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Veterinary students assist in
community service rescue of 237 ponies
K-State veterinary students participated in a rescue mission involving one of the most
severe cases of horse abuse ever reported.
The rescue of 237 starving hackney ponies last October in Miami County near Paola,
Kan., provided the students with hands-on experience they won’t soon forget.
The ponies were barely surviving on a 60 acre mini-ranch with dilapidated buildings and
poor fencing. The ponies had been left without clean water, adequate food or veterinary
care for some time.
There were 113 stallions in this small area. The ponies would separate into small
groups, and in the stallions’ struggles for dominance, many were battle scarred and
several missed an eye.
The first authorities to arrive on the scene witnessed a bay stallion nervously
scooting in circles atop a five-foot pile of hay and manure, his back grazing the rafters
of the barn that had fallen down around him. His hooves were so long, they flopped like
old slippers. Two mares, tangled in baling twine, could not move.
Dr. Kevin Hankins ’92, ’96, assistant professor of equine medicine and
surgery in the department of clinical sciences, led a team of K-State students who worked
to improve the health of the herd.
The ponies belonged to a business owner, who was convicted of 18 counts of cruelty to
animals. The owner paid to care for the ponies until they were adopted.
"The neglect had been going on for years," Dr. Hankins said. "The ponies
were inbred. Fewer mares existed in certain age groups than males. The males continued to
be bred and grow to an older age, while the mares would foal and die because of
malnutrition. This became the cycle."
About 30 people helped gather, feed and provide other care to the herd during the
marathon two-day effort.
Prior to this intervention, the ponies’ situation had been reported several times
to authorities. No one knew how bad conditions were until Joseph Grant, a horse trainer
who was new to the area, came along. Because of his concern and persistence, the sheriff
and the local humane societies were alerted to the abuse.
Ann Martin, animal consultant who worked with police on the case, said animal abuse
cases sometimes are hard to prove and prosecute. In this case, the pony horror story was
well documented. Public pressure on authorities forced them to act.
"It was a great learning experience," said Gerard Egidy, fourth-year
veterinary student from Greeley, Kan. "I did more castrations in one weekend than
I’ve done or seen done during my time at K-State. I think the experience will benefit
me when I get out of school."
"It was a great educational experience for the students," Hankins said.
"There wasn’t one of them that couldn’t castrate a horse in less than 10
minutes by the time they were done."
K-State equine technician Angela Maslack and equine medicine intern Dr. Shonda Edens,
eight senior veterinary students and others spent two days castrating 113 ponies,
vaccinating, deworming, aging and obtaining blood samples from each animal to test for
diseases.
"It was hard work but very rewarding," Maslack said. "Watching the
follow-up and hearing the positive outcome made it all worth while. I don’t know when
I’ll ever again see so many different professionals and interested parties united in
a common goal."
Dr. Randel Raub, associate professor of animal science, played a key role. He brought
four students to help oversee the pony handling.
Raub’s team captured and restrained the ponies so the veterinarians and farriers
could work. This was no easy feat. The ponies had never been handled before.
Other veterinarians from the eastern Kansas area who joined the rescue effort included
Dr. Cynthia Campbell-Beggs ’90 and Dr. John Tuttle ’85.
HorseAid took over the adoption process after the court awarded custody of the animals
to the Humane Society of the Heartland.
The Humane Society of the Heartland commended Dr. Hankins and his student-team after
the rescue.
Credit goes to Chris Anton Paus, Western Horseman
and to American Farriers Journal for photos and their assistance in this report. |