Recently nine horses were removed from a temporary Texas home of the infamous Joan Tucker, owner of White Lake's former Equine STAR horse rescue. You're probably thinking, "Horses rescued from a horse rescue?" 

Yep, that's what I thought too. 

Joan Tucker solicited donations earlier this year in an attempt to save her rescue operation and was later found lacking the proper charity license. After foreclosing on her Haley Hills property, she gathered up enough money to move the horses down to Texas.

When allegations recently emerged that the rescue horses were being neglected and underfed, there were all kinds of excuses, including that the horses' old age was to blame for their condition (which only made the horse community more angry).

Unfortunately, this isn't the end of this heartbreaking story, but it does bring about some important questions, such as:

• When you surrender an animal, how do you know that you're putting them in good hands?
• At what point is euthanasia the more humane alternative?
• How do you determine the difference between a healthy love for horses and animal hoarding?
• Should there be more strict standard set for horse rescues?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this story. 
Write a comment or send me a quick e-mail to tell us what you think!

And if you aren't familiar with the Equine STAR/Joan Tucker story, make sure to check out the previous Oakland Press Articles below (don't forget to read the comments!).

 April 22nd, 2009

January 27th, 2010  

February 4th, 2010 

February 20th, 2010 

March 15th, 2010 

August 22, 2010 

September 10th, 2010