A friend recently sent me a photo of Jerry, the horse that collapsed while harnessed to a carriage in Salt Lake City on a hot day in August 2013. The attached message said, “Tell me this isn’t true!” But Jerry’s death came as no surprise to those who know that Utah has one of the worst track records for animal neglect and abuse in the nation.
Jerry collapsed on the last of the many long days he had worked for a Salt Lake business called Carriage for Hire. There were at least 60 witnesses to Jerry falling to the hot pavement on that blistering day. One witness, Ronald Schulthies, who attempted to comfort Jerry while he lay on the ground for hours, told The Salt Lake Tribune, “[Jerry’s] eyes were open, and when we’d move him, he’d neigh and whinny… obviously, the carriage company didn’t have any plan for that type of thing.”
The owner of Carriage for Hire, Blaine Overson, who cited colic as the cause of collapse, said Jerry was recovering, when in fact he had died.
Moreover, Annette Overson, Blaine’s wife, intentionally released photos of another horse alive and well, claiming it was Jerry. When asked why she lied, Annette gave the morose reply that she was “sick of seeing [her] horses laying [sic] down, and so [she] sent a picture of a horse standing up.” Suspiciously, the Oversons destroyed Jerry’s body before Salt Lake Animal Control or a veterinarian could determine cause of death.
And Jerry’s sad case is just one of many in Utah. In early January, inhumane horse owners in Enoch City allowed a one-year-old baby horse to freeze to the ground while her starving mother stood by helplessly. Passersby spotted the deplorable neglect and stopped to call in aid for the horses. When the baby was lifted from the frozen ground by rescuers, the imprint of her emaciated frame was clearly visible in the ice bed.
The baby horse had suffered wounds on her body prior to freezing, according to Enoch City Animal Control officer Chris Johnson, who said, “This is absolutely one of the worst cases [of animal abuse] in my career.”
The little filly later died at a Utah horse sanctuary where she and her mother had been taken. The mother horse will be adopted when she recovers from malnutrition. The original stewards of these animals, who have not been named, will face a mere class B misdemeanor for their deeds.
These situations are not only criminal but entirely avoidable. Utah is home to Best Friends Animal Society.
An animal sanctuary, and anyone who cannot take care of an animal can call the organization for help. There is no excuse for neglect.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit animal rights organization, ranked Utah as No. 48 of 56 States and American territories in the nation for protection and quality of life for animals. We have some of the lightest legal ramifications for animal abuse. Utah’s loose laws against animal abuse cater heavily to Utah businesses that profit from exploitation and suffering of animals.
We are a state that celebrates rodeos at the expense of innocent animals. Last June, John Goodwin, director of animal cruelty for the Humane Society of Utah, told the Salt Lake Tribune that Utah’s light-handed laws could make the state a haven for cockfighting and breeding. There is a large Utah audience for that detestable and illegal sport. “We need to have a penalty that is stronger than the gain that comes from breaking the law,” Goodwin said.
Condoning horse abuse and exploitation is abhorrent. Bird and rabbit shooting, cock and dogfighting are bloody and violent acts, and I am shocked there isn’t more of an outcry against these atrocities.
My hat is off to State Sen. Gene Davis (D-Salt Lake City), who works for animal protection laws, such as SB52, a bill that would make cockfighting a felony crime instead of a misdemeanor, that are usually defeated by the animal-hating Utah Legislature. And the jury is still out on the Salt Lake City Council as they mull over new regulations for the carriage horses. If justice prevails, the business will be shuttered permanently.
Humans should not treat animals as entertainment. Utah is a very bad place to be if you are an animal.
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