounding states. The usual kill buyer/horse traders were present.  Burton of Columbia, KY arrived at the auction with approx.  17 horses crowded into a 30 foot trailer. Apparently, all of them already had current Coggins tests, since no blood was drawn upon arrival.

There were approx. 200 horses inside the pen area. For Coggins Testing workers put two horses at a time into the narrow chute to draw blood, which resulted in multiple horses kicking, falling and biting.

A bay horse in the “slaughter pens” had a massive growth on its fetlock / coronet band area that appeared to be an old injury left untreated for an extended period of time. The horse did not appear to be in pain, but was not able to put weight on that foot very well.  Several horses were observed with fresh head injuries, 3 were very thin (Tag #: 437, 0328, 434).

Investigators noticed an extremely overloaded trailer with mini burros backing up to the barn. One smaller burro was down upon arrival and the others were trampling over it.  The unloading was rough and unprofessional: Workers pushed, kicked and threw the animals out of the trailer. The burros were extremely frightened. The trampled burro was pulled out of the trailer by her ears after kicking her didn't work. She staggered around for a while, but was able to regain her bearings and joined the others.

The sale started at 6:00pm. As usual, the “slaughter prospects” sold at an extremely fast pace. R & R livestock purchased approx. 20 horses, Terry Blair from Tennessee bought another 20. The sale ended at 9:00pm. The kill buyers loaded last and investigators left the sale at 11:30pm.

Investigators attended the monthly horse auction in Stephenville, TX. The large auction has an indoor auction ring, office and restaurant as well as a catwalk overlooking a large, covered pen area. Additional outdoor pens without shelter are located at the back of the premises. None of the pens visible from the catwalk had any food or water. There were approximately 350 horses offered for sale that day, the majority of them could be found in the “loose” horse pens in the back. Several were thin and some were observed limping. The riding horses were sold first. Afterwards, the “slaughter prospects” were moved from the outside pens to the large pens next to the auction ring by workers on horseback. The workers moved large groups of 20 or more horses through the alleys, which created problems. Too many horses were driven to the pen entrance at the same time, resulting in fighting and kicking. The worker was observed multiple times hitting them hard over face and head with a short whip. Several local kill buyers were present at the sale, driving pick-up trucks with extra-long canvas top stock trailers. Bill Richardson’s red semi and single deck trailer was backed up to the loading ramp. He had arrived at the auction at 7:00pm, coming straight from the Presidio export pens. Three rejects from the export pens were inside his trailer and kept there during the entire sale. The semi of O’Dwyer, who frequents the Eagle Pass export pens, arrived at the sale at 9:00pm and parked next to the pens in the back. The sale ended at 10:30pm. Bill Richardson was among the last ones to load. While the rejects were still in the front compartment of his trailer, he added another 20+ horses.  He left the auction with a full load at 11:47pm.

Investigators observed the red semi and canvas top single deck trailer of Bill Richardson leave the Presidio export pens. 4 rejects were loaded in the front compartment of the trailer. Richardson is one of the largest suppliers of slaughter horses to the Presidio pens, shipping multiple loads each week. Richardson has been in the slaughter business for a long time and has violated the Commercial Transport of Equines to slaughter regulations several times. In 2006, he was fined $30,000 for transporting multiple horses blind in both eyes, downers, horses with severe injuries and unable to bear weight on all four legs. Some of the injuries were so severe, that the horses had to be euthanized immediately upon arrival at the plant. USDA inspectors reported “legs being grounded off” and lacerations so deep that bone was visible. Unfortunately, Richardson was not impressed by this fine and continued to conduct business as usual. Horses continued to die in his trailers and his fine increased to   $77,825.

When investigators followed his trailer from Presidio, they noted that the driver was driving extremely fast, with speeds exceeding 85 mph. It was a team of drivers operating the truck, since they had delivered horses to the export pens that same morning and then drove back north after only a short break. The truck turned onto I-20 East and started heading towards Whitesboro, where Bill Richardson operates a holding facility. However, at 6:37pm, the truck left the interstate and started heading to Stephenville on 281 South. At 7:00pm, the truck arrived at the town’s monthly horse sale and backed up to the loading ramp. By now was dark, but investigators managed to take a quick look inside the trailer. The rejects were all standing, one was thin and another one appeared to have a swollen knee. They remained inside the trailer for the entire duration of the auction. At 11:20pm, the drivers loaded horses purchased at the sale onto the trailer and left the premises. After a brief stop at the local truck stop, the truck continued heading towards Whitesboro. At 3:00am, the truck finally arrived in Whitesboro.  It was completely dark and investigators were not able to film anything and therefore decided to return the next morning. The trip took approx. 15.5 hours, which is extremely long for these already weakened rejects.

Animals’ Angels investigators arrived at the collecting station at 8:00am. The large property has several barns and extensive pastures. It appears that several businesses operate at the location. A large sign “Bill Richardson Quarter Horses” was visible. There were approx. 20 horses visible in the front pens, gathered around a bale of hay. Others were laying down next to a large pile of manure. Several green tags were visible. A few of the horses caught the interest of the investigators, they were holding their heads low and continued to close their eyes. One had yellow discharge around his nostrils. They matched the colors of the rejects that were observed the night before on Richardson’s truck returning from the Presidio export pens. However, since it had been too dark to photograph them inside the trailer, it could not be determined with certainty that they really were the same horses. All other horses visible appeared to be in average condition. A new semi with no DOT number was parked next to the entrance. Investigators observed the premises throughout the day, but there was no more activity.

