Armstrong horse owner fears for animals being sent to auction
“I HOPE THESE HORSES FIND GENTLE PEOPLE. I HOPE THEY LIVE OUT LONG AND FULL LIVES”
ARMSTRONG – The possibility some of his 100 horses may go to slaughter after a court-ordered auction this weekend is not a pleasant thought for Armstrong man Gary Roberts. But that’s the reality the SPCA and the courts have put him in, he says.
“I don’t know what’s going to occur. I have no idea,” Roberts says, fighting through sobs. “But it’s to the point I can see these gentle horses being pushed down an alleyway to get a bullet to their head…. These are my babies, that’s what makes it tough.”
Roberts, 69, is charged with one count of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal, and one count of failing to provide necessities for an animal. One of his court-ordered conditions is that he “shall not have custody or control of, or reside on the same property, as any domestic animal, including but not limited to horses, after February 17.” An auction is set for Feb. 7.
The clause also applies to his dogs, Roberts says. He’s concerned about the horses going from the natural state they're in—open fields—to confined stalls.
“People think they’re doing a wonderful thing for these horses when that’s the antithesis of horse behaviour,” he says.
He also fears some of the horses will be snatched up by so-called kill-buyers who would take them to slaughter. Having more time to find new homes for them would have been better for the horses, Roberts says. He would have preferred to have interested buyers come out to his farm, visit with the horses, and work with them before taking them home.
“I hope these horses find gentle people. I hope they live out long and full lives,” he says.
He’s not the only person who thinks the court order is unfair. Approximately 20 local residents signed a petition spearheaded by neighbour Le Verne Bowles asking the courts to withdraw the condition.
“It’s just too harsh,” Le Verne says. “Some of them being sold off to good homes is a good thing for Gary and a good thing for the horses, but to rush them all off, they might be sent to slaughter.”
Le Verne says Roberts’ horses have always looked well fed and well taken care of. Instead of rushing them all off to auction, he says it’s in the best interest of the horses to give Roberts more time—six months or a year—to locate new homes them.
“Be more compassionate to Gary and to the horses,” Le Verne says. “One hundred per cent of the neighbours here are behind the horses.”
Nearby rancher Gary Whitlock also signed the petition and insists the horses are not suffering in Roberts’ care.
“I pass by pretty much every day or every few days,” Whitlock says. “Every time I went by the horses have looked great and been knee-deep in feed…. I truly believe he cares about the horses, I don’t even question that.”
He says it would have been more productive for everyone if the SPCA took a more positive approach to the situation.
“It’s easy to take a snap shot view of anybody’s life or their situation and go, that’s the way it is,” Whitlock says. “For them to take a snap shot view of someone’s life and say this is what’s best, instead of trying to help, to me is wrong. I think we need to start coming up with positive approaches to educate and make the situation better.”
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
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26 responses
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Sherri what horses have you been seeing in person?Hopefully not the ones I saw in person at the auction “after” a full month of “someone” finally putting the groceries to them.Because if you saw that and did nothing, hmmm, not too good!
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I am wondering if I am “accidentally” looking at pictures of animals that “don’t” belong to this man described in the above article?Because the animals I have seen didn’t stroll on over to death’s door in a couple of weeks!Any one out there in desperate need of glasses?
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IT’S A BIT LATE FOR GARY’S SOB STORY… those horses did not starve overnight!He should have been PROACTIVE in selling orplacing the horses in GOOD homes LONG BEFORE NOW!Why anyone would FEEL SORRY for him and sign a petition to allow that man to keep the horses….blows my mind!What about the horses that died and the ones that were starving to death…..is there NO COMPASSION for them…. He has EYES he can see what condition the animals were in….he is responsible for the horses in his care! If he cannot meet that responsibility then he should have sold them to someone who would. Honestly look at where his house is located in relation to the horses…he would have HAD TO SEE THEM everyday even if he was NOT FEEDING THEM!NOT SHEDDING ANY TEARS FOR GARY FOLKS,….JUST FOR THE HORSES THAT WERE UNFORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN IN HIS CARE!
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I think for anybody to have 100 horses in their care they need to be able to take care of them. Not just collect them. I can’t see how 1 person is able to give each horse the time or love that horses need. Horses are very social. From what I read in all the comments below.. the neglect ( whether intentional or not) has been happening for awhile. The man may have had good intentions collecting the horses to try to keep them safe.. but in most cases that isn’t always enough. Horses are expensive all the way around.. One horse costs thousands of dollars to feed and to give proper vet care. It is probably safe to say that most of these horses haven’t ever seen a vet. How could 1 person afford vet care for 100 horses..it is un realistic.There is no mention that the guy is a millionaire.. so where is he getting his money to feed them all? Not only that.. how does he provide proper shelter for all the hoses away from the elements? Were they just standing out in the harsh weather? There is more to think about then what people want to. The fact is that for the Spca to step in it has to be pretty bad because ( no offense to all the hard work they do) it usually takes years for them to be able to do something.. most of the times there hands are tied. Just look at those horses up in Salmon arm.. it has been years since they were able to help them and numerous postings were made by concerned citizens about her not having proper feed, shelter or health care for them (don’t know if they are still I her care). I do not wish for the horses to be slaughter or mistreated.. it is not their fault that proper care wasn’t taken. I hope there is a happier ending for these horses.. the first half of their lives from what I have heard haven’t been that great.
