The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

OVER four years ago, the horses working at Earth Village (pony rides, riding lessons, etc) were seized by the president of Bahamas Association for Social Health (BASH), Terry Miller. These horses had been leased to Earth Village by various individuals, including myself, with written leases and all paperwork in order.

Terry Miller then had some kind of fall out with Earth Village and subsequently evicted Marlon Johnson, who was running the riding club, seizing all his property, including the horses. When I went to retrieve our animals, Mr Miller refused to part with them, saying I had to “give him something”.

After four court appearances, nothing was done about the situation. We managed to retrieve a couple of the horses, but three of ours remain plus two belonging to other persons – five in all. Predictably they are now in a lamentable state and totally unfit for riding.

Mr Miller has been maintaining publicly that I was “boarding” horses with him – an absurd statement. Before this situation, I had never even met the man. Furthermore, he can produce no paperwork to substantiate his statements. When boarding horses, there would be boarding contracts signed by both parties and specifying feed, medications, foot care, etc.

I find the latest story (Horses at rehabilitation centre targeted by thieves, September 18) about someone trying to steal the mare Soca hard to believe – I gather that he told this story once before a couple of years ago. Soca is at present in a terrible state, as is Mr Red, a very old quarter horse with back problems. He is not expected to survive this ordeal. The Bahamas Humane Society have taken pictures of Soca and Red in their present condition and have them on file. There is, at present, no law in place for seizure.

I am told that Mr Miller receives a government subsidy for operating BASH and it was suggested to me that having a riding programme might be part of the deal. However, sadly, these horses cannot conceivably be ridden in their present state and things can only get worse.

At the moment, a couple of the international animal rescue groups are watching this case with interest after the pictures of Soca and Mr Red hit the social media.

SUSAN SMITH

Happy Trails Stable

Nassau,

September 25, 2014.