And They Lived Happily Ever After.......THE END.

We are pleased to announce that the horses of J.C. Cutters were moved to an adoption facility in Woodstock, IL at the end of March and are now up for adoption!


Looks like Cassa, Natalie, Dr. Seuss, Rita, Sue and Butch will end up with the forever homes that they deserve. Homes that won't include working the streets of Chicago or being kept in filthy conditions. Their new owners will be stable, no pun intended, and able to support these animals needs for the rest of their days.

We couldn't be more proud of The City of Chicago for doing their job.
Anyone who is interested in adoption should contact HAHS at www.hahs.org.

Thank you and Goodnight!

Exposed Truths.

Honesty?

Hey guys - I love you all. You are all most wonderful.

At the moment, I'm so effing shot, it ain't funny. I'd be more effusive, but I've got to save it for putting together some information for some people.

I will post pictures when I've got some rest behind me. I went in today and found hay in one of the horses' stalls, water in buckets, and three bales of hay left (which I knew about because I was planning on picking up another load shortly). IOW, someone had been in there that morning to feed.

I will put out a warning that the stalls were gross. We're situated at a disadvantage for water run off. The barn's located at the bottom of a run off to the river, and we have a raised lot on one side. The lot's higher than us by 16" or more. The sudden melt flooded right into the barn. Add to that what had frozen in the stalls that was thawing out, and one has grossness. However, they weren't hock deep in shit as we'd been keeping the stalls cleaned out on a regular basis. We had plans to strip and reshave on Friday, which got rudely interrupted.

I'm all about being honest, which is why I'm putting out a warning. I'll be able to get back on tomorrow evening and get the pictures up then.

-"Hoss Driver"

Follow Up Story

Seized Chicago Carriage Horses Find Temporary Home in Suburbs
by: Lisa Kemp
February 11 2009, Article # 13598
As found on http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=13598

Six Chicago horses belonging to J.C. Cutters Ltd. carriage company were seized on Friday, Feb. 6, amid conflicting reports on the reason for--and questions on the legality of--the action. The horses were taken to Flanery Farms, a private boarding stable in Maple Park, Ill.

"Animal Care and Control didn't have a court order to seize the horses," said Michele Goudie, J.C. Cutters Ltd. manager since 1997. "We've tried to comply with everything the city has asked us to do. It just never seems to be enough."

J.C. Cutters has reportedly received prior citations regarding animal care violations; calls to the City of Chicago Animal Care and Control office to confirm the number and nature of the citations, and to confirm the physical condition of the horses last Friday, were not returned.

One issue cited in media reports is J.C. Cutters' current stable, located at 1501 N. Magnolia on Chicago's Near Northwest side. Although some have described it as a tent, it is a wooden stall structure, covered by a white tarp.

According to Scott Waguespack, City Council member and alderman of the 32nd Ward, the temporary stable was never meant to be a permanent structure. "It was built in August, 2008, as temporary housing while they looked for a more permanent solution. The building they were using (previously) was cited through the city's Building Department because it had walls that were collapsing."

Although the future of the horses is uncertain, Flanery Farm owners Gerry and Franki Ellerbee report they're doing fine. The six horses are now receiving a minimum of eight hours of daily turnout, are housed in clean stalls at night, and are being fed a diet of grass hay and pelleted feed.

"They're running out in the pastures, and have already gone through 20 bales of hay," said Franki.

Cutters Court Case and Adoption Process

We've been swarmed with e-mails from our very devoted readers about what will happen to J.C. Cutters horses now that they've been confiscated.

It's quite simple really, they'll be adopted to forever homes. Homes where they'll always be respected and treated kindly. There will be many court proceedings in the next few months with the most recent being on March 12th. One reader brought up a very valid concern. "If the company didn't have money to keep the horses in a wholesome manner then, what makes anyone think that they'll be able to provide for them if they get them back?" Don't worry reader, we're sure the city has thought about that long and hard. CACC has built a solid case against Cutters and will defend their decision to remove the animals from their care. Something tell us that the prosecution will have plenty of knowledge when they walk in to court on March 12th.

