Horse rescue efforts continue
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Kelly Molloy-McDaniel is pictured with one of five of the rescued horses on her Spit Creek Ranch in the Cummings Valley. Molloy-McDaniel told the Tehachapi News that she was misled and thought she would be getting help with the expense of taking care of the horses. Zach Skow of Marley's Mutts said the five horses are being adopted by two individuals who rent space at the ranch and that they will be free to sell the horses once the adoption is complete. He said Molloy-McDaniel has received hay to help feed the horses on her property.
Dog rescuer Zach Skow, founder of Marley's Mutts, with some of the dogs he rescued. While on a routine trip to the pound in Bakersfield in early January, Skow learned that a number of horses there were going to be sent for slaughter and launched a rescue operation.
Since 2009, Zach Skow of Marley's Mutts - a Bear Valley Springs-based non-profit - has rescued hundreds of dogs.
Skow - in his late 20s - was featured last year in "O" magazine.
In the published interview, he said that several years ago he was facing end-stage liver disease after battling alcoholism since his teens. When his doctors recommended exercise, he started taking walks with his father's rescue dogs including a Rottweiler-pit bull mix named Marley.
The exercise helped Skow who said the dogs gave him motivation to stick around. So when he started his own non-profit rescue organization, he named it for Marley.
During one of his regular visits to the pound in Bakersfield in early January, Skow learned that a number of horses- some abandoned and others taken into custody in connection with animal abuse - were about to be sent to auction. Although slaughter of horses is illegal in California, sometimes horses are bought at auction to be taken elsewhere for slaughter - so Skow believed the horses had little chance of survival if someone did not step in to help.
Working with friends who have knowledge of horses, Skow set about to rescue the animals, bringing them to Tehachapi and beginning the process of rehabilitating them and finding homes.
Hay drive
Efforts to help the horses have come from many quarters.
Girl Scouts of Troop 008 heard about the horses and began an effort to "bale out the horses" by conducting a hay drive.
According to the Marley's Mutts website, as of Jan. 22, the hay drive had resulted in contributions of 98 bales of hay and $165 cash for shavings, salt and other supplements.
Hemme Hay has offered to continue to take $2 off all bales donated. For information call 822-7442.
News of the Girl Scouts' effort made its way to the Tecolate Pony Club in Santa Barbara through the United States Pony Club, Camino Real Regional Network.
"We are very, very proud of our fellow Pony Clubbers/Girl Scouts for their work in organizing the "Bale Out" fundraiser," a club member posted on the Marley's Mutts website. "Many of us have or are sending monetary donations to Hemme's feed. Additionally, we are all spreading the word through the Area VI Young Rider's Division of the U.S. Eventing Association, and through our own personal 'equine networks.'"
Status of horses
A total of 19 horses were turned over to Marley's Mutts and a number of them are featured on the organization's website, with photos showing volunteers working with them to rehabilitate them. The horses were in various conditions with some so wild that it was difficult for animal control to catch them.
Three of the horses are now at RISE, an organization that works with horses and youngsters.
According to Terri Sturn at the organization they try to help helps kids that are adopted, in foster care or are handicapped. The kids get to work with the horses and learn to ride.
One of the horses appears to be a race horse that may need some work as it's used to getting in the gate and running full speed.
Another, a white horse, seems to be docile and should be easy to get under saddle fairly easily, Sturn said.
The kids get to brush the horses and work to build trust with them, program director for RISE, Anne Kline said.
"A lot of these horses others wouldn't look at because they couldn't make ranch horses out of them, but they would be perfect for the program so I decided to get involved," Kline said.
Discontent
Kelly Molloy-McDaniel of Spit Creek Ranch in the Cummings Valley, is not as happy with the horses delivered to her property.
She told the Tehachapi News she was misled and has not received promised help to care for the horses.
The five horses on her property are being cared for by Erica Underwood and Casey Miller, she said.
"Marley's Mutts is seeking and receiving donations of money and hay, but they haven't helped with these horses," she said.
"I do not run a rescue," Molloy-McDaniel said. "I've been drawn into this nightmare that I wanted nothing to do with. We never intended on adopting out these horses. Our intention was to get them back to health, fatten them up, train them and sell them. It costs $500 a month to have a horse in full board and training, another $100 per month for shoes and another $200 a month to feed them- and these horses are on grain, too, so add another $100 to that."
After having the horses on her property, believing she would be able to sell them after rehabilitation, Molloy-McDaniel learned that the horses were released officially to Marley's Mutts and that neither she, Erica or Casey had title to the horses.
She also said she was led to believe that the rehabilitation of the horses, including help with feed, would be taken care of by Marley's Mutts.
But Skow said he understood that Underwood and Miller- who he said rent space from Molloy-McDondald- wanted to adopt the horses so they could rehabilitate them and eventually sell them for a profit.
He said individuals would have had to pay a $200 fee to animal control for each horse, but his non-profit was able to get the animals released to his care at no charge.
Marley's Mutts is continuing efforts to place the other animals, Skow said. On Monday, he said, paperwork would be delivered this week to allow Underwood and Miller to officially adopt the animals.
And although Molloy-McDaniel said she has had no help feeding the horses, Skow said that 50 bales of hay had been delivered previously and that 15 additional bales were to be delivered. Linda Laing, a local horse breeder, confirmed that she had paid for 50 bales of hay for delivery to Molloy-McDaniel, as a gift.
Skow said horses rescue operations are continuing and that a number of people are helping.
Originally, 11 horses were rescued and in two subsequent trips to Bakersfield, the number has grown to 19.
Although the organization is raising funds to help with the rescue, once a home has been identified and the adopting party intends to sell the horses, Skow said it would be inappropriate for the non-profit to continue financial help, but that efforts would continue to place other animals that come under the rescue group's care.
Efforts to contact Underwood and Miller were unsuccessful.
