Questionable Fate for Philly Fillies

March 13, 2008

PHILADELPHIA - Dozens of horses are being uprooted from their Philadelphia stables. After year of controversy, officials raided a North Philadelphia stable and rescued dozens of equines that were being kept in an unhealthy, unsafe environment.

“You find horses in the strangest places, where you’d never guess, even walking past, there would be horses inside,” said Elizabeth Sorel, an investigator for the Philadelphia SPCA.

She’s referring to a city owned site that over the years has become dilapidated and on a number of occasions has received failing marks from inspectors. Filled with makeshift stables, the facility and grounds were long overdue to be shut down.

“The manure had gotten so tall, and the horses were more than hoof-deep in wet manure … something had to be done,” said Lisa Rodgers of the PASPCA.

Sneakers hanging on telephone wires over Fletcher Street in north Philadelphia symbolizing drug dealing; hardly a place fit for horses, according to the PASPCA.

Last week, officials raided the grounds, where some 60 horses were housed. Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections has condemned and bulldozed 95 percent of the land since last week, finally putting an end to the deplorable facility.

“(The horses) were actually walking through the manure, and the stables were really uncomfortable for them, where they couldn’t actually even move around,” said Juan Martinez, a PASPCA agent.

Horse owner Robert Davis said he’s astonished by the demolition. Unaware of the looming closure, he said he only found out about the city’s plans two days before the bulldozers showed up.

“We always took good care of our horses. All the tragedy that they talked about that took place down here, none of it took place (on the property),” said Davis.

About 20 horses will remain at the facility in renovated garages, pending repairs by their owners. Otherwise, galloping hooves have been replaced by cleanup crews. Witnesses say, the squalor here included an overwhelming urine stench, exposed nails, and at least one horse found dead.

The SPCA said that some have been relocated, while there are plans to re-home those that are thus far unclaimed.

“The horse community is a pretty tight community, everybody knows each other,” said Sorel. “So people are temporarily housing their horses wherever there’s room for them, until something more permanent can be established for them.”

Authorities said those found responsible for neglecting their animals will be given citations once they can be located.

“Needless to say, (the owners) were more than irate, but they had been warned, and warned and warned,” said Lisa Rodgers of the PASPCA. “This situation has been ongoing since 2006 in terms of being told that they would have to have these horses removed. So the SPCA kept coming out, dealing with the fact that the conditions the horses were living in were becoming worse and worse.”

While known owners have been notified, the horses that go unclaimed will be housed at a farm in upstate Pennsylvania, where they’ll receive medical attention before the SPCA finds them new homes.

If you have questions about the horses, contact the Philadelphia SPCA at pspca.org.

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