Lexington, Ky. – Around 25 horses were killed in a Kentucky barn fire over the weekend.
Local firefighters confirmed that a horse boarding and riding facility called Brannon Stables in Scott County – just north of Lexington, Kentucky – caught fire early Sunday morning.
Fire crews reported that the stable had been completely destroyed by the fire by the time they arrived. All of the horses inside the barn had died, which reportedly numbered around 25.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Support from friends of the farm and the local community had already started pouring in through a GoFundMe account that has already raised more than $61,000 as of Monday afternoon. All donations are set to help Brannon Stables in their rebuilding efforts.
AUBURN, Wash. – Emerald Downs will offer a reduced takeout of 14.7% on all Win, Place, and Show wagers for its upcoming 2022 season. The reduced takeout is the lowest for WPS wagers in the country.
Photo Courtesy of Emerald Downs
Track president Phil Ziegler explained, “The most popular wager at Emerald Downs remains wagering to Win, and reducing the takeout in this pool, along with Place and Show, is a big benefit for bettors, especially on-track patrons.”
Live racing returns to Emerald Downs on Sunday, May 15 with a post time of 2:15pm pacific time. The 52-day season covers 19 weekends. Purses have been increased 20% from last season.
Emerald Downs will also be hosting the Kentucky Derby Day on May 7th for the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby. Admission and parking is free. The free event opens at 7am with the first race from Churchill Downs being broadcast at 7:30am. The Final Race will be at 5:30pm local time.
More information is available at www.emeralddowns.com. Emerald Downs is located right off Highway 167 in Auburn, Washington.
Culver, Ore. – On Monday the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced that county EMS, fire, and deputies were dispatched to the Cyrus Horse Camp after a horseback rider had been injured.
Upon arrival they discovered a 68 year old female with an open fracture to her leg near the ankle. The rider had been “bucked off a horse” causing the injury according to the statement released by the Sheriff’s Office.
The woman was stabilized on the scene and then transported to a grass field at Culver high School to be transported by Life Flight to the St Charles Hospital in Bend for further treatment.
“Great job done by all those who responded and provided care and treatment for the injured rider.” said Jefferson County Sheriff Marc Heckathorn.
No additional updates or information have been made available regarding the woman’s condition. The Cyrus Horse Camp is located south of Madras, Oregon, between highway 97 (going to Redmond) and highway 26 (leading to Prineville)
Eugene, Ore. – The Arabian Horse Breeders’ Association of Oregon was set to have it’s flagship spring event this coming week. However, a Friday Facebook posting, the Oregon Horse Center which was scheduled to hosts AHBAO’s Spring Classic, announced that the event had been cancelled “due to low numbers”.
OHC’s post further went on to say it was a “hard decision”, encouraging anyone with questions about entries to cancel OHC. The event was supposed to run April 21st through the 24th.
AHBAO’s President Cassondra Richard spoke to NW Horse Report, “There are potentially a lot of factors that influence [the lack of] entries. [The Arabian Horse Association] changed qualification rules, there is a concurrent show in Washington, [and] fuel is expensive.”
When asked about her organizations prospects for next year Richards said, “We plan to be back next year! Please don’t forget our halter futurity. Our show has been around over 70 years, we don’t plan to let it die now.”
Bend, Ore. – A confirmed instance of equine influenza was discovered in Deschutes County, Oregon, by a veterinarian who reported the case to the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC).
A 5-year-old pony gelding used for pleasure riding was diagnosed with equine influenza. The horse had onset of clinical signs on April 6 that included fever, cough, inappetence, and nasal discharge. The horse was diagnosed with equine influenza on April 12.
There were five additional horses on the private facility’s premises that were believed suspected to be positive as well, along with 10 horses that had been exposed.
The pony was under-vaccinated and is now isolated.
UPDATED on 4/13 at 10:40pm pacific time – This story was updated to reflect a statements from Tiffany Gravelle who reached out to NW Horse Report shortly following this stories original publication. Additional court documents and information about a grant received by Gravelle was added to the story.
Eugene, Ore. – MG Equine Rescue & Therapy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit horse rescue organization based in Eugene, Oregon, was found to be concealing details regarding the organization’s status, including that Tania Herring was even involved in the organization, according to records. A slew of other legal issues and questions about the non-profit’s legitimacy and use of funds by the organization and its founders, which include Herring, continue to build.
