Horses out in the cold at N.L. children's camp
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 | 11:00 AM NT
CBC News
The Circle Square Ranch in Conception Bay South has come under fire for the treatment of its horses throughout the bitter Newfoundland winter.
Debbie Powers, the shelter director of the SPCA in St. John's, visited the camp on the weekend and was distressed by how the 12 horses at the children's camp were being housed and watered, saying the animals spend day and night outside.
"I went with somebody who is far more experienced than I," Powers said of her trip to see the horses. "We were both appalled and upset [by] what we saw."
The camp is run by the Ontario-based organization Crossroads Family of Ministries, which telecasts100 Huntley Street.
Ranch director Cliff Peckford told CBC News that the facility has a problem when it comes to properly caring for the 12 horses.
"It's becoming increasingly more expensive to maintain horses throughout the year and that's a concern we're working through," Peckford said. "So ultimately, we're looking to reduce the herd before our summer program, down from the current 12 to eight."
Powers said there is a barn at the site but the doors are closed, keeping the animals outside in frigid temperatures.
"These horses have no access to shelter. They might say there are trees there, but the trees are pretty scrawny," Powers said. "The ice conditions there were atrocious."
Powers said the horses can easily slip and fall on the ice that covers their yard and said there was no sign that the animals had any access to drinking water. CBC News visited the camp and witnessed one animal slip and fall onto its side, while another stumbled on the ice and caught itself.
Don Martin, former manager of the Horse and Pony Protection Association in Newfoundland and Labrador, also visited the Circle Square Ranch to see the conditions in which the horses have been living.
Martin told CBC News that after about 30 minutes of viewing the animals, he believes they look in good health. Martin said, however, he was worried about the cold.
"They appear to be doing all right. I would like to see them in a place where they could get in out of the freezing rain and the wind, they don't like the wind that's why you see them with their backs to the wind," Martin said.
Upkeep is difficult: ranch director
Martin said although it would be preferable to put the horses in a barn, the one at the ranch would be problematic because it only has stalls, meaning the horses would not be able to move around or lie down.
Because of the lack of space indoors, Martin said remaining outside may be the better option.
One animal did have a sore near its eye which Martin said also worried him.
Peckford said a caretaker does feed the horses, but said it is difficult to pay for the upkeep of the animals since the Circle Square Ranch is a non-profit organization and relies on donations.
Powers said she doesn't want to wait until the spring for the animals to have better living conditions, adding she's found somewhere to relocate all 12 animals temporarily while changes to the ranch are made to accommodate them.
"I don't expect a Cadillac facility, but I jolly well expect that there should be water, light, heat in the tack room and boxed stalls where these horses can be safely put."
However, there has been no final decision on temporarily housing the animals elsewhere.