Keeney was brought to Animals’ Angels attention because he placed an ad in the local papers advertising to buy “horses of all kinds”. His property is in close proximity to the Presidio export pens. Investigators arrived at the premises at 9:00am. A private drive leads to several barns and a private residence. A loading ramp was visible and an old single deck trailer was parked close to it. According to the Safer Website, Keeney’s truck has been stopped in New Mexico in the past (driver had no medical certificate and record of duty status was not current). Currently, Keeney has no operating authority with FMCSA.  On the day of the investigation, there were no horses visible from the public road. However, Animals’ Angels will continue to monitor the location.

Investigators noted Cook Trucking from Stroud, OK leaving the export pens with several rejects in his canvas top trailer. Investigators followed as the truck headed north through the Texas desert. The driver was driving erratic, slowing down and speeding up for no obvious reason and crossing the center line frequently. Speeds of more than 85 mph were observed. Cook Trucking (DOT 979769) has multiple violations for unsafe driving and for drivers exceeding their allowed driving hours. (21 violations) After crossing through Alpine, TX, the driver pulled over along the road and took a break. Investigators were able to film the rejected horses inside the trailer, all six of them were loaded in the front compartment. Two of them showed obvious signs of an ongoing strangles infection and one of them was really thin. Others had enlarged knees and cuts. The truck parked for almost 2 hours, adding unnecessary time to the transport of these already weakened animals. He continued heading north and entered I-20 at 2:40pm. Investigators followed for a while, but when it became clear that the truck was returning to Stroud, OK (11 hour transport) they returned to Presidio to continue their investigation.

Investigators attended the monthly horse sale in Middleburg, PA. Upon arrival at 9:30am, they noticed that there were already approx. 130 horses, 12 minis and 2 donkeys inside the pen area. As usual, the “loose” horses were held in the darkest area of the barn, crammed together groups of 5 horses/pen.  No food or water was provided to these horses. Several were observed with swollen knees, overgrown hooves, fresh cuts and ribs showing.  A Belgium draft horse was observed with a fetlock injury.  A stallion was put in one of the small, single horse pens. He was extremely agitated and covered in sweat, scratching the pen floor and pushing against the fencing. Outside, members of the Amish community were test driving horses.

The sale started later than usual due to technical problems. Loose horses sold at an extremely fast pace, all of them were in and out of the ring within 15 minutes. An unknown buyer was bidding for Brian Moore, whose semi and single deck trailer was parked next to the auction barn. Loose horses sold for as little as $5, while prices for Amish buggy horses were as high as $3,900. Buyer #5 was observed buying most of the limping and emaciated horses between $5 and $15. Brian Moore had little competition due to the fact that Rotz Livestock was not present at the sale.

Investigators visited the premises of the Pecos Valley Meat slaughter plant in Roswell, NM. The owner of the plant is currently awaiting USDA inspection of the plant and has applied for a permit to start slaughtering horses for human consumption.

The entire plant is very visible from the public road. Old, barb wire and chain link fencing surrounds the premises. Next to the plant, a small, sheltered holding area with a loading ramp can be seen.  The plant itself has an office building and a truck loading dock in the front. A white Pecos Valley Meat truck and several trailers were parked on the property. No animals were visible.  There was no activity.

Click here to read the full investigative report…

Jason Sexton is a Tennessee horse trader who attends known slaughter horse auctions in TN, KY and PA to purchase horses. Sexton was observed attending the New Holland Auction, the Smith Grove Sale & the Patton auction in Kentucky as well as the Knoxville Auction in Tennessee. Sexton also operates his own trucking company (DOT 2173181) and organizes local horse & mule auctions.  Investigators visited his premises in Sneedville, but did not find any horses at the location. The property consists of a tack shop, a small house, a fenced field and a small barn. There was no activity during the time of the observation.

Investigators visited Shaw Hollow Farms, to attend the horse sale advertised by kill buyer David Merrell. Merrell started shipping horses to the Presidio export pens after kill buyer Dorian Ayache stopped hauling horses. Since then, Merrell has shipped approx. 3 loads of horses/month to Mexico for slaughter. Ironically, Merrell used Ayache’s former driver, Frank Mance Reed, for some of these transports. Reed became known after the January 2012 accident with Ayache’s truck.  (The Tennessee Department of Safety announced he was cited for unsafe operation of a vehicle and driving fatigued) http://www.wsmv.com/story/16550105/driver-in-horse-wreck-cited

Animals’ Angels also documented that Merrell has obtained Ayache’s former truck and trailer and recently used it to ship the horses to Presidio and to pick up horses at slaughter auctions. AA has reported these observations to the TN DOT. The investigation is currently ongoing.

When investigators arrived at Shaw Hollow Farm, there were approx. 10 horses in a muddy field in front of a barn, but no sign of an ongoing horse sale. Almost all of the horses were very thin, one was a BCS1 with spine and hip bones prominently showing. The animals had access to food and water, but the hay was of extremely poor quality. A pinto Tennessee walker stallion was kept inside the barn, as well as a small dark bay pony.  

 Investigators approached a worker and were informed that the horse sale was discontinued.  Concerned about the condition of the horses, the investigators called animal control to report the situation. They were informed that the entire county has only one part time animal control officer, who is also a full time nurse.  When they were finally able to reach her, she stated that they “knew about these horses” and that the owner “never kept them very long”. She promised to check on the animals during her next weekend shift, write a police report and report her findings back to the investigators.  Unfortunately, Animals’ Angels has not heard back from her ever since. At this point, it cannot be verified if these horses are really connected to David Merrell or if they are owned by the person operating Shaw Hollow Farms. Animals’ Angels has requested a copy of the police report to find out additional information and what happened to these horses.