A well-off, local rancher, Tommy Arhopulous, has many malnutritioned, neglected, and dying horses on his ranch. The sheriff and other government officials have been contacted, but they have not acted. If you are a local animal advocate, please consider contacting the sheriff's office and other local officials and pressing them to address this issue.

Below are the links to the kbtx story about the neglect, another story on one of their horses that got out and got hit by a car last week, and a link to see the photos of the horses at the ranch.



KBTX stories:
http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/Conditions_Of_Several_Local_Horses_Raise_Concern__134371928.html

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/Roaming_Horse_Hit_By_Driver__134438558.html

Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2682875832344.2150473.1269800926&type=3

http://www.facebook.com/notes/john-mcdaniel/corruption-and-greed-meet-at-arhopulos-and-straub/10150383030480829#!/notes/john-mcdaniel/corruption-and-greed-meet-at-arhopulos-and-straub/10150383030480829


Other info about Arhopulos Ranch:
http://www.manta.com/c/mmcqx3z/arhopulos-ranch



[edit: added clickable links]



[This message has been edited by twill (edited 11/28/2011 4:03p).]

Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society

www.bluebonnetequine.org info@bluebonnetequine.org
neglect@bluebonnetequine.org
888) 542 5163

Thanks, Momlaw. Yes, I have contacted them.

twill,

Welcome to last week when KBTX ran two stories about this, and did a crappy job of it at that.

Your post seems like a troll. Let's look more closely. Oh, and your links wouldn't work for me.

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A well-off, local rancher, Tommy Arhopulous, has many malnutritioned, neglected, and dying horses on his ranch. The sheriff and other government officials have been contacted, but they have not acted. If you are a local animal advocate, please consider contacting the sheriff's office and other local officials and pressing them to address this issue.

Below are the links to the kbtx story about the neglect, another story on one of their horses that got out and got hit by a car last week, and a link to see the photos of the horses at the ranch.

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Having driven by that "ranch" several times, and knowing some of the people that live out there, I have to disagree with you.

There are many horses, to be sure. I'll agree with you on that. I've heard between 150-300, but I don't know. From what I have seen, I would guess between 100-130, but I don't know.

These horses are NOT neglected. The owner and his wife are seen out there every day tending the horses. The horses are not without water, ever, and I heard he has been feeding them grain or pellets or something.

Hay has been a problem. There hasn't been much. This is not a problem just for Arhopolous. It's everywhere.

Texas is in an exceptional drought. You do realize that it takes rain to grow most types of vegetation, including those types that get turned into hay, correct?

Nowhere have I seen any dying horses. Underweight, yes. Dying, no.

This week I could go on many forums and find offers of free horses. What do you want? Arabians? Got 'em. Tennessee Walkers? Come get one. Peruvians? All you can load up.

People can't afford to take care of their horses. They are having to let go of them in droves this year. The economy is horrible, there isn't much hay, and a horse is a luxury item for many people. What hay there is can be really pricey. You do understand supply-demand economics, correct?

One of the neighbors of Arhopolous told me the horses that are "always loose" according to the young man in the KBTX story don't even belong to Arhopolous, but were dumped out there. People are dumping horses like they do dogs and cats. Find a spot in the country, dump them, and move on.

Hey, what's a few more horses to take care of when you already have 100+? These would just blend right in, correct? Supposedly that is what happened with these.

Another neighbor has cows on their property that are not their own. A neighbor owns them, they get loose and go down the road to a different property because there is better grazing there (because it hasn't had livestock chewing it down to the dirt all year when there hasn't been any hay).

If I drove a county road where there was "always horses loose", I would probably be sure to be careful. You know, like you do when deer are out and about? I'm not sure how this girl ended up hitting a horse. Normally when a horse gets out, it is trying to get the good grass outside the fence that has not been chewed to the dirt and pooped on. Maybe this horse got spooked and ran into the road, but usually they stay on the side and graze.

There are loose dogs all the time, plenty of other animals (coyotes are plentiful out there), and some guy always shooting an assault rifle on some property somewhere. I would be more worried about those things if I was the neighbors.

A family member has a ranch a few hours away. They have a LOT of cattle and a couple of horses to use to work the cattle. They said they need 300 round bales to get their cattle through the winter. They currently have only 60 round bales. There just isn't much available.

