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Subscribe to RSSA local horse trainer is facing felony charges after she allegedly sold as many as 120 horses to buyers for a Canadian slaughterhouse, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Harrisburg Bureau.
State police say that 24-year-old Chester County-native Kelsey Lefever -- a well-known horse trainer and former Devon Horse Show competitor -- promised owners she could find good homes for their horses when they could no longer race, according to the paper.
What she really found for these horses, was a quick death, police say.
For more, visit NBCPhiladelphia.com
They say Lefever was selling the horses she was in charge of finding homes for to contractors for a Canadian slaughterhouse. There, they would be butchered and sent overseas to be sold as food, the Inquirer reports.
Lefever admits to selling as many as 120 horses, according to the paper. Rescue groups that go to a weekly auction and purchase horses that might otherwise be sold for slaughter say Lefever was making about $300 a horse from the kill buyers.
A hearing is set for the beginning of February.
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What a douche bag. Hope they throw the book at this loser. She should be forced to spend days in a slaughterhouse.
Let's kill everything that's too expensive or inconvenient. Sarcasm.
The slaughterhouse is NOT a humane death.
I totally agree with you, and even though we do not know it, there is a lot of this cr-- going on. She should be made to work at the slaughter to see exactly what happened, even though it is to late for those horses, BUT, may stop this from happening again somewhere else. Toss her in jail, yes, but then we have to pay for her. There should be some other very scary way to deal with these kinds of people. Absolutely sick!! There are much better ways to make money, if it is needed so bad, especially making it legal!! Should treat her like Linsay Lohan, make her work in the morque, and not for just a month.
I am an avid 3 Day Eventer. I have several horses, some rescued some bought, some bred on my farm back home. BUT I do not think it is inhumane to ethically euthanize an horse. I do not agree with an air-gun sending a bolt into a horses head. There is other ways to "do away with them". I personally have a vet come out and put them down, I cut the manes and tail off (the hair) and then call a renduring (sp) truck out and have them pick up the horse.
Now, this is the 1st problem with what I have with this article. There are non-profit organizations out there that specifically take care of racehorses off the track. If you do not believe me, check out CANTER. They do a wonderful job with finding homes for racehorses. Not all race horses are broken, most just don't like racing and they aren't "into" it. I have adopted one and he turned out to be my favorite horse!
Second thing I have a problem with is: This "Fraud" stuff is going to be an on-going process because now its okay to send horses to slaughter houses now in the US. Which mean hunters are going to be at horse auctions, and they are going to be auctioning for horses, then they are going to look at the little girl who's daddy is selling her horse and tell her "Don't worry, your horse is going to my daughter" and he really is going to turn around and send this little girls favorite horse to a slaughter house.
You people really do not understand how slaughter houses work. They go by weight, do you think a person with a bunch of broken, skinny, starving, sick, lethargic, or whatever the case might be, will get good money? Absolutely not, it goes by weight. So your going to hear of horses being stolen, owners surrendering their horse to a person who has sworn to adopt out PERFECTLY GOOD HORSES, and/or people who go out and buy perfectly healthy athletic horses are going to sell them to the slaughter houses because their weight is more they will get better money worth out of them.
I hope this person is banned from anything to do with a horse from now on. I agree changes should be made for the retirement of these horses - either the breeder and/or the owners should have to put in 1% of the horse when it is bred or purchased for the retirement of the lovely animals.
So much for our laws - from what I am told, horses are sold from the USA everyday for horsemeat. It's disgusting
For all of you complaining about how we are just animals too, let me remind you that you are the only "animal" on earth that has a consciousness, and can decide between good and evil. So many decide to do evil, and by doing so you are refuting the gift that nature gave you to be able to have a higher mental capacity; you are saying to nature, "no, just take this back, I want to be a dumbe beast like the rest". We were given this gift for a reason and should use it wisely and for the good of all creatures on the planet. If you don't like it, just go back to the cave you crawled out of.
how is that "gift" working out for the majority of mankind and nature? it's not, we are destroying this planet. the "gift" is itself a curse, because human nature leads to more evil than good. so technically, we would ALL be better off without this so-called gift.
Don't really think it's US that crawled out of the cave.
You sustain your life by killing other organisms and consuming them.
I would say to you that it is nature versus nurture. You have been nurtured into believing that eating an animal is bad while it is natural for humans to eat animals.
We also have and instinct of self-preservation that would mean we would eat something else to survive. Are you saying your instinct of self-preservation would not kick in if you were starving?
I hope she goes to jail for a very, very long time. You just don't do that sort of stuff to companion animals.
What did she do? She sold an animal. Her crime is not selling the animal. It is being deceiptful in obtaining the animals for sale.
Besides, it looks as though these were not companion animals. They were a working animal.
my ancestors rode them one day and ate them the next.
But she did find a home for the horses.... just in the pantry, fridge, and freeze of homes, and not in stables.
"I found a new home for your horse!"
"Really? That's great, where is it?"
"MA BELLY!!!"