Some VERY BASIC Information on Equine Care

An article found about how to clean a horse's stall. Full article available here: http://horses.about.com/od/basiccare/ht/stallclean.htm Author: Katherine Blocksdorf

No reasonable horseman/woman could disagree that stall cleaning should happen once a day or maybe twice if the horses NEVER get turned out.

If your horse lives in a stall for any part of his day, you'll have to keep it clean. Unclean stalls attract insects and could encourage hoof problems like thrush. Breathing ammonia from urine saturated bedding can be harmful to your horse's or pony's sensitive lungs. It's unpleasant to work in and smelly for you too. Stall cleaning should be a daily task.

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 20 minutes

Here's How:
Dress for the Job Dress in appropriate clothing. Gloves can prevent blisters. Urine can erode the stitching on the soles of leather riding boots. Save yourself boot cleaning time by changing into work or rubber boots.

Clear the Work Area: Take your horse out of the stall. A good time to muck out is when your horse is in his pasture. If you can't put him out, put him in an empty stall. Remove all the feed tubs, water buckets and stall toys.

Assemble Your Tools: Get your cleaning tools and park your wheelbarrow or cart close to the stall door facing in the direction you'll want to go when the barrow is full. It's easier to maneuver an empty wheelbarrow than a full one.

Dig In: If the stall is bedded with straw use a pitchfork to remove manure and wet or soiled bedding. If shavings or sawdust have been used, use the shavings fork to remove manure and wet bedding. Fork the manure into the wheelbarrow or cart. Sometimes it's easier to pick up wet bedding with a shovel.

Head for the Manure Pile: Wheel the filled barrow and dump out the contents in the assigned area (the manure pile). It's tempting to fill the wheelbarrow really high, but this can make it hard to push and easy to tip. It's frustrating having to clean up manure a second time because you've tipped over the wheelbarrow!

Do a Thorough Job: Continue cleaning out the dirty bedding. Scrape the unsoiled bedding to one side, and check that there is not wet or manure soiled bedding hiding underneath.
Even The Surface: Once you've removed all the manure and wet bedding, spread the cleaner bedding back over the whole stall area. Check around the edges of the stall as clean bedding sometimes gets tossed against the walls as the horse moves around. This leaves a thinner area in the middle or where the horse usually stands. Distribute the bedding evenly.

Add Clean Bedding: Add new bedding to replace any that has been removed. You'll either add a whole bale of straw, or portions of one. Fluff it with a pitchfork. Some stables have truckloads of loose shavings piled, or some buy bags of compacted shavings. Use your wheelbarrow to transport fresh shavings to the stall, or open a bag and fluff the compacted shavings with the shavings fork.

How Thick To Bed: Gauge how thick to bed by what type of floor is under the bedding and what season it is. If there is thick rubber matting on the stall floors, bedding can be thinner. On concrete, especially during cold weather, add more bedding to provide padding and urine absorption. Sand floors are easier on the horse's legs, but may get saturated with urine quickly if not enough bedding is put down.

Weekly Maintenance: You may want to completely strip a stall occasionally. In this case, keep filling your wheelbarrow until the stall floor is bare. Use the shovel to scrape up remnants of bedding and the broom to sweep it clean. You may want to put down odor control solution or stable disinfectant. Let the floor dry before re-bedding.

Keep Alleys and Doors Clear: After you've finished cleaning and bedding the stall, use the broom to sweep up spilled manure, straw or shavings in alleys and doorways. Scoop up the sweepings into the shovel and toss them into the manure pile. Manure, chaff and bedding pushed out a doorway will turn into a muddy mess in wet weather.

Prepare Tools for Next Use: Put all the tools away where they won't cause a tripping hazard.
Ready for Your Horse: Replace feed tubs, buckets and toys so the stall will be ready for your horse when he comes in.

