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Highlands Today

Saving Horses

Jasmina Meyer, Highlands Today

Sandy Tyrrell, owner of Lakeside Stables, places a bridle on DeLussia to prepare for a trail ride on Wednesday in Sebring.

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By LAURA NESBITT

Highlands Today

Published: April 2, 2009

SEBRING - Sandy Tyrrell, owner of Lakeside Stables, cradled the horse's face in her arms, rubbed its nose and talked about why she rescues unwanted horses.

"What are you going to do - stick a bullet in them?" Tyrrell said.

"They're just old and nobody wants them. They're not my horses; they're my kids."

Tyrrell has owned Lakeside Stables for 30 years. She uses some of her horses to give trail rides and horseback riding lessons. She also boards horses and has monthly horse auctions. Right now, she said there are 60 horses living at Lakeside Stables.

Tyrrell said she spends about $1,000 per week feeding the horses. She and her ranch hand, Rising Sun, spend about three hours, twice a day, feeding and grooming all the animals.

But complaints have been made to Highlands County Animal Control Director Darryl Scott about the weight of some of her horses.

"We've had a lot of complaints on Lakeside Stables," Scott said.

"I've been out there numerous times and looked at the horses. To say that I've been out there and not seen skinny horses would be a lie ... Basically she is a rescue operation. People see this and they don't know the whole story."

Part of the story is that Tyrrell has spent up to a full year bringing at least some of the horses up to a proper weight, she said.

Scott visits the stables from time to time and takes photographs of the animals, he said. Then he returns to see what kind of shape they're in.

"I think that she's truly trying," Scott said.

According to Randy Gornto, livestock agent for Highlands County Extension Office, at least some of the country's horse overpopulation is due to closure of two slaughter plants in Illinois and Texas. Two years ago when those plants were up and running, they shipped horse meat to be used as dog food in this country. Horse meat was also shipped overseas for human consumption. Gornto said he believes that the closure of the plants has affected the horse population in the country.

"Understand what the overpopulation does to the rest of the horse market," Gornto said.

"It's kind of scary. There are more horses born every year and there's no place to put them. It's too bad those slaughter houses were closed. The horse meat could have been used."

Gornto said he realized his opinion might not be popular with animal rights activists.

"But it's better to use them in a slaughter situation then to watch them starve to death," Gornto said.

Gornto has known Tyrrell for about 10 years, and said "what she's doing is very honorable."

"The problem is that she's spread herself a little too thin."

On Wednesday morning, Cloral Unger and Nathan Turnbow, both Sebring residents, showed up to bring two chicken biscuits to Sam, a spider monkey that Tyrrell rescued 20 years ago.

"She's a nice gal," Unger said.

"I saw a horse here that was just skin and bones. Then I saw her a year later, and she was beautiful."

Highlands Today reporter Laura Nesbitt can be reached at 863-386-5857 or lnesbitt@highlandstoday.com.

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