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If you haven't already heard, the disgusting father-son team of Craig and Curtis Heydon (original post here, the senior Heydon at left) were found guilty of TWENTY ONE COUNTS of misdemeanor cruelty to animals. The judge BLASTED the two soulless cretins.
"Ravalli County Justice Court Judge Jim Bailey denounced the men before imposing the harsh sentences, saying they had displayed a gross lack of common sense and humanity by ignoring the horses’ suffering. 'Neither of you has taken any responsibility for your actions,” Bailey said. “It’s unbelievable that you can blame the horses, law enforcement and the Bitter Root Humane Association for what’s happened.'"
Bailey threw the book hard at the two Heydons. The elder Heydon was sentenced to 10 months in jail and fined $5,850. His son was sentenced to 11 months in jail and fined $6,435.The judge also ordered them to forfeit ownership of the horses to the humane association and to pay all restitution for food, medicine, boarding and other care given the horses after they were seized by authorities.
(And folks, this happened in Montana! Not some tree-hugger state where you'd expect a stiff cruelty sentence. Yay progress!)
Quoth the senior Heydon: “I was flabbergasted and dismayed when they told me that I was being charged with cruelty to animals,” Curtis Heydon said. “I've never hit a thing in my life. It was hard for me to understand.”
*shakes head in wonder* Here ya go. This is what's wrong with people. This numbnut genuinely believes the only thing that should be considered animal abuse is hitting one. Merely starving one? Working it when it's emaciated and dehydrated and covered with raw and bleeding sores? Oh hell, nothing wrong with that. I'm sure he pet it on the nose at least once a day!
The Heydons put on a great show of being baffled as to why their horse had fallen down and could not get up. “For whatever reason - I don't know - he would just not get up,” Heydon said. “I didn't know if there was something medically wrong with it,” he said. “I wasn't sure if it was just tired.”
Just TIRED? ARE YOU BLIND? I find it completely impossible to believe, that someone can watch a horse drop 300 pounds and not notice something is wrong. But even assuming this is possible, this is why I argue that no one should ever own a horse who hasn't either grown up in a knowledgeable horsey family or had two years of riding lessons under their belt. Or at the very least is currently with a trainer, at a boarding barn where they can get help.
While the Heydons may genuinely be more ignorant than cruel, ignorance kills. Please don't subject a living creature to your ignorance. If you can't be bothered to put in the time and effort to learn how to properly care for a horse, then fucking walk. Hope you have lots of time to think about that IN JAIL!
And to their dipshit attorney, who whined that the case had been "sensationalized" by the media and animal rights advocates, all I can say is that it's too bad we don't give out Razzies for courtroom performances so that you could actually win something!
The horses survived, thanks to stunningly fabulous care by their rescuers, and are now owned by the Bitter Root Humane Society. I also want to extend huge kudos to the Rocky Mountain Rider for having the guts to attack this story head-on and ensure that it did not slip under the national radar.
