Uploaded May 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Pope Co., AR - Arkansas state and local officials are investigating allegations of animal cruelty in a London, AR facility that calls itself a horse rescue. The woman who runs the operation offers quarantine and boarding for horses saved from slaughter. She also offers transport services.
A certified animal cruelty investigator for the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission reported seeing 23 "very thin," sick horses with "loss of hair over their body and face, mane's [sic] matted, hooves neglected and need trimmed [sic] and horses have not been groomed or brushed with loose hair present [sic]."
According to the investigator, "The condition of the horses do [sic] not depict a horse that has been fed and cared for due to their lack of weight gain."
The owner of an Oklahoma 501c3 equine rescue visited the London operation on Saturday, April 15, 2017 and was shocked by the condition of the horses. She took photos of skeletal animals in covered stalls with no fresh water and no feed in sight. She reported her concerns to the Pope County Sheriff's office, which sent Deputy Billy Gatlin to perform a welfare check.
Gatlin reported (Incident #17-4323) seeing horses that "looked real thin," but the deputy took no action because, "We did not know how long the rescue had those horses under their care."
On April 17, a transporter out of Oklahoma picked up a horse at the London facility and noted the same conditions as were reported to the sheriff's office two days earlier. The transporter reported his concerns to a Wagoner Co., Oklahoma deputy, who filed a second report with Pope Co.
On April 24, a sergeant with the Pope Co. sheriff said the office had received "25 phone calls" from people complaining about the facility. He said the proper authorities from the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission and the Pope Co. sheriff's office were aware of the problems and were investigating.
On April 25 - 10 days after the initial complaint, a lieutenant with the sheriff's office said the London police department was taking over the investigation because the facility was in the middle of the city limits and outside the sheriff's jurisdiction. He said the police chief, Joanne Demmitt, was scheduled to tour the facility the next day.
By the time Demmitt toured the facility, 12 of the worst horses were gone. She said the 11 remaining horses were in decent condition.
Several owners filed criminal complaints in London ranging from animal cruelty to fraud (obtaining money under false pretenses).
On April 28, the "rescue" crammed eight horses - including a large Belgian and two yearlings - into a livestock trailer with no dividers for a cross-country (24-hour) haul to the east coast. The haulers' truck broke down in New Jersey, where the horses sat for hours in the filthy, cramped trailer with no food or water. The owner of two of the horses made alternative arrangements, but the remaining six had to be hauled to an equine boarding facility for relief.
As of May 3, 2017, no charges had been filed in London or Pope County.
Learn more about slaughter horse rescue at swingindhorserescue.com
Make tax-deductible donations to rescue and care for slaughter horses at paypal.com/donate/?token=qjOWOxY_u0Vy0cjklq8GAm-82s4LylLUB7u5OD-DYNvGA0_YQgCjQmTGZWBRYt2r-aHLN0
Pope Co., AR - Arkansas state and local officials are investigating allegations of animal cruelty in a London, AR facility that calls itself a horse rescue. The woman who runs the operation offers quarantine and boarding for horses saved from slaughter. She also offers transport services.
A certified animal cruelty investigator for the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission reported seeing 23 "very thin," sick horses with "loss of hair over their body and face, mane's [sic] matted, hooves neglected and need trimmed [sic] and horses have not been groomed or brushed with loose hair present [sic]."
According to the investigator, "The condition of the horses do [sic] not depict a horse that has been fed and cared for due to their lack of weight gain."
The owner of an Oklahoma 501c3 equine rescue visited the London operation on Saturday, April 15, 2017 and was shocked by the condition of the horses. She took photos of skeletal animals in covered stalls with no fresh water and no feed in sight. She reported her concerns to the Pope County Sheriff's office, which sent Deputy Billy Gatlin to perform a welfare check.
Gatlin reported (Incident #17-4323) seeing horses that "looked real thin," but the deputy took no action because, "We did not know how long the rescue had those horses under their care."
On April 17, a transporter out of Oklahoma picked up a horse at the London facility and noted the same conditions as were reported to the sheriff's office two days earlier. The transporter reported his concerns to a Wagoner Co., Oklahoma deputy, who filed a second report with Pope Co.
On April 24, a sergeant with the Pope Co. sheriff said the office had received "25 phone calls" from people complaining about the facility. He said the proper authorities from the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission and the Pope Co. sheriff's office were aware of the problems and were investigating.
On April 25 - 10 days after the initial complaint, a lieutenant with the sheriff's office said the London police department was taking over the investigation because the facility was in the middle of the city limits and outside the sheriff's jurisdiction. He said the police chief, Joanne Demmitt, was scheduled to tour the facility the next day.
By the time Demmitt toured the facility, 12 of the worst horses were gone. She said the 11 remaining horses were in decent condition.
Several owners filed criminal complaints in London ranging from animal cruelty to fraud (obtaining money under false pretenses).
On April 28, the "rescue" crammed eight horses - including a large Belgian and two yearlings - into a livestock trailer with no dividers for a cross-country (24-hour) haul to the east coast. The haulers' truck broke down in New Jersey, where the horses sat for hours in the filthy, cramped trailer with no food or water. The owner of two of the horses made alternative arrangements, but the remaining six had to be hauled to an equine boarding facility for relief.
As of May 3, 2017, no charges had been filed in London or Pope County.
Learn more about slaughter horse rescue at swingindhorserescue.com
Make tax-deductible donations to rescue and care for slaughter horses at paypal.com/donate/?token=qjOWOxY_u0Vy0cjklq8GAm-82s4LylLUB7u5OD-DYNvGA0_YQgCjQmTGZWBRYt2r-aHLN0
