Horses and dogs removed from farm for lack of food, water
By Frances Ruth Harris
GOSHEN — A horse transportation service has removed all of the animals living at Argus Farm in Goshen, including horses and dogs, after an SPCA drone found no water or feed for animals on site.
The farm's owner, Jeanne Ryan, was found guilty during a bench trial of 10 felonies and 10 misdemeanors for starving 10 of her horses to death.
Gene Hecht, chief of Hudson Valley SPCA Humane Law Enforcement, told The Chronicle he received a call about two weeks ago that the remaining horses on Ryan's farm were not being fed or watered. He then launched a drone flyover from the neighbor's property.
No domestic animals remain on the farm, he said.
Ryan is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on Sept. 6.
Her attorney, Michael Sussman, is appealing the case. Sussman said Judge Robert Freehill should have recused himself from the case because his wife is the president of the board of the Middletown Humane Society.
Sussman told The Chronicle that he didn't know anything about a drone flyover. It may have been flown after the horses were removed on July 30 by Ryan's new husband, Stanley Dickel, he said.
The horses and dogs were all placed in proper homes, he said.
He called The Chronicle's coverage of the inspection and removal "yellow journalism" that is fueling public outrage at a sensitive time in the case.
Promise to care for survivorsLast August, soon after authorities found dead horses sunk in manure in a locked barn, and after Ryan's subsequent arrest, Sussman stressed to The Chronicle that ten surviving horses on Ryan's property were "all certified in perfectly good health." He said Ryan had arranged to have them checked by farriers and a dentist.
Sussman said at the time that he understood the community's concern over the surviving horses, and provided assurances that Ryan was making every effort to take care of them.
Actually, there was one survivor, Seamus, who was extremely sick when found in the locked barn along with the dead horses. During the trial, witnesses described the scour marks the dying horses had made on the interior of the barn while trying to escape.
Lorie Brinkworth of Pony Tails Rescue in Honesdale, Pa., said Seamus was found lethargic, with protruding bones, extremely discolored teeth, and sharp molars that cut into his cheeks and prevented him from eating. His breath smelled of the manure he was forced to eat. His hooves were so overgrown and clogged with bacteria that he needed a sedative before the farrier could work on him.
Seamus has now fully recovered and in training, according to a recent report from Equine Rescue Resource of Pine Bush.
Ryan was in line to surrender all of her animals anyway in accordance with Rocky’s Law, a 2015 Orange County law that requires any county resident convicted of animal abuse to register with the Sheriff's office. Convicted abusers stay on the public registry for 15 years but are reinstated for life if they are convicted a second time. They are also not allowed to obtain animals while on the registry, and they or anyone who gives or sells an abuser an animal during this time may be fined up to $5,000.
Related stories: "Surviving horses treated well as abuse case proceeds": https://bit.ly/2MjFeeP
"Attorney puts emphasis on 10 horses found alive ": https://bit.ly/2MjLeEs
"Disturbing images of horse abuse shown as Ryan's trial continues": https://bit.ly/2nvyUmu
"Jeanne Ryan found guilty on all counts in horse abuse case": https://bit.ly/2nucFxe
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify confusion over use of the term "humane society" in a reference to the Hudson Valley SPCA, which has law enforcement powers, where humane societies do not. In addition, the original story erroneously said a rescue service removed the horses, when the job was done by a horse transportation service. The story has also been updated to add comment by attorney Michael Sussman.