Hahaha, another redneck, toothless high school student with half a day off from learning his gozintas.
ha ha, i had to laugh at that one. it's good to see a little humor in the midst of all the rabid ranting, screaming and hate that goes on around here.
interesting how those who claim to be better than everyone else and "above" it all are the ones slinging around childish, immature, school yard grade insults.
LOL nice one Matt!!!
I have never eaten horse but I'm sure its tasty because Zebra is excellent!!
American Indians in the southwest valued horse and mule meat over beef. It would not be my first choice on the menu myself......but If I was starving to death it might become an option along with my dog or my neighbor. You never know huh?
Soylent Green after all is people.
@nosferatu: Glad to see you have an intact sense of humor. I'm also glad to see you're great at making baseless accusations. I don't need to put my credentials out there, but I'd be hard pressed to believe yours come even remotely to mine.
Bassai,
Not just people but Edward G Robinson!
God bless the USA and the almighty dollar- but not in that order.
I always ask horses "Why the long face?"
Now I know.
I've had a retired thoroughbred for 12 years now. It's a huge resonsibility and over the years has cost me thousands of dollars, but I have absolutely no regrets and it was my choice. I am by no means a wealthy person, I have given up alot of other things to make it happen. I came close to trying to find another home for him last year when I got laid off, but when all was said and done, I reminded myself that when I first got him, I was in it for the long haul. It was something I had to put alot of thought into. I've also had several cats that were strays that became pets. I've never taken in an animal unless I knew I would be responsible for it for the rest of their life. It's not a decision to be taken lightly. I would hope that the people that gave up their horses had absolutely exhausted all other options. Horse people I know would have hated to make such a gut-wrenching decision. They might have taken some solace only from believing their animal would be better cared for with someone else. If it was me, and I found out that this "rescue" person had my horse destroyed, I would hunt her down and make her wish she had been arrested. Is she legally wrong? I don't know. But I do know she's morally wrong, and sometimes that's worse. IMHO. Thanks for the vent.
well to take a quote from a famous movie, if a cow had better personality maybe people wouldn't eat cows either.
Tom, I know of several cattle species that have great personalities and intelligence, but that doesn't keep me from eating beef. In fact, some cattle I've known have been culled because they were intelligent enough to circumvent fencing that most other cattle wouldn't bother. There's nothing quite like chasing a herd of cattle down the road in the cold rain, after they've figured out how to open a pasture gate to get you thinking about a slaughterhouse as their next destination.
Glenn Ford in the "rounders", had a crazy horse he was always mad at. He said he was going to take the horse to the slaughter house and have him rendered into soap. Buy the first bar that came out and go jump in a cow pile and wallow in sh*t and dirt then go take a bath using the soap made from the horse and laugh the whole time.......Glen Ford & henry Fonda....great movie.
"Max 108", I guess it would be OK with you if your children were sold for prostitution by a teacher you trusted to teach them. What an idealistic moronic attitude. This "trainer" was no more ethical than a current republicrap member of congress. She should be charged with 120 cases of fraud involving the death of an animal. I believe that would carry a pretty stiff sentence especially because money was involved. People eat hamburgers made with meat from animals declared as food sources, but horse meat is primarily used overseas, if they want to eat horse let them grow their own.
So, after the racing crowd use the horses as long as they possibly can to make money, they get off the hook of disposing of the "worthless" animals by giving them away??? That makes their hands clean? Nope..they are as much to blame as she is. People are dumping horses in my state on abandoned mining land to fend for themselves...I'd rather see them put down humanely and used for food rather than starve and rot. By the way, horsemeat is delicious. It was long suspected that the meat we got from Argentina in the Navy when we were deployed back in the 60's was horse.
Have any of you animal huggers tried to buy hay for horses lately??? $110 for a small round bale of coastal bermuda and up. If the horses aren't fed enough, someone like you comes along and claims animal cruelty. A horse owner is caught between the law and a rock when it comes to raising horses. Slaughterhouses serve a valuable purpose and banning the slaughter of excess horses is criminal in my opinion. We let ranchers slaughter excess cattle when feed prices get too high, so why not horses? Open your eyes and get a dose of reality. Every law created for one special interest group causes someone else to suddenly become a criminal.
Careful... They probably didn't know about the cow slaughter either.
They shouldn't have taken on the responsibility to begin with in that case. If you're going to be a quitter when things get rough, don't take on the job.
In the horse industry this is a lose lose situation. You dont want to see wholesale slaughter of horses....BUT you dont want to see abandonment/abuse-neglect either....
Whats your option when there is no option. I take in horses occasionaly from people but I am limited, rescues are stretched thin financially and with room available. So what is the answer other than BAN this and BAN that?????
If all of the people who despise this would maybe put up money to rescue and feed them, but most people read, complain, attack and move on to their own lives. Donation seldom enteres into it.
So whats the answer?????
I thinned out the future prospects for my daughters attention by telling them how much a horse cost.
"Boy, don't be hanging around here you better go get a better education"
Here's an original thought. If the former owners of these horses really, really cared for them, they would have found homes for them themselves! Sounds to me like they just want the money she made from them.
This is TOTAL BS! Horse owners KNOW that you can't give them away! Maybe they told the kids that the horse is going to a good home...
