Hold your horses?
Lucie Ptasznik thinks not.
The owner of High Vibe Trail Rides in Milford, from whom more than three dozen horses were seized by Oakland County Animal Control on Aug. 12, is demanding her horses be returned and has requested an immediate hearing in 52-1 District Court.
"The bottom line is that this is a contrived forfeiture based on bogus information," said Todd Flood, founding and managing partner for Flood Law, representing High Vibe Trail Rides LLC.
In an 80-page filing with the court on Aug. 20, Flood seeks to prevent the forfeiture and asks that a security demand be set aside and 37 horses be returned to High Vibe owner Ptasznik.
In an emailed statement responding to the court filing, Oakland County Director of Public Communications
Teresa Recinto said, "Animal control officers responded to allegations of abuse. The investigation is ongoing.”
Oakland County Animal Control Supervisor Patrick Fanning said in a news conference on Aug. 13 that 38 animals were seized the day before due to what veterinarians “observed in the field,” and the horses were in “various, different conditions.”
Flood disputes that veterinarians were on site with the multiple police agencies that showed up to execute search warrants Aug. 12 at High Vibe, located at 2731 Meadowood Lane, as well as a private residence on West Commerce Road.
Instead, Flood says an animal control officer who was out on July 17 noted in a report that horses were healthy, with access to food, water and shelter, and two weeks later, during a regularly scheduled veterinary visit, all 37 horses were inspected and, on average, received perfect health scores.
Reports that the horses were emaciated or were in any way neglected are false, he said, pointing to photos included in the court filing showing what appears to be well-fed horses.
Flood further claimed that the investigation was sparked by Meghan MacDonald, a disgruntled former employee of High Vibe, who he said was working for Oakland County Animal Control when she illegally trespassed on the High Vibe property.
MacDonald and another former High Vibe employee, Hailey Hayes, both told the Free Press that they witnessed maltreatment of the horses,including a lack of food and water and physical abuse of the animals by Ptasznik.Flood said he expects a hearing will be held within the next three weeks and also expects to file a civil lawsuit for "improper, unlawful taking" by Oakland County Animal Control.
The horses that were seized are currently being cared for at Horses' Haven, a rescue facility in Howell.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: High Vibe owner demands 37 horses be returned in court filing
