Abused pony may live happily again
Horse headed for Florida retreat as farm owners return to court
Justice is on hold yet again for the 28 horses found starving or dead in Stouffville, but one of the ponies, rescued from abuse, is getting a fairy-tale ending.
David Lee Small, Jason Leroy Small and Victoria Small — charged with neglect and cruelty after 13 horses were discovered deceased and15 others sickly, in squalid conditions — have been told by an Ontario court judge they have until Dec. 4 to each find lawyers and show up in Newmarket court for their pretrial hearing.
Little Oreo, a real-life Cinderella, will be off to new pastures in Florida by then.
Last spring, on the property the Smalls rented on Vandorf Sideroad, a “horse massacre” was found — animals halfburied and rotting; others, including Oreo, emaciated and neglected.
The OSPCA has charged the Small family with nine counts of animal cruelty and abuse causing death. Assistant Crown attorney Thompson Hamilton said the Crown will be pursuing jail time.
The maximum penalty is a $60,000 fine, two years in jail, or both, for each count.
The Smalls’ fourth court date was Oct. 26.
Once again, just one lawyer and none of the Small family appeared at the Tannery courthouse.
About a dozen people did appear, though, to represent the horses — as they have since the first court date on July 6.
The animal advocates said the judge’s statement, that the pretrial would go ahead next month whether or not the Smalls had lawyers, was a “huge win” and indication there would be no further delays or “manipulating the system.”
Rae Ierullo, owner of the For- ever Thyme Sanctuary that helped rescue the surviving horses, said animal control’s aerial footage over the years shows a pristine horse farm beginning to deteriorate in 2017, around the time the Smalls took over. In May, mounds become visible in the fields. Upon closer examination, the mounds reveal themselves to be horse carcasses.
But one of the rescued animals, a 22-year-old pony named Oreo, is leaving the sanctuary to live in “a barn with chandeliers” at a wealthy equestrian centre in Florida.
Ierullo said a Canadian family with a horse farm in Wellington had been searching for a “bombproof” pony — i.e. one that would not easily startle — for their 3-year-old daughter. Oreo fit the bill. The pony has permanent health problems because of the neglect, Ierullo said.
When she was found, her feet were so neglected that her untrimmed hooves curled up making it painful to stand and her health was impacted by the abuse and starvation. She will be on medication for the rest of her life.
The family is taking Oreo under a “free-lease” agreement, meaning they must return her if things don’t work out and must provide more than the standard care mandated under Florida law.
“It’s a real rags-to-riches story,” Ierullo said, her eyes welling with tears. “But if anything happens, Oreo comes back to us. No one really ever leaves us.”