Would a call to the state's attorney general's office point you in the right direction? How about some calls to the local newspaper and TV stations? It sounds as if the local authorities need an incentive to do their job. Bad publicity can be a good persuasion.

Gard

Marla, see if Walkin N Circles ranch in Edgewood has some suggestions.  They are a horse rescue with alot of connections.  Web site is wncr.org.  Strange that the NM Livestock Board won't do anything had a smiular situation here and the inspector took all the horses away 40-50 horses.  This guys heart was in the right spot, but couldn't provide the care for them.  He went around to auctions buying horses.  Another thing is get the media involved, there has been a couple of incidents in Cruces of neglect and hording that was reported.  And with the public pressure the animals were taken away.

Thanks for the reply!  I'll contact Walking in Circles right away.  Your idea of media involvement strikes a chord.  Since the local newspaper isn't interested, maybe channel four in Albuquerque would be interested.  This guy only has a few animals at a time, 6 or 8 or so, probably because the others die off and he just replaces them.

Marla

Marla--

Thank you for taking this project on.   I would talk to law enforcement (you probably already have if the judge is reluctant to step in) and also to local government officials.  In our state the Town Chairman has a certain amount of authority to step in.  Appear at a government meeting if you have to.  Ask to be put on the agenda ahead of time.  Then notify the press so they can be there as well.  Also, if the local editor doesn't want to get involved, start submitting well-written letters to the editor on the topic in general without singling out a specific person.  People will likely know who you are talking about anyway.  Send these letters to the press all over the state.  Time to mobilize?  Good luck!

As soon as you get the media involved, even the local paper, people start coming out of the wood work to get involved.  The health dept. in our area is the one that usually takes action in a case like you have there.  Once the problem is exposed by the media, you'll have peta, spca and maybe some local rescue people involved.  The problem right now, is everyone's budget is stretched to the max because of the economy.  Our local humane society is constantly running adds for help because people are dropping off their pets because they can't feed themselves, much less take care of a pet.

deranger

Your thought fullness and caring is commendable. If everyone were so considerate, these problems would never occur. Only people like you, who go out of your way to ensure these animals' welfare, can protect these innocents from negligent, thoughtless, scum. Animal cruelty is a strike against the character of mankind. If someone can be cruel to one living animal, how will he treat others?

It sounds as if this incident should be repeated to the local population, when ever your local judge is next running for reelection.

I bet you will sleep well tonight, knowing that part of this situation is better because of your efforts. Thank you for affirming that mankind can be kind and considerate.

Gard

Try posting the situation on this blog - pictures are very helpful.  The owner of this blog is quite effective at getting things done - she has quite a large following around the country.

 http://fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=2

Perhaps a campaign to provide this information to various news agencies, would effect a change. In our area, similar events had gone unnoticed by the public, until the evening newscasts started showing these emaciated animals. As the public's reaction became more vocal, the authorities were forced into a more corrective approach. Public opinion can be a strong argument.

Gard

What you can do is keep a photographic record of the animals and post them on the internet for the world to see. One tip is do not trespass to get the pictures as they may not be admissible should legal action be sought against him. Only take pictures from your property, neighbors property that you have permission to be on, and public space, such as the road.

Best of luck for you and the horses and mules.

I have one of those types as a rescue - she is quite a handful - one day she will try to kill you and the next you are her best friend.  But she makes a wonderful 'pasture ornament'.   She is in her 20's and has a forever home with me - I wanted to make her final years on earth happy ones (with lots of food).  When she passes on, I will get another rescue.  But I do understand that homes like mine are hard to find.  Best of luck.  I hope you try the Fugly website - they really do have a great network to rescue horses around the U.S.and will be able to help you if they can.