And for all of you "Arhopolous needs to sell some horses, he has too many!!!" people, I will refer you to my earlier comments about free horses available. Why buy when you can get them for free? How does he sell when people can't even afford to keep what they have? He has too many, but this is not an easy problem to fix.

Go out there and see for yourself. This old guy is not what I would call "well-off". If you have access to his bank records, by all means, do tell us how you know this. If I was well-off, I would sure spruce the place up a bit. And some of the horses are a little skinny, but neglected? No. You are speaking out of turn here.

I will say that in years past when I have driven by, his horses all looked good. Good weights, good looking animals. This seems to me to be more a condition of the worst drought in decades than anything else. You are making this out to be something that needs to be on Animal Cops Houston, and it just isn't so.

Learn what you are talking about before you post.



[This message has been edited by wellboriginal (edited 11/28/2011 3:36p).]

No worries. The sheriff will sort things out.

Thomas Moore Feed has hay for sale. They have 2 locations one on Hwy 6 south of CS and North Store off of Tabor Rd and Hwy 6.

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User Profile
Username: twill
Number of Posts: 2
Account Created: 11/28/2011 1:11:50 PM

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ignore the rook/troll.

wellbornoriginal wrote:

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Welcome to last week when KBTX ran two stories about this, and did a crappy job of it at that.
Your post seems like a troll. Let's look more closely. Oh, and your links wouldn't work for me.

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not trolling, just a new user who posted info that I got from the links I posted so that others who were concerned could raise their concerns with local officials. I wasn't aware of the policy forbidding the posting of news stories from a week ago.

The links aren't working for me either - it looks like the url tag I inserted makes them clickable, but adds in an extra 'http' in the front -- you can either delete that in the address bar, or just copy/paste the links into your address bar and presto! internet magic.

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There are many horses, to be sure. I'll agree with you on that. I've heard between 150-300, but I don't know. From what I have seen, I would guess between 100-130, but I don't know.

These horses are NOT neglected. The owner and his wife are seen out there every day tending the horses. The horses are not without water, ever, and I heard he has been feeding them grain or pellets or something.

Hay has been a problem. There hasn't been much. This is not a problem just for Arhopolous. It's everywhere.

Texas is in an exceptional drought. You do realize that it takes rain to grow most types of vegetation, including those types that get turned into hay, correct?

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I agree with techno-ag, the sheriff will sort these details out, but the point here (as raised by the commenters on the links I provided) is that the sheriff's department has been reluctant to act. I didn't make any points about the # of horses or the horses getting loose - I just linked to the news story.
However, I would disagree with your point that underfeeding the horses due to financial hardship or limited hay supply during a drought is acceptable. Others can view the photo evidence on the links I provided which shows those 'underweight' horses you describe (as well as the bones of other horses presumably in a similar condition until recently), and make their own decision. I'm just passing along the news stories and photo evidence - you can glean whatever you want from them. Those who feel that the photos and news stories are signs of neglect can contact their officials.

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I will say that in years past when I have driven by, his horses all looked good. Good weights, good looking animals. This seems to me to be more a condition of the worst drought in decades than anything else. You are making this out to be something that needs to be on Animal Cops Houston, and it just isn't so.

Learn what you are talking about before you post.

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Too bad they don't still look as good as you recall.
Again, just repeating what has been posted elsewhere (but absent the histrionics that you've given us). I never said anything about a TV show, nor did I say anything about the drought because I don't think it's material -- Texas penal code says that you cannot neglect animals/horses in your custody (the condition of the economy or food supply doesn't matter). [(I guess I should have defined 'neglect' in Sect. 42.09's language -- failing to provide necessary food or care for an animal in the person's custody -- in my previous post for you)]

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Go out there and see for yourself. This old guy is not what I would call "well-off". If you have access to his bank records, by all means, do tell us how you know this. If I was well-off, I would sure spruce the place up a bit. And some of the horses are a little skinny, but neglected? No. You are speaking out of turn here.

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Nope, I don't have access to his bank records, but the last link I already provided shows that the business has existed for 58+ years and brings in an annual income of 100K. I personally know family members that have given the impression of being well established, but you are right that I could be overstating his financial status, and personal observations aren't too reliable. Regardless, it doesn't justify how the animals are 'allegedly' being under-fed.

looks like popcorn time.