Tania Herring pictured during her trial for neglect and abuse of several horses in Jefferson County, April 12th, 2022. (Photo Credit – NW Horse Report)
Herring, a self-described horse trader, was convicted yesterday following a nearly two day trial in Jefferson County Circuit Court. Herring was also notoriously known in the Willamette Valley before the recent charges and conviction, having be charged for neglect of horses stemming from a 2010 incident in Mill City, Oregon, in which 31 of 115 horses on a 12-acre property were seized by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
In response to an inquiry from NW Horse Report sent to the rescue, regarding their connection to Herring before her trial started on Monday, MG’s co-founder David Gravelle appeared to distance the the organization from Herring saying, “The therapy has not had Tania involved since Jan 2021.”
Gravelle further implied in his email that the charity had actually shuttered, saying, “As the therapy program was hit hard by COVID, and then health issues with my wife & And [sic] change of careers.” This also seemed apparent due to a October 2021 post made on the rescues website saying they were closing “due to COVID”.
Following this publication of a story about Herrings conviction yesterday evening, the website for MG Equine Rescue & Therapy appeared to be shutdown. A business Facebook page was also recently shutdown that had content still showing through Google. The story did begin to raise questions regarding the Gravelle’s rescue organization and association with Herring, as NW Horse Report had already found clear evidence that Herring was still involved with the Gravelle’s.
Failure to register non-profit with Oregon Department of Justice
After the Gravelle’s failed to respond to further inquiries about their rescue organization and association to Herring, NW Horse Report discovered other issues. This included the organizations failure to register with the Charities Division of the Oregon Department of Justice, a legal requirement for all Oregon public benefit corporations, which is one of several types of non-profits under Oregon corporation standards.
It was also discovered that the rescue had a similar name to the Gravelle’s for-profit business– MG Equine Farm, LLC. The facility for both the non-profit organization and for-profit business shared the same address off Lakeview Drive northwest of Eugene, raising questions about comingling between the two entities at the Gravelle’s personally owned property.
When NW Horse Report could not find any records for the rescue with the Oregon DOJ, nor any fillings of an annual CT-12 financial disclosure, a inquiry was sent to the Oregon Department of Justice seeking confirmation.
A copy of the Articles of Incorporation from June of 2020 that only recently were submitted by MG Equine Rescue & Therapy to the Oregon Department of Justice. The document confirms that Tania Herring was a Director for the rescue. The actual application document that is dated recently listed Herring as the Vice-President.
Kristina Edmunson, Communications Director for the Oregon DOJ, told NW Horse Report that while it had no known complaints regarding the rescue, MG Equine Rescue had only just recently submitted its registration application.
Records provided to NW Horse Report by Edmunson showed that Tiffany Gravelle submitted the organizations application and other materials on or about March 24th and 25th, 2022. This appeared to follow a 3rd formal notice sent to the organization by the Oregon DOJ dated March 1st, 2022 regarding the organizations failure to comply with the registration requirements. The notice indicated the matter would be elevated for potential legal action against the directors and officers of the non-profit if they didn’t comply.
Not only did the horse rescue’s articles of incorporation show that Herring was a Director when formed in June of 2020, alongside Tiffany and David Gravelle, the registration application only just recently submitted to the Oregon DOJ listed Tania Herring as an officer of the non-profit, specifically Vice-President.
The Gravelle’s intentionally were working not only to avoid disclosure of any involvement by Herring by provided false statements to NW Horse Report, but may have also been avoiding the public disclosure by skirting registration with the Oregon Department of Justice for nearly 2-years.
Tiffany Gravelle did eventually make several claims, although they were repeatedly conflicting. Mrs. Gravelle claimed that Herring had been removed last year from the organization as her husband said in an email earlier this week. She also stated that 5 new directors had been appointed to their board, but that the documents they provided to the DOJ were only the initial articles from 2020, all in an effort to explain the discrepancy.
When pressed with additional information, Gravelle then claimed that Mr. Gravelle mistakenly said “2021”, having intended on saying January of 2022. However, when Mrs. Gravelle was asked about the document dated last month that she signed showing only the three of them in a board of officer role for the entire organization, including Herring as the “VP”, her story began to change again.
Mrs. Gravelle then claimed that Herring was removed just days ago by their board of directors, claiming to have just learned about the new charges for which Herring received convictions on 2 counts of neglect. She then claimed at the time there was only 5 directors total, with Herring being one of them. When asked who the other two directors were, she declined to provide any specifics, along with the new director she claimed was appointed to replace Herring.
