For Immediate Release
Contact: Floss Blackburn
Denkai Animal Sanctuary
www.denkaisanctuary.org
info@denkaisanctuary.org
(970) 217-1457
EIGHTEEN HORSES FROM DRY CREEK ARABIAN’S NIWOT, CO FACILITY UP A CREEK
Grover/Niwot, CO-- Rulings by the Supreme Court have recently shut down horse slaughter plants in the United States. For many this was an enormous victory. Horses are dumped weekly at our local sale barns by dude ranches, breeders, and other individual owners that are totally clueless to the fact that their well trained horse is destined to end up in the hands of a kill buyer and headed to a Mexican or Canadian slaughter plant, a fate worse than death.
For eighteen Arabian and Arabian Cross horses this fate has been delayed over the last ten months. They are now staring it in the face. Colorado law states that livestock are considered property, not a pet animal, therefore these horses are considered property and are treated as such in the judicial system. This law is flawed, though horses are not necessarily pet animals, they are not inanimate objects to be simply auctioned off either.
These horses have been the victims of a horrifying divorce between Mr. and Mrs. Helmick. They are caught up in a nightmare of he says, she says and their only options are to die or have a ruling handing them over to Denkai Animal Sanctuary in hopes of finding a home.
Denkai Animal Sanctuary has been housing these eighteen Arabian and Arabian cross horses since Novemeber of 2007. These horses were brought to the Sanctuary in poor condition from Marcy Trescott-Helmick’s Dry Creek Arabian facility in Niwot, CO. Marcy Trescott is the Owner of Dry Creek Arabians and plead guilty to two counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals in December of 2007. (http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/10958/CO/US/) The Sanctuary has been able to care for these horses through a written agreement and payments from a Boulder County Agistor.
Below is a list of media that had covered the story of these Arabian horses from the beginning of their plight:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/11288135/detail.html
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=68662
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=66501
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/12944900/detail.html
http://denver.yourhub.com/Boulder/Stories/News/Crime/Story~297650.aspx
Since May of 2008, payments towards the care of these horses have ceased. Denkai Animal Sanctuary with the help of Horses Forever in Hygiene, CO has had hay, farrier work, vaccinations, and veterinary care donated towards these innocent beings. Resources have run dry, without public help, there is nothing left to care for these horses.
Denkai Animal Sanctuary has placed a lien against these horses and is working to get a hearing in court to take possession of them in order to bypass the “norm”. The normal process that happens since horses are considered property once a lien is placed provides that these horses would have to be sold at auction. This means that they would be purchased at auction most likely by kill buyers who would then ship them to a Mexican or Canadian Slaughter plant. After almost a year of rehabilitation, Denkai can not fathom such a fate for these horses. The Sanctuary has worked with local veterinarians in beating cancer, providing needed dental work, de-worming and putting more than 100 lbs on each of these horses, just for them to go to slaughter? We don’t think so!
Denkai Animal Sanctuary is asking for help from the public to save these horses and show that there is another option rather than public auction for such animals. These are not vehicles, houses, or material items! They are living, breathing beings. They have feelings; they can become frightened, sad, and happy. How is that we have reduced horses to the likes of an inanimate object?
The need for help is GREAT and URGENT! Please make a contribution to the Sanctuary; Denkai desperately needs hay, the horses each 10 tons per month. The Sanctuary has located good quality grass hay for $70.00 per ton to help feed these horses and needs to raise a total of $1,400.00 to bring in 20 tons which will help to feed these horses for two months. By this time, a court ruling should have been made and these horses should be seeking homes. This is our greatest need while the lives of these horses hang in the balance. Please don’t let them down!
Contributions can be made to:
Denkai Animal Sanctuary
36710 WCR 126
Grover, CO 80729
Contributions can be made online at: www.denkaisanctuary.org
