Late last year, Kenton County (Kentucky) Animal Services began an investigation of the extreme neglect of nine horses owned by exercise rider Brandie Hart (aka Brandie/Brandi Wood). Disgustingly, even after finding that neglect, Hart was initially allowed to keep the horses. Animal Services’ Kelsey Maccombs explained (WWNY): “It was a case of neglect, but we were hoping we could get these horses up to weight and we could work with the individual before we could get to this point of seizing horses.”
Once an animal abuser always an animal abuser. And true to form, Hart was arrested on January 6 – at Turfway Park, by the way. Veterinarian Tony Wolfe was brought in to evaluate the horses. In addition to finding “varying degrees of malnourishment, skin disease, [and] lack of dental care,” and body scores of 1-4 (on a scale of 1-10), he noticed two bales of hay sitting just outside the barn – within the sightline of the starving horses. In the criminal complaint, he said: “It seems especially cruel to allow [the horses] to suffer hunger pains with food just out of reach as their body conditions worsen, slowly, due to inadequate caloric intake.” In addition, the stalls had no bedding and the pastures no windbreaks. In short, hell.
When this first broke in February, Maccombs reported that “one of the horses has perished due to the severity of their neglect and we continue to monitor the other horses.” I have yet to find updates. Meantime, it took Kentucky Racing over a month to act, with Hart’s license finally suspended – pending the court case, of course – on April 1. Even worse, the county only charged her with misdemeanor cruelty – and she is out on bail to boot. (It appears that only dogs and cats qualify for felony protection in the great Commonwealth of Kentucky.)
To my mind, committing wanton cruelty against innocent, defenseless beings, be they human or otherwise, is the worst that we as a species are capable of. Brandie Hart may or may not be evil, but what she did – torture animals, at least one to death – is. And to think she’ll probably not spend a single day in jail. I feel rage, and sadness.
Obviously a case of a corrupt court, either taking backhanders at the time or on the permanent payroll of this obscene excuse for a human being.
I always yearn to hear of a Bruce Willis/ Charles Bronson style figure putting in a bit of unpaid ‘overtime’…
It would be so rewarding and give a warning to others not to abuse animals.
Meanwhile, some judge or magistrate as we call them in the UK stuffs more money in their secret bank account and goes home to play at being a good family man.
Most animal cruelty laws are far, far, too lenient, and the laws regarding horses seem to be especially light, as horses are deemed to be “livestock,” and for some reason that no sane person understands, livestock are treated differently, like commodities, “things” people buy and sell and make money off of. They are not treated like sentient beings that feel fear and pain. It defies logic. We need to change the laws.
That vicious vile sadistic monster Hart has to be punished and her horses given a better home
I think that it is part of the legal process for the “authorities” to attempt to get the offending Animal Abuser to comply with certain requirements. If they “refuse” to be compliant, further action is taken. At least, the remaining horses were seized. There ought to be follow-up stories about this case of severe neglect.
Whoever the horse community is that enabled her to get away with this unacceptable cruelty and neglect of nine horses for so long ought to be investigated, in my opinion.
This case of an “exercise rider” starving and otherwise neglecting nine horses, and one of them to death, is truly sickening.
This person should go to jail for a long time and never be around animals again! To starve them and make them smell the hay they couldn’t get to makes her a sadist. It’s disgusting that she was let go. Where are the poor horses now ? Besides the poor dead horse ? I hope someone decent takes them in.
If anyone is interested in adopting one of the horses, they can call Kenton County Animal Services in Covington, KY. If anyone wants to donate money towards the care of the horses, they may do that too. There is an article about this on the internet which includes a short video.
i agree with Tami that this person should go to jail for a long time and not be allowed to be around animals again.
I WISH SHE COULD BE TREATED THE SAME WAY AS THAT POOR HORSES WAS PUT HER IN JAIL FOR A LONG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t understand why the laws are different for horses! It is beyond my comprehension. Anyone who is cruel to an animal should be locked up in hard labor camp. The “animal services” continue to fail, people continue to fail these horses. There is no hope for someone who is purposely cruel in this way.
I don’t get it either, but the laws are different for livestock as opposed to companion animals. Look at the way farm animals are kept. The laws governing what is considered acceptable minimal care for horses is a joke. You don’t have to have any shelter at all. The designation of livestock also allows people to load them on kill trailers and send them out for slaughter, even though horse slaughter plants is illegal in this country. Livestock = insentient commodity. That said, overt cruelty, starving, beating, etc. is not legal no matter what the animal’s classification. It’s just that when charges are pressed, the perpetrators get a slap on the wrist. It’s disgusting.
This is such a horrific act , and these horses have no chance of survival with a monster like her… and the fact that she’s an exercise rider to boot, makes it even worse. Since in the world of horse racing , everyone PRETENDS it’s a great sport, why can’t you all pretend these lovely horses are endangered species, or German shepherd dogs , so she can be charged with a felony , and not a fricken’ misdemeanor……animal cruelty and abuse is exactly how it sounds abuse .. it needs to end !!’
Her actions are outrageous. She is a monster incapable of compassion or responsibility or decency. Please remove her from society.