When Gravelle was pressed on how they were not aware of Herrings charges until days ago, she ultimately admitted to actually knowing about the charges last year shortly after Herring was indicted.
Gravelle then claimed that 3 new directors were actually appointed when Herring was removed (for a total of 5), which is why they weren’t on the recent application. These multiple claims ultimately didn’t add up, considering Gravelle had said the new directors were added last year. When clearly asked, Gravelle declined to disclose who the other directors were.
Mrs. Gravelle had also provided multiple reasons for why the required filing with the Oregon Department of Justice was never submitted; ranging from the length of time it took to their EIN paperwork back from the IRS, that a registered agent service Northwest Registered Agents didn’t file the paperwork, and that she simply wasn’t aware.
NW Horse Report asked Mrs. Gravelle if she would provide transparency of the non-profit by disclosing meeting minutes of the board of directors and the organizations financials, to which she said she would after speaking to the organizations attorney on Tuesday.
Gravelle also initially claimed that the organization was not fully up and operating yet and receiving donations or provide services, but quickly reversed course after being asked about multiple online fundraising campaigns documented by NW Horse Report before their website was taken down. Other third-party websites contained records of some of the fundraisers.
It did not appear that the State’s prosecutors in Herrings recent trial for animal neglect were aware that Herring was a director or officer involved with the 501(c)(3) horse rescue.
Mrs. Gravelle also claimed to NW Horse Report that Herring was no longer living at their facility/residence following her conviction of animal neglect yesterday. When asked about Herring’s horses on her property she said that Herring was no longer the owner and that the horses would being moved shortly, but declined to provide any further information as to who had bought the horses and where they were going.
When asked about why they were involved with Herring in forming the rescue considering their knowledge of the charges in the 2010 incident, as well as knowing about the new charges stemming from the 2019 incident, Mrs. Gravelle said she wasn’t going to comment.
According to documents from the Oregon DOJ, MG Equine Rescue & Therapy now has until July 15th to file their overdue CT-12 financial disclosures for 2020, and an extension to November 15th to file their CT-12 for 2021.
Gravelle’s & their business face slew of recent lawsuits from local businesses for non-payment, bad checks
Between 2018 and 2021 alone, the Gravelle’s and their business MG Equine Farm, LLC, have also faced numerous civil complaints from various businesses and an individual which in total together claimed damages exceeding $35,000. One one the several complaints filed in small claims by Lori Garcia of Polk County alleged MG Equine Farm had neglected her horse and returned it severely “malnourished” following it’s time in training. Due to veterinary bills she allegedly incurred, Garcia’s claims exceeded $3,000.
The heading of the complaint filed by an attorney for South Willamette Veterinary Clinic in 2019 against Tiffany Gravelle and her daughter.
Another case involved a judgement for approximately $9,000 issued in Lane County in favor of South Willamette Veterinary against Tiffany Gravelle and her daughter for unpaid veterinary bills. In a strange twist, a court filing made by an attorney for South Willamette Veterinary just yesterday (April 12th) indicated that the judgement had been “satisfied”, but it did not provide any details as to how much if anything was paid by the Gravelle’s recently to settle the claim.
NW Horse Report had requested comment days ago from the Gravelle’s specifically regarding the lawsuit with South Willamette Veterinary Clinic. Owners for South Willamette Veterinary and their attorney did not return requests over multiple days seeking comment, including explanation for the sudden timing. It is unknown if Gravelle’s suddenly offered a settlement, or any potential of a non-disclosure agreement after becoming aware of this publications inquiries that specifically asked about the complaint and judgement.
When Mrs. Gravelle contacted NW Horse Report following this stories original publication she claimed that she and her daughter had been making regular payments since the judgement was entered against them to the veterinarian. When asked about the timing she said eluded to it being a coincidence. The court record did not show any previous partial entries of satisfaction with installment payments on the judgement, but it is unclear if South Willamette Veterinary’s attorney waited until the judgement was paid in full, or for another reason. Gravelle said she could provide documentation showing that the payments from her and her daughter had been on a regular basis, but has failed to follow through with doing so.
South Willamette Veterinary has also yet to responded to requests regarding any ties to Tania Herring.