PS. Didn't the US just approve funding for USDA to inspect horse slaughter houses? We can do it here now instead of sending off to Canada or Mexico; creating local jobs and a good export business.
why didnt the rich owners take care of there own horses? once they relased ownership of said horses she was free to do what she wanted with them. its good the animals were put to good use.
Why? Because they're selfish aholes like a lot of the posters on here.
Assumption is the mother of all f-ups. You assume the owners of the horses were rich. Many people have a single race horse and they are not "rich".
With the resto of your post, I actually agree, until more testimony is presented and it is revealed that she did swindle the prior owners.
You nailed the main problem.....professional horse owners kknow and understand the costs associated with horses and factor them in, the RICH pay for them but its the average everyday joe who buys the horse and then learns its not as easy as it looks on TV and then they realize they cant afford it and its harder to get rid of than it was to obtain. They cant seem to sell it, cant afford to keep it and resort to this method or just turning it out on public land.
The two most important days in the average horse owners life is the day they buy their first horse, and the day they sell it.
Horse owners sound like boat owners, Azrancher. The happiest day in a boat owners life is the day he/she buys the boat. The second happiest day is the day he/she sells it.
I bet the Galloping Gourmet would have some excellent recipes!
It's sad, but at least they didn't die a horrible long death from starvation, which is what happens to many abandoned horses these days. Sad reality, but not everyone has the means to keep up with feeding and caring for a horse.
Aimee,
Some would say they did die a horrible death. Trucked for hundreds of miles in double decker trailers meant for shorter animals usually with no food or water. "Bolted" in the head at the slaughterhouse they don't always die immediately, hung by a back leg, throat slit to bleed out. The same for cows. In Mexico they are repeatedly stabbed in the back of the neck till they can't breathe. If this is not horrible, what is?
Robin - You would make a good propagandist for the government.
Ever notice right before we send in our armies that they tell us about all the children suffering? Well, that is a lie too.
Original and more detailed reporting on this story can be found at www.paulickreport.com, which broke the story on Monday.
Affidavit of probable cause with the details here:
Aimee, you took the words out of my mouth. I was on a job site couple of years back when the recession first started and across the street was a HUGE horse farm. Typical upper-middle class family that lives way above their means that look good at church. Unfortunately all their horses looked like skeletons wearing grey sheets. After a month of watching these animals suffer I finally started looking into getting the family some help. Everyone who went out said that slaughter was the better alternative. I asked about groups like CANTER and got the same response every time, "They can't save them all.".
The least the girl should have done was tell the people and give them an opportunity to do something with their own animal. But I'm willing to bet with the human condition at an all time low they probably want to sue because they didn't have the idea first.
She must be a Mitt Romoney republican, make a buck no matter what!!
another horrible piece of humanity...sleep good at night?
The commentor is correct, there are millions of cows, chickens, pigs, deer slaughtered for food every year, why complain now when there are horses involved. We need to stop being hypocrites!!!
Did anyone promise the owners of those millions of cows, chickens, and pigs to
for them?
Cause you pretentious person. COWS, CHICKENS, and PIGS, are bred specifically for consumption. Horses are much more than just for slaughter. They carried your families ass across America (maybe) at some point. Horses carried Generals and Warriors of all types and to wars, hell helped them WIN wars. They keep massive crowds of protesters and complete chaos under control with our police forces. They were the driving force upon American and conquering the "Wild Wild West", stage couches, pony express, the railroads (What animal do you think the pioneers used the most to move MASSIVE IRON STEAM engines?!). Horse racing, boxing, and American Baseball are the ONLY THREE things that brought American out of the depression! ARE YOU PEOPLE INSANE THAT MUCH, NOT TO SEE HOW MUCH HORSES HAVE INFLUENCED US AS HUMANS?! AND YOU WANT TO COMPARE THIS ANIMAL TO A CHICKEN? A COW? A PIG? SERIOUSLY?! And now you think it's okay to eat/slaughter something so SACRED? Something that MAY or MAY NOT (depending on when your family came here) have brought your family across America? OR HELL if any of you live out on the west... HOW DO YOU THINK THOSE CITIES/STATES WERE FOUNDED? By people walking, well yes some, but majority of people crossed with horses and oxen and covered wagons.
DO YOU think its okay to slaughter Buffalo? Or hunt Bald Eagles? Why? Whats the difference NEITHER are endangered anymore... BUT WHY don't people like that? Because they are America's heritage? Because America is known for those creatures... Well guess what America is also known for creating THE AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE which is the the MOST popular horse in the WORLD. And you think it's okay to slaughter the very creatures that helped pave America's West... you people are all ass backwards if you think it's okay.
She lied, she got caught, HANG HER!!!
I hope this trainer is not allowed to have anything to do with horses again. We do have a problem - I think if breeders and owners were made to pay 1% of the purchase of a horse for retirement of these horses we would not have this problem. There would be less horses being bred and that would be a good thing. We can't seem to take care of the ones already here.
So much for our laws - I hear horses are sold and sent to slaughter houses everyday from the USA, and that is disgusting!