1. In 2007 congress banned the slaughter of horses. While it is an ugly truth, so is euthanasia in animal shelters. Simply put, there are more animals than there are homes. Something has to be done with the excess animals, and euthanasia is often the result. Unfortunately, it is much easier to dispose of 10# - 100# bodies of dogs and cats, 1000# horses are a different story entirely. So, with the elimination of horse slaughter in the United States, we’ve got an excess of about 80,000 horses per year. In addition, there is no ‘bottom dollar’ for horses. With slaughter, they always had a value of about 50 cents per pound, as that is what they were worth to the slaughter house. Now, owners no longer have a method, other than paying a vet to euthanize a horse, and then paying someone to remove the carcass or bury it. Many owners (unfortunately), allow nature to ‘take its course’ and horses are literally forgotten in pastures, to suffer and die on their own.

2. The impact of the elimination of slaughter has been exacerbated by the drought. Now, owners who were previously letting horses live the remainder of their years on pasture no longer have grass to feed them, and often don’t have the resources to purchase hay. Further, owners who had easily sustained a large number of horses on pasture are unable to due to the drought. They cannot get rid of their horses, as they have no value.

3. It is not as simple as ‘going to the feed store and buying hay’. The range of hay available right now is absolutely mind-blowing. Everyone is baling anything and everything to sell it as ‘hay’ and not all ‘hay’ is created equal. Often times, poor quality hay does more harm than good. Good quality hay is increasingly difficult to find, and also is increasing in price exponentially. One horse needs about 10-15 pounds of hay per day. That’s 300-450 pounds of hay per month, excluding supplemental grain. On a hay-only diet you could easily double that hay ration.

4. Hay prices are at historical highs due to the cost of diesel and fertilizer used to produce and transport the hay. Further, the demand is far exceeding the supply due to the drought. Five years ago, one bale of good quality coastal hay was about $3.50. Today, that bale would cost you about $10. If you consider that one horse will need about 2 tons of hay per year, that’s easily $500 to $600 per year. Multiply that times each horse, plus vet care, etc. and you’ve got a big bill on your hands, for horses that you can’t get rid of but you can’t afford to feed.

What do you do? Shelters such as T-Bar and Bluebonnet are overflowing with horses that are surrendered and seized by law enforcement.

If this was the guy I saw on the news, then I felt sorry for him. He was doing everything he could, and he was talking about trying to sell some of his horses. Things are rough right now, and most people have no clue how much it truly costs to raise such a large animal. I wouldn't be too quick to judge.

You also need to understand the Sherriff Department’s point of view- there are literally 100+ horses that are in dire need of a lot of TLC (time, labor, cash). Not only does the horse owner not have the resources to care for them, the county doesn’t either. The rescues don’t- they’re already over loaded with horses. Ultimately, other than digging a pit and euthanizing every single horse, there are not many other options that will yield immediate results.

If there are truly 100 horses on that property, they would need about a ton of hay per day, and at $300 per ton, we’re talking $9000per month just to feed these horses.

I wonder if the OP is donating hay to feed these guys.

I have space for 2 if someone wants to pay for hay & feed.

Looks like they just unbanned horse slaughter - guess they finally got hungry or something. fire up the grill ! it is interesting the distinction people make between the killing of specific animals. i do not like meat however i see no difference in eating a cow, horse or dog etc.

the production inputs for a planet eating meat is just to high. i can certainly see how anyone carrying livestock could get into trouble having to carry those costs.

http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/obama-legalizes-horse-slaughter-for-human/

[This message has been edited by BlazeHarper (edited 11/28/2011 5:52p).]

Wellboriginal, you really support the owner and find the condition of these horses to be acceptable? And you have driven by for years and say these horses have been cared for? I too have seen these horses for years and have been horrified at their condition, never ever have I seen all of these horses in good condition with acceptable room to move around. Personally, I believe the Houston SPCA should be called on this man. Definitely not the local shelter because they would not know what to do with these horses, the Houston SPCA has the accomidations for these horses and far more resources available.

Does it really matter that there is a drought and times are tough? These animals do not know this. All they know is their "caretaker" no longer cares for them nor supplies food to them. All they know is they are stuck on dirt with a fence around them preventing them from grazing. If you can not afford or properly take care of the horses then he has no right to own them.