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I think debating with you is like debating with a potato. Okay, rather than reasoning how about: Gary is a great guy and just because only23 of his horses where near starving to death it makes it not so bad because he had over a 100. That is your point, correct?You are right, go sign his petition and give him some, no, maybe all your money for his legal fees.
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Sherri, The S.P.C.A. has been involved for one year.If you think his horses where well looked after then I hope you are not in possession of any?Just plan sick of people who defend animal abusers.There are always a few who what…come out of the woodwork.Repulsive to me.I am for the rights of the ones trapped in the pastures relying on the sanity and compassion of their care givers.Look at the walking skeletons on the reports or of the dead foal in the field.
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Bullshit is right.We have all seen the pictures and I am disgusted by anyone signing a petition for an animal abuser. PROVEN ANIMAL ABUSER!There are a lot of great causes in this world and Gary Roberts is not one of them.He is the type of person that will never see the truth and never admit to guilt.I bleive that none of these horses will be going to the kill buyer at this auction as the public is so aware of the sale.What about all the other horse auctions where many to go to kill buyers and a terror filled horrendous death?If we care we need to care about them all not Gary Roberts.Just google about this story and look at the walking skeletons he owns and then say all his horses where well fed.
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When I was a kid, I remember at one time, more than half the school being sick, including a few teachers. Those who went were given playtime. So when you say numbers like this, it still doesn’t make it a case of abuse.
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In the ten years he has had the farm up in our neighborhood, he has never had this problem before. People have seen him feeding and caring for his horses. They were never been without food. Whether it is parasites, or some other problem, this is not a black and white case of a man who is a monster to animals. And to destroy someone’s reputations and these fine animals, when all the facts aren’t out yet, is unjustified.
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He chose to sell them at auction. He could have had an onsite (at home) auction, but chose not to. And SPCA could not afford to look after 100 horses. The 16 horses seized from this man in December… in one day $4300 was used for their care…. IN ONE DAY!
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I meant that he has been under the eye of the SPCA for over a year, and he had options to sell any at any time, and chose not to.
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The SPCA should be HELPING to have them adopted out while providing care for them on his property…it is the best for the horses!Gary aside…let him face the music with respect to the charges and the ban….but sending these horses to an auction where kill buyers will definitely be bidding…DISGUSTING!My opinion has NOTHING to do with what is best for Gary…it is what is much BETTER for the horses and that is the only thing that matters at this point.This article is NOT crap….the people who say that the horses are well fed and cared for….that is their opinion.That being said, WHO CARES?The horses need to be rehired…so the SPCA and the community need to help that be accomplished.
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Marie just this week took some 10 young horsesto her place that were in too pathetic condition to take to auctionand he loves his horses.Bleeding heart sgo back and read his history not one misguided article.
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Great article! :)Its a terrible society who condemns a person guilty, and destroys everything he has, before even going to court!I have seen these horse in person, and they are such mild-mannered, beautiful horses. They were never poorly treated. The court order is rash. The court never came out to take a look. This all has caused so much grief. There are a lot of angry people in Armstrong over this, particular all the neighbors. And there have been a lot of things lied about and misconstrued. Its too bad the SPCA hadn’t taken a more proactive position, rather than reactive. They may have done some good in certain cases, but this is not one of them. Its a shame that the meat prices are high enough that these horses will likely die because of it. Who can afford to buy a pet horse at the meat market value? And I see there are plenty of people who are speaking who know nothing of this first hand.
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poor husbandry, with that many horses, especially in a herd situation the dominant ones will bully the submissive ones off the feed, if you add parasites to this, the submissive ones get weaker and weaker. With young horses, they don’t have the reserves or the confidence to push in and get feed, if the rations are then severely limited, those young horses are at serious risk with the added burden of the extremely cold weather. I am by no means saying that ANY of these horses went from a healthy weight to being in critical distress within the period of one cold snap. As hard as a person tries, it is difficult to know that you have actually seen every horse within a specific time frame unless they are being handled regularly and contained in smaller pens for health checks. That’s one of reasons that the cattle industry leans toward grouping cattle in fairly small feedlot pens, identification of wounds, injuries and illness can be done fairly easily on a daily basis as compared to trudging around 60 acres in the snow.
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Ans, as far as we know, time has expired – he had one year to sell horses, but didn’t happen.
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Elaine you will need to follow posts on FB of this entire situation. Sorry, but there is more to this than just the above article – there is other news.
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This situation has been a long time in the making.The SPCA didn’t just decide to attack him.His horses have been well looked after ever since December.Before that there were many days where there were only a few small square bales of hay for the whole 117 head herd.This whole situation would never have happened if he would have sold a few head along the way, controlled the completely random breeding by gelding colts.There are stallions in the herd who are breeding their own sisters and mothers.He is of course heart broken about losing the horses, he never meant to cause them harm, but he has caused harm due to his blindness.He absolutely does not perceive that he has hurt any horses or caused them to suffer.It is a horrible situation, I’m very sorry for Gary, I wish things had never come to this point, but here they are.The judge will see the evidence in black and white and full colour photographs of emaciated horses, and that’s what he’ll base his decision on.
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What – am I missing something.Why are they being removed – this Roberts character now concerned about the welfare of his horses!Isn’t this the same farm that had horses removed – some of which died.He should go to jail.
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What is the reasoning for saying that the horses are being mistreated or not taken care of. Do they have a legitimate reason.
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