One of the complaints filed in 2021 showed a Eugene business called Urban Arbor Care, LLC, seeking $14,135 in damages from the Gravelle’s. The company’s owner, Charles Lystrup, detailed to NW Horse Report the extensive work performed for the Gravelle’s over the course of several days in March of 2021. Lystrup explained how his company worked on several trees on the property that posed issues for a large number of horses, as well as being told that the horses and facility were part of a non-profit horse rescue.
One of the NSF checks received by Urban Arbor Care that was presented as an exhibit in their legal filing against David & Tiffany Gravelle.
When asked if the story about the horse rescue was why Lystrup didn’t require payment upfront, he said, “not really, at that point I just always had faith that people I’m meeting are honest.” Lystrup also expressed how being stiffed on a large job like the one for the Gravelle’s hurts his small family business, “It can take 5-10 more jobs of a similar size just to make it up,” said Lystrup.
Gravelle declined to say much except she was in the process of resolving and paying Lystrup’s company what she owed, but declined further comment until she spoke to her attorney on Tuesday.
Another complaint was filed by Roto-Rooter franchisee obtained a $6,350 judgement in 2019. An asphalt paving company also obtained an outstanding judgement for $6,319 against the Gravelle’s.
During part of the same period of time that the Gravelle’s racked up a debt to local vendors, Tiffany Gravelle also received $8,979 from a Watershed Enhancement Board grant. This included horse corral panels totaling $5,649. The grant was handled by the Upper Willamette Soil & Water Conservation District, who confirmed the grant application was filed by Mrs. Gravelle individually and made no mention of her for-profit business, MG Equine Farm.
Luxury and vacation cruiseswhile thousands remain owed
While these small businesses continue to have tens of thousands owned by the Gravelle’s, Tiffany Gravelle appears to be enjoying lavish cruises, often multiple times a month as detailed by her public business focused Facebook page.
The page promoted herself as a travel agent, which appears to have also been removed overnight following yesterdays initial story regarding the Gravelle’s and Herring. The profile detailed her work as a travel agent, but also had a group called “Travel with Tiffany” which showed Gravelle frequently traveling on lavish week long cruises over the last year and this year, sometimes multiple times a month. A post by Gravelle had also detailed a large number of upcoming cruises she was apparently scheduled on throughout 2022.
When asked if she had any explanation for a number of individuals familar with her ties to Herring and frequent cruises, Mrs. Gravelle deflected by claiming one of her cruises was, “paid for by the travel agency”. When asked about the name of the agency and what percentage of the cruises they were actually paying for, she declined to comment until she could speak with the attorney on Tuesday. However, Mrs. Gravelle’s had said earlier in her conversation with NW Horse Report that the attorney she was scheduled to speak with specialized in non-profit matters.
NW Horse Report also discovered that MG Equine Rescue & Therapy was not registered as an Animal Rescue Entity with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and did not have a affidavit with a declaration that they are not subject to the requirements (ie. having less than 10 animals). The official noted that if the rescue does not have more than 10 animals within the care of their facility at any one time they do not fall under their scope of authority.
An official with the Oregon Department of Agriculture additionally stated that Herrings conviction of animal neglect would likely severely hinder or prohibit the organizations registration, at least while she’s a director, officer, staff member, or volunteer of the organization. The official also confirmed that they would still work with law enforcement and other agencies concerning those prohibited from possession of animals being involved with the rescue entities that don’t meet the 10 animal threshold, but confirmed such entities fall outside the authority of their agency.
In a final attempt in seeking any comment before press time, a phone call placed this evening to Mrs. Gravelle went unanswered. This article was later updated after Tiffany Gravelle contacted NW Horse Report shortly after this story’s original publication.
Grants Pass, Ore. – Grants Pass Downs announced today it will not hold the 2022 commercial race meet as planned. The race meet was originally announced in February.
“As a result of the Oregon Racing Commission’s vote to deny an operating license to The Flying Lark, Grants Pass Downs has lost its economic engine,” said Travis Boersma, owner of Grants Pass Downs. “While we remained hopeful we would be able to host a viable race meet, the uncertainty here and across the industry has resulted in a drastic reduction of race horses at Grants Pass Downs. At this point, it’s clear running the meet isn’t feasible.”
Grants Pass Downs became privately funded by Boersma beginning in 2019. The track, race meet and purses were intended to be funded by profits from The Flying Lark entertainment venue. Despite going on record outlining its disagreement with the motion, the Oregon Racing Commission denied a license for The Flying Lark at the urging of Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Oregon’s attorney general.
