Domino Effect Rescue Ranch
I have come across very distressing news about a horse rescue in Florida. It seems that this rescue has had nothing but problems since they first started up 4 years ago.
Of course to hear one of the co-founders tell the tale, she's been victimized and done nothing wrong. According to Dinelle Ashcraft, it's all fabricated lies to harass and cause her problems.
They've lost 6 horses recently, three of them from colic.
First, let's take a look at the property. You won't find these photos on any of her blogs or Facebook page and I don't blame her for not wanting to show you. It's pretty disgusting.
Keep in mind, they now have as at least 25-35 horses on 1.5 acres. Yes, you read that right... 1.5 acres.
I've been told that as long as the horses are getting exercised daily, this shouldn't be a problem. Well, for as much time as she spends on writing her blog and posting on Facebook, when exactly do these horses get their exercise?
Even with two people, that's an entire day needed just for exercising. This doesn't include feeding, grooming and cleaning stalls.... oh, but wait, they don't clean up after their horses. Look for yourself.....
These photo's were taken at the end Sept 2013, long after the rain had come, yet the mud and puddles remain. This was taken the same day that Animal Services visited them about a complaint of a horse with an injured leg.
This is acceptable to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office- Animal Services.
FOUR YEARS of horse manure, built up, packed in and this what the horses eat off of when they're fed.
You would think water would not be left standing so long due to the sand. But years of build of the feces causes the water to make long standing puddles. Just think of the mosquito problem they must have... not to mention the smell.
Notice the tree bark eaten off the trees? Horses are tied to these trees and are left there for days.
Everywhere you look... manure, manure, manure.
How often do you think this pony gets out? Weekend pony rides? He does look well cared for in his cramped quarters.
How many hazards have you seen so far?
The fact there is so much feces and standing water due to the amount of rain Florida gets, thrush could become a serious problem.
The following photo's were taken in July 2013 after the rains. Notice how the surrounding areas are dry?
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Now, let's look at some of the horses....
LADY
This is Lady. Lady had a knee injury that required surgery and needed to be kept confined for 90 days while she healed. She didn't get a private stall... instead, she was turned out with the other horses.
Dinelle also claimed that the original owner was going to euthanize her. THIS IS NOT TRUE. He NEVER said he was going to euthanize her.
In fact, when he found out that this was being said, he demanded the horse back. This is when Lady mysteriously disappeared. The whereabouts of Lady is still unknown.
I think it's important to point out that they DON'T have stalls. They do have pens. And they currently have 6 full sized horses in one 100x75 ft pen.
WHERE IS LADY NOW?
This was Lady before Domino Effect
Lady arrives at Domino Effect... Doesn't look like she's getting the stall rest they promised.
This is Lady AFTER Domino Effect... thin and sun bleached. They claim the vet said to make her drop weight. Does she look overweight to you in the above photos? NO.
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RIP JUSTICE
Let's take a look at Justice aka Capone...
Justice was neglected long before he got to Domino Effect, but he had found an angel that was nursing him back to health prior to going to DERR.
He had gained 150 pounds and was looking good.
Here's a video-
After he arrived at DERR he declined rapidly. losing 100 lbs in just ten days. Improper feeding caused serious internal injuries and he had to be euthanized.
Of course, as you hear Dinelle tell the story, she blames a poisonous ragweed that he had consumed prior to arriving at DERR. It was confirmed with a vet that had he eaten the poisonous weed prior to entering DERR, he would not have gained weight, (which he did gain 150 lbs).
The DERR vet refused to perform a necropsy on the horse. Not sure if it was at the urging of DERR to not have a necropsy done or if the vet just didn't care enough to know the truth... maybe it was both.
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MAGGIE
Here's a video of Maggie. She was being loaded by Bob Ashcraft of Domino Effect Rescue Ranch. He had blindfolded her with a feed bag claiming "this is how you load a skittish horse."
She got away from him and ran through a barbed wire fence which resulted in HUNDREDS of stitches.
Bob's handy dandy work.... poor Maggie
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See Bob ride.... or not
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They currently have 6 full sized horses in 100x75 ft pen and nothing but sand. Can you say colic?
Speaking of colic.... they've lost a few horses to this ailment. Yet, they continue to blame others instead of taking responsibility for the conditions in which they feed and keep these horses.
RIP Shia- victim of poor feeding habits resulting in colic. She's one of 3 who have suffered this painful death (that we know of).
This is a photo of Shia the day before she died.
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For more reading, check out these articles-
Three Dead horses in 6 weeks
Horse Charity Trouble for Domino Effect
Blindfolded horse tragedy sparks investigation of Domino Effect Rescue Ranch in Florida
Domino Effect ranch refusing to return horses to Plant City farm
Domino Effect sparks ethics investigation of county employee
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I didn't realize they were rescuing under their non profit and then transferring to their profit business- RDA Equine Services
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What do they do with the horses when they die?
They bury them!!!
They do it in plain sight too... kind of....
Did they use Lyme? How deep were those holes dug?
And here's a burial of another horse. Is that a washer and dryer? This must be right by the house.
So, if the horses are buried in various places around the property, how do they prevent foot traffic from crossing over them? 25+ horses is a lot of feet.
Now you tell me...
1. there is 1.5 acres
2. about 25+ horses
3. water floods parts of the property... home,
structures and pens use up more space (which brings
available space for the horses down considerably)
4. at least 6 have died and some were buried (not just in
one place, but scattered)
Then how do they keep the horses, people and children off of the graves?
So, for those of you that are following along, below is a little visual aid that will put things into perspective.
Yes, there's a map
(which will also help the slower ones catch up)
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We ask that anyone who has witnessed things, first hand, to please come forward (good or bad).
Witness testimony- (names are left off the blog to protect the eyewitnesses, but can and will be called upon if necessary in court)
Witness 1
