OJAI : Agency Seeks to Destroy 4 Horses

The Humane Society of Ventura County, which seized four rodeo horses in July for alleged mistreatment by their owners, now wants permanent legal custody of the animals so the organization can have the horses destroyed.

The horses cannot be treated and cared for because they are wild and uncontrollable, said Jolene Hoffman, director of the Humane Society’s Ojai shelter where the horses are being cared for.

“These horses are not workable and they are extremely dangerous,” she said. “It’s kinder to have them humanely put down.”

That hardly sounds humane to Pedro Martinez, who said his son, Jack Martinez, is the owner. The elder Martinez has been caring for the horses while his son is away serving in the Marines.

“Who is more cruel, them or myself?” he asked. “They want to kill the horses.”

He said the Humane Society’s allegations about the condition of the horses were not true.

The horses were taken July 21 from property on Bradley Road in Somis where weekend rodeo-style riding went on under the elder Martinez’s direction.

The horses were not being adequately fed and watered, numerous sores were not healing and the animals appeared lethargic, according to a search warrant issued to seize the animals.

Because the horses will not allow anyone to touch them, their hoofs can’t be trimmed, she said. It takes three staff members to feed and water them and clean their stalls.

“You try to give them a carrot and they swing around and let you have it,” she said.

Hoffman said she is requesting the Ventura County district attorney’s office to file misdemeanor charges of improper care against both Pedro and Jack Martinez. She is awaiting a determination on whether the case will be filed. She hopes to gain permanent legal custody of the animals through such a case.

The condition of the horses first came to the Humane Society’s attention last December when an investigator found six horses, three of them severely underweight with sores and scars, according to court records. The hoofs on the horses had been neglected and the corrals were not safe for the horses.

The property was revisited in May and in July, but conditions had improved little, according to court records. On the last inspection, July 17, the investigator found no water or hay for the four horses, only “the same sour, chopped corn husks and clippings as before,” records state. The other two were not found on the property.

But Pedro Martinez said, “That’s no reason to kill them.”They don’t know how to control them; we do. All my life I’ve been around horses. I know what I’m talking about.”