HOUSTON – A judge has ruled that the two ranch owners accused of neglecting dozens of horses did in fact treat the horses cruelly and the animals will be taken into custody by the Houston SPCA.
The SPCA has seven days to seize the rest of the horses and the ranch. The agency already has 116 in custody.
The hearing lasted several hours in Willis to determine if the couple charged with animal cruelty will permanently lose custody of 200 horses seized by Montgomery County and the Houston SPCA last week.
The horses were seized June 24 at the Premium Star Ranch after a 3-month-old colt from the ranch died from malnutrition. Ranch owners Herman and Kathleen Hoffman were charged with three counts each of animal cruelty.
In testimony before Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack Tuesday, Dr. Amy Crum with the SPCA said all of the horses seized showed signs of neglect. Crum said 18 of the most severe cases were taken to the SPCA headquarters in Houston for treatment. Those horses she said showed signs of malnutrition, lameness, dehydration, overgrown hooves or other maladies. She said she feared two of them might have died if they hadn't gotten immediate care.
Crum testified all of the horses on the ranch had overgrown hooves, and many showed signs of "rain rot," a skin infection. She said a large percentage of the pasture horses bore bite wounds or other types of wounds.
Herman Hoffman, acting as his own attorney, disputed the SPCA evaluation off the his herd. In his opening statement, Hoffman said, "The condition is good on my animals. They (SPCA) took the ones of value and removed them. The ones of lessor value they left on the property."
Hoffman asked for a continuance saying he had not been able to find an attorney to represent him. The motion was denied. The judge also denied his motion to throw out the search and seizure warrants used by Montgomery County deputy constables and D.A. investigators.
He told the judge, "I don't believe I should have my horses seized. The help chose not to feed them."
Hoffman called a former employee, Casandra Dicken, to the stand. Hoffman said Dicken had been given the colt that died, and was responsible for not feeding him adequately. He told the judge photographs of the colt posted on Facebook was the reason his horses had been seized.
On cross-examination, Dicken testified she was given the 3-month-old colt two weeks before he died. She turned the horse over to an animal rescuer who sought veterinary care, but was unable to save the animal.
Dicken testified in the five months she worked for Hoffman, horses were routinely deprived of food and adequate care.
She said she was fired by Hoffman on June 20 because he told her she was "disrespectful."
Deputy Gordon Welch with the Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constable's Office testified he first received complaints about how horses were being treated at the ranch in April 2014 and made seven subsequent visits after requesting Hoffman provide better feed and veterinary care.
In January 2015, Welch said some improvements were made, but the following month he received a photo of an underweight mare, and determined the general condition of the herd declined.
In April, Welch said Hoffman called him to the ranch to show him two dead horses who he said he believed had been poisoned. Welch said the cause of death was never determined.
In May, Welch said he received more photos of underweight horses and inspected the herd to find many showing weight loss.
On June 24, Welch received more complaints of underweight horses and learned of the colt's death the previous Sunday. At that point, he said the District Attorney executed a search warrant, leading to seizure off the horses.
About seven witnesses have been called so far. The hearing is still underway.