J.C. Cutters UPDATES

Various news stories with video.

http://www.wgntv.com/evening_news

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6644997

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/carriage.horse.rescue.2.928664.html

Horses Caught in Carriage Companies' Crunch as posted at http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/horse-carriage-.html#2bfnHY6261BsUZkWnkB

Chicago police crews converged on a property in the West Town neighborhood on Friday as part of an investigation into the alleged neglect of several horses by a carriage operator.
The investigation focuses on five to seven horses found in a vacant field inside a tent at 1501 N. Magnolia Ave., according to police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak.
The tent had a tarp over it that likely offered little protection in the brutal cold, CBS2chicago.com reported.
The stable is operated by J.C. Cutter, which told NBC Chicago in October, "We love our work and our horses. The horses are thoroughly examined every three months by a veterinarian."
She did not know what time the horses were discovered, but said police and representatives of three animal protection agencies were at the scene late Friday morning.
Rescue crews had to get through a gate that was chained shut and blocking access, according to CBS2 Chicago.
.

ANOTHER STORY

neglected Horses Rescued
Tim Jackson
February 6, 2009

Chicago police have rescued half a dozen neglected horses in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago. Investigators tell WGN-TV that they found the horses in a vacant lot in a tent, in the 1500 block of North Magnolia. They were malnourished and cold.
Police say they belonged to a carriage operator who apparently abandoned them.

J.C. Cutters horses REMOVED BY AUTHORITIES!

It has been confirmed by a media outlet that authorities have confiscated all the horses from 1501 N. Magnolia. The horses are owned by J.C. Cutters and were seen being loaded on a very large "horse moving van."

There will be stories on every station in Chicago tonight and in every major news paper too.


***More news as it becomes available***


xoxo

E.T.

A Story by Sara Olkon of Chicago Tribune

Interesting that this story came up the SAME day as J.C. Cutters is accused of starving their horses. Not looking good for the Chicago carriage industry.

Horse-drawn carriage firms say business is suffering
They blame Chicago regulations, cold as some companies go out of business
By Sara Olkon Tribune reporter
February 6, 2009

Dan Sampson says he and some competitors want the city to change how it deals with horse-drawn carriages.

Tate the carriage horse now spends his days eating hay inside a small, quiet lot in Old Town.Until recently, the rugged draft horse was accustomed to a life of far more majesty and bustle. The 11-year-old Percheron was one of the regular carriage horses stationed on North Michigan Avenue, and he performed in equine shows in Old Town. But Tate has been out of work since last month, when his bosses at Noble Horse Carriages ceased operations."We are essentially closed," said Dan Sampson, the owner of Noble Horse Theatre. Until last month, Noble Horse staged equine performances inside its riding hall and ran carriage rides in downtown Chicago.Sampson blames the city—specifically the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection—for the way it has handled the carriage-staging rules since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At that time, the city shuttered two prime locations on Michigan Avenue: at Pearson Street and Superior Street.

