Follows is an email I rec'd from a fellow riding club member. The Machickanee is a 6000 acre county forest just one mile to the south of our home. I'll spare you the graphic pics:
Please be warned these pictures are graphic. These horses were found in the Michickanee on Sunday March 22 by a man walking his dog. They were discovered about 100 yards off the road on North Stiles Tower Rd. I took these pictures in an attempt to identify the horses and bring the executioner to justice. I was told they were shot but it was all I could do to take the pictures, I could not bring myself to look for the bullet holes. I can tell you that judging from the scrapes on the little sorrel he had been dragged. I believe the sorrel was rolled over by police and that is why he is so dirty. I am both saddened and outraged by this act and I am asking the everyone help me to identify these horses. They both look to be yearlings but could be 2 years since it is clear they were not cared for. The sorrel has a star and the tip of his tail appears to be black. The little paint should be easier to identify. She is a tri-color paint with black on the end of her tail, black above the socks on her front legs and black on the top of her mane and forelock. I will follow up with the Oconto county Sherriff tomorrow and I will make every effort to inform the public of this crime. If you have any information please contact me.
Thanks. Patty W.
A sign of our troubled times? As shocking as it is, I'm not really surprised. As jobs are lost and pockets go empty, and with nowhere to go with their uncared for animals, what option does the average backyard owner do? Surely I'm not justifying this, but just trying to view it from a practical standpoint.
We are a society that was raised to live beyond our means. For many, horses are one of those "little pleasures" that folks think they need to have. Along with their mortgage, payments for the truck, the boat, the Harley, the dinners out three nites a week, life comes to an abrupt halt when that paycheck stops coming every week. And the little pleasures have to get cut out of their lives.
Are you prepared to handle keeping what is near and dear to you if the economic broadaxe swings your way?
If you are local to the greater Oconto/Oconto Falls area and think you could help in identifying the owners of these horses, send me an email.
5 days ago