How do you support the owner for the horses that have injuries? Are you going to say maybe he has yet to notice? If you are going to own livestock or any animal for that matter, you are in control of EVERYTHING in their life. From grooming to feed to health. I personally feel very bad for these animals. Also, every time I have driven by, there are young horses on the property and I have thought for a long time the owners bred and sold the horses.

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If you can not afford or properly take care of the horses then he has no right to own them.

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What, exactly, would you like them to do with them?

I, too, am interested to hear an answer to the above question.

So far this all fits into the scenario my old boss used to criticize: "Don't tell me the problem, tell me the solution."

Who thinks the Houston SPCA could suddenly take 300 horses?

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If you are going to own livestock or any animal for that matter, you are in control of EVERYTHING in their life.

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horses are livestock until the govt game them "pet" status. If I own a cow, I can pretty much take it to a sale barn almost any day of the week and most likely sell it.

How many shelters will take a pet if you don't want it, how many will take a horse.

I don't know the situation in this thread, no doubt there are cases of abuse and their are cases of not enough resources to feed an animal in the worst drought in 100 years.

wellboriginal's profile:

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Username: wellboriginal
Number of Posts: 1
Account Created: 11/28/2011 2:25:28 PM

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notice time registered, time posted, one post

As a side note, I would put my horses down before I let them starve to death.

I agree momlaw, but as Max stated above, what are you gonna do with it once you've shot it?

And on a more emotional note, who in your family would want to shoot it?

Average cost to euthanize a horse is $200.

In addition, burial can be pricey as backhoe operators charge by the hour. Further, many counties restrict the burial of livestock due to groundwater contamination concerns. I'm sure one animal wouldn't be that big of an issue, 300 on the other hand...

Bet there are resources if one wants to humanely terminate suffering lives.

It is about personal responsibility.

Every one of these "animal advocates" that lobbied for an end to horse slaughter should be given a gun and a shovel and made to deal with the problem they created.

As was stated earlier, there are many, many, many hungry horses in the state this year due to the drought. Nothing can be done about it at this point and people are having to do the best they can. 30 years ago, this guy could have sold the horses to a slaughter house but he literally has nowhere to go with them now.

Also, I've seen these horses in the past as well. Yes some have been skinny and some have been fat. I've also seen plenty of healthy horses in his herd over the years. Guess what, horses live a long time. When they get old, just like humans, dogs, cats and virtually every other animal on God's earth, some of them get skinny as they age. Just because you may see a skinny animal on a farm or ranch, don't jump to the conclusion there is animal abuse going on.

I will try to help as well. Thanks for the post.

The condition of the horses out there is not a new situation. When I moved here over ten years ago I often rode the streets in that area. I immediately noticed a couple horses with horrible injuries left unattended. I even called the sheriff once but never saw much response. The injured horse I called about was gone soon after though I have no idea why. The over crowding and lack of handeling was also apparent. When I would ride down the road by the over crowded pens the horses would all race wildly away often slamming into the fencing. The majority of horses there are under weight but not to extreme, have water and shelter, and are therefore not worthy removing. Ultimately we need the slaughter industry back as a necessary means to an otherwise unsolvable problem. Anyone who says slaughtering should be outlawed has not seen the reality of what happens to a horse that is not fed for months.

Sadly I would have to agree that unless someone else steps up to pay for the care of these horses, there really isn’t much hope. As stated before with the current anti slaughter laws there really isn’t much that can be done with old horses but let them die .

As far as the Sherriff Dept doing anything … don’t hold your breath, there are a lot of politics involved. Being that these horses are just down the road from my property, I can also tell you that complaints about the condition of the horses there goes way back , almost ten years, that I know of. That’s why the Sherriff Dept started their own Animal Control Division for out in the County so when complaints like these come up they can try to make them go away quietly . Just remember that the Sherriff Dept answers to the County Commissioners and if they say don’t piss off the ranchers (supporters) , then nothing ever changes. They just look the other way. The good ‘ol boy network is alive and well in the county.

I just have to wonder if something had been done about the complaints two, four , six or ten years ago, before the drought, hay shortage or new slaughter laws would we be in this same boat now.

There have been many documented (photos) complaints made over the years made to the Sherriff Dept. about this land owner that only result in threats from said owner and other family members toward those that complain and nothing is done for the horses. So , many people just stop complaining over the fear of repercussions . Who is going to investigate the threats , the same law enforcement you called , that just looked the other way ?