With those spots gone, the remaining five carriage businesses had to compete for three spots on Michigan Avenue. Without an "assigned parking" system on Magnificent Mile to distinguish the different companies, he and his competitors have had to scramble for locations, he said. Because of that, they have lost repeat customers and visibility, he said, adding that assigned spots are safer for horses because the animals crave familiarity.Norma Reyes, the commissioner of consumer services, said through her spokeswoman that the department responded to the industry by holding a lottery last season that designated permanent spots for the horse-drawn carriages.But the lottery was rejected by the carriage operators, city officials and the operators said."They weren't pleased with the results," said Efrat Stein, spokeswoman for the department.Sampson called the lottery a "preposterous" system that scattered the horse staging spots at "random spots that have no tourist value," including Buckingham Fountain and the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St. He said people have come to expect the carriages on the Magnificent Mile.Stein said the department will review the parking issue for the next carriage season, which begins in the spring."Moving forward, we will need to assess the needs of the industry again and determine the best way to address this issue," she said.Sampson, a third-generation livery man, is calling for changes in the system as is at least one competitor.Antique Coach & Carriage has been conducting carriage rides downtown for 24 years, said Debbie Hay, Antique's owner. The current system makes it difficult for her to attract business, she said."I have to worry about establishing it as a place people know where to come," she said.The other carriage companies could not be reached for comment. One of them, JC Cutters, did not have its city license renewed this year after city inspectors found, among other problems, that the stables were not up to code, Stein said. JC Cutters is appealing the decision.To be sure, the staging areas aren't the only thing hurting carriage rides.The rides aren't cheap—generally about $70 an hour. And animal rights activists have long been hostile to horse carriage rides; some critics say forcing horses to work is inherently inhumane.Operators said business has been down in recent months, compared to the same period in past years. Hay blames the staging rules, the economy and the harsher than normal winter weather. City rules prohibit the horses from working if it's 15 degrees or colder, or if the roads are hazardous because of ice or snow. In summer, horses aren't allow to work if it's 90 degrees or hotter.Sampson said the damage wrought by the city's staging system has been fatal for his business. With $2 million in revenue lost from falling carriage ride sales over the last six years, Sampson said he can no longer keep either the carriage rides or the theater running. He stopped the carriage rides Jan. 1. Ten days later, he staged the last equine show.Tate the carriage horse, meanwhile, spends his days doing little more than eating and hanging out—something that saddens Sampson."If they can't go out and work, they get frustrated," he said.

BREAKING NEWS BY WGN: 6 STARVED CARRIAGE HORSES FOUND

BREAKING NEWS. HAS SOMEONE FINALLY HEARD OUR PLEA???!!!!! ARE THE HORSES OF J.C. CUTTERS FINALLY SAVED? WE THINK SO. FOUND AT http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/02/up-to-7-horse-found-in-lincoln-park-field.html

6 starved carriage horses found
February 6, 2009 10:47 AM No Comments
A carriage operator neglected up to a half-dozen horses in West Town, Chicago police said this morning.
The horses are malnourished and were left in a vacant field in a tent, police said.

They could not provide further details of the incident, but said the horses were in the 1500 block of North Magnolia Avenue this morning.

--Beshanda Spencer

Winter Water

ANOTHER ARTICLE FROM http://www.thehorse.com/


Editor's Note: This excerpt is from Chapter 7 of Care & Management of Horses by Heather Smith Thomas. The book is available from http://www.exclusivelyequine.com/ViewProduct.aspx?productID=B11-1086(BHP) .

Make sure horses have good access to water and are drinking. They drink less during cold or wet weather, but still need an adequate supply or they may become impacted. If water is quite cold or freezes and the horse isn’t drinking enough, he’ll eat less feed and may lose weight or be less able to keep warm. Horses will eat snow, nibbling a few bites of snow periodically while eating or grazing. A horse at pasture may get along fine if snow conditions are right for eating it easily (not hard and crusted), but there’s always some risk for impaction.

If his manure becomes firm and dry instead of soft and moist, the horse is not getting adequate water. He won’t eat all of his hay, though this clue may escape your notice if he’s in a group and the other horses eat the hay he leaves. If he is dehydrated and not eating enough, his flanks and abdomen will draw up and he’ll look gaunt.

Check the water twice daily to break ice if necessary. If horses are using a stream or pond they may be hesitant to step on ice to reach a water hole you’ve chopped. You may have to spread sand on the ice to give them safer footing. Water in a bucket can be warmed with a submersible bucket heater, but these are risky and can shock a horse if they don’t work properly or if a horse plays with the cord. Some buckets have built-in heating elements.

Horses drink more if the water is not ice-cold. Make sure a horse has an adequate amount in the mornings, since he will drink more during the warmer daylight hours. Many horses drink less at night if the weather is cold. Horses drink most of their daily water within three hours after being fed. If you supply them with hot tap water at night (not burning hot, but fairly warm) at feeding time, it won’t freeze before they drink it. In some situations, providing hot tap water twice a day is more convenient and safer than using an electrical heater in a water bucket.