Unwanted Horses Growing Problem In Ohio

MARENGO, Ohio - Even as a young girl, all Lynne Petitti ever dreamt of was living with a horse of her own…

Petitti is still living her dream decades later with the Circle P Sanctuary in Morrow County…

Dr. Leah Dorman of the Ohio Farm Bureau said that money is a problem. It costs $2,500 a year to care for a horse and more if they have special needs.

Dorman would rather see a horse respectfully lose its life "than to unnecessarily starve to death."

"Is there anything wrong with a horse processing facility? The answer is no. Unfortunately, we do not have horse processing facilities in the U.S. at this point,"…SEE VIDEO

Columbus Dispatch editorial: Grand bargain

Well, how about that: Political compromise isn’t dead, after all.

That’s one more thing to celebrate about the groundbreaking new rules that will apply to livestock care in Ohio starting Sept. 29.

Ohio has standards of which it can be proud and which will please consumers, who are increasingly intolerant of tightly confining crates and pens for veal calves and hogs, surgically removing dairy cows’ tails and other practices many consider inhumane…more

All sides hail new livestock-care rules

State agriculture chief Jim Zehringer, seen in front of an Ohio Historical Society photo, acknowleges that the process was a struggle but credits public input in the sweeping result.

Photo courtesy Tom Dodge, Columbus Dispatch

In one of those rare events in government, calmer heads prevailed, averting a costly, divisive political campaign in 2009. Now, two years later, the result is comprehensive farm-animal rules that catapult Ohio to the forefront of the nation…more