If this blows up and turns into a media ****storm , I guarantee that it won’t be any of current or former Commissioners heads served up on a platter.

Good luck on that re election campaign Sherriff.

Can you tell me how the horse appeared injured? When my horse was injured, I bandaged him up and left him in pasture. I also know of someone (a city someone obviously) who "witnessed" a dead or dying horse in a pasture so he called the sheriffs department. Deputy went out... Turns out all this guy saw was a horse laying down in the dirt (which, incidentally, horses like to do).

What I do see a lot of (here and other counties I've lived in) is suburban people moving further and further out and suddenly seeming to know more about this kind of stuff than the people who have been doing it and living it for lifetime.

And, still, I'm not seeing anyone offering any solutions.

Agree with the above poster.

Too many people watch a little Discovery or RFD or Animal Planet and they are suddenly veterinarians.

Yes, the situation sounds bad and the pics on that Facebook page look bad. But show me pics of all 300 horses or whatever. Do they ALL look like that?

Bones in a pasture means nothing. Those could have been there for years. I have worked outdoors in the past in lots of pastures where there were cow skulls and bones. This isn't new.

The Facebook guy seems a little dramatic. "If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I have 29 pictures and that is 29,000 words for these horses.". Umm, ok. I'll go take 50 pictures and trump your 29. Your point?

Sounds like some of the people that live out there realize there has been a bit of an issue, but nothing dire in the past. I don't buy into this conspiracy theory that one rancher/owner is playing the sheriff and four commissioners on strings like marionettes. Please. He is an old guy who has bred his horses too much, not sold enough, hit a bad economy and a drought, and is now in a bad situation. A situation which some of you want to complain about but not offer solutions.

Please stop acting like Tommy Arhopulos is Michael Corleone, telling the law how things will be. Offer a solution.

As mentioned above, the anti horse slaughter laws have finally been overturned. It was something people supported. No one wants to slaughter horses for human consumption in the US. But the laws had perverse unintended consequences, with thousands of starving horses abandoned all over the country.

Now hopefully our slaughter houses (I think we had two of them) can get back up and running and provide solutions for problems like this.

Here is an article detailing the legislative changes. fxn.ws/sjXClM

Here's another great article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703808704576062064022541024.html

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Though horse lovers cheered when the last slaughterhouses were shuttered, some now say they may not have thought through the consequences.

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The injured horse I was concerned for had an obvious break in its front leg between the knee and ankle. It was not just swolen or cut. There was an extra angle where there should not have been one. The skin had been horribly torn some time ago and white, green, and yellow infection had oozed out for some time before hardening into a several inch thick crust around that area of the leg. Flies and what I thought were larvae were also covering the area.
I have 30+ experience owning, training, and riding horses. Though I do not always agree with methods and care provided for horses that are not mine I do not think it qualifies as abuse. I'll mind mine if you mind yours. I have had horses injured in my care and even with continual care the injuries would have appeared gruesome to non-farm type people. That does not mean the horse was not well cared for. The horse I saw was not being treated and had not in some time. I believe that horse needed put out of its missery. I was told, but do not know, that horse was being kept for a brood mare because of her pedigree. This was not the first horse I have seen that should have been put down but was being kept for breeding purposes.

[This message has been edited by TxVix (edited 11/29/2011 7:22p).]

[This message has been edited by TxVix (edited 11/30/2011 12:20a).]

This is so sad. I am a horse owner as well and understand how injuries an look to others, but oozing and crusted and broken........cruelty.

I'm a horse owner as well, of 20+ years. Unfortunately I'm at max capacity (over, actually). Wish there was more I could do for these horses, but there simply isn't (without sacrificing the care of the horses I already have).

It's about time Congress finally came to its collective sense on the horse slaughter issue. They were warned repeatedly about the very consequences being seen now. Ultimately the emotional arguments won out over the common sense arguments and we ended up where we are now. I have no desire to consume horsemeat, but lots of folks in the world (especially France and Belgium) do. And, as was pointed out by other posters, we have to have a humane means of dealing with old or unwanted horses. Federally inspected slaughter facilities are way more humane than neglect.

Some friends who have horses told me it got so bad in some areas if you had a horse trailer and stopped, you were likely to find more horses back there when you unloaded.