“This is the result of the state and its leadership’s lack of understanding of, and appreciation for, the equine industry and the needs of rural Oregon. I believe this is just the beginning of a ripple effect that will be felt in communities throughout the state due to the actions of leadership,” said Boersma.
The cancellation of the race meet will lead to the elimination of approximately 50 jobs during the racing season. Employees were notified Tuesday, as were the horsemen and horsewomen on site. Those jobs are in addition to the more than 200 lost with the denial of The Flying Lark.
Boersma expressed it hope for the future of Oregon horse racing, “Saving horse racing in Oregon has always been one of my top priorities. Moving forward, it’s my sincere hope the horsemen’s associations, private investors and the state can come together to find a path to continuing this sport.”
Madras, Ore. – A self-described horse trader was found guilty of two criminal counts of animal neglect in connection with a Sorrel Quarter horse Mare and its Palomino filly. She was acquitted on charges of neglect, abuse, and illegally practicing veterinary medicine– all of which were all tied to her actions involving a Buckskin Quarter horse Gelding that the State alleged she had inhumanely castrated.
Tania Herring pictured during her trial for neglect and abuse of several horses in Jefferson County. (Photo Credit – NW Horse Report)
Tania Lynne Herring, 42, was charged with 1 count of practicing veterinary medicine without a license, 3 counts of neglect, and 1 count of abuse– all due to her handling and treatment of several horses in the summer of 2019. The State’s case came following an investigation by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office– originally stemming from the case of Aussie dog breeder Cora Gooding-Murphy who is also facing charges in connection with neglect of over 50 dogs seized from her.
Both Herring and Gooding-Murphy resided at the same property which was located on Loucks Road northeast of Madras, Oregon.
Herring was also charged in 2010 in Linn County for neglecting horses, 31 of which were seized when 116 total horses were found on a 12-acre property. Sheriff Tim Mueller of Linn County had described the horrid conditions at the time which KGW Channel 8 News reported was the ‘worst animal neglect case ever seen in Linn County’. Those charges were later dropped due to missteps related to the seizure and custody of the horses.
Details regarding the State’s allegations were unknown prior to the trial due to a lack of information provided by both the Jefferson County Sheriff & District Attorney’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office did make a press release in June of 2019 regarding the seizure of the dogs from Gooding-Murphy, but didn’t make any notice regarding the case with Herring. Only a charging information document was available from court records.
NW Horse Report learned about the case after being tipped off by several readers in mid-March– breaking the story last week.
The verdict comes after a trial that took the better part of yesterday, with closing arguments and jury instructions being held until earlier this morning. Jury deliberations lasted about 3 hours. The lead prosecutor was Jacob Kamins, the State’s special animal cruelty deputy district attorney. Kamins was also assisted by Deputy District Attorney Margaret D’Amico who works directly for the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office and served as co-counsel.
It came to light during trial that investigators and a local veterinarian euthanized one of the involved horses, having determined that the horse was suffering, was non-ambulatory, and unlikely to have a chance at recovering after an evaluation. During the trial, Herring’s attorney argued repeatedly that the actions of investigators and the veterinarian were improper and without her client’s permission. This included administering medicine to her horses, euthanizing the mare, and seizing the mare’s filly.
Despite the horse being in a poor and non-ambulatory condition on the morning of June 25th, Herring left for Eugene for the day and failed to take appropriate steps to ensure proper care for the mare. Herring had even been aware of an ongoing investigation at the property that centered on Gooding-Murphy.
State prosecutors countered by arguing that all such actions were permitted by an Oregon law that gives such authority to peace officers in situations involving neglected animals. The immediate seizure of the filly was to ensure it could receive proper care from a local horse rescue that specializes in young orphaned horses, requiring the filly to be relocated to the rescue’s facility.
Oregon’s Special Animal Cruelty Deputy District Attorney Jacob Kamins giving the State’s closing arguments on April 12th following the nearly two day trial of Tania Herring who was charged by the Jefferson County District Attorney for 5 criminal counts including neglect and abuse of animals in connection with several horses. (Photo Credit – NW Horse Report)
A video taken by investigators and admitted as evidence during the trial showed the filly pawing at the near lifeless and unresponsive mare mother. The mare was ultimately euthanized.
Herring stated at the trial that she doesn’t agree with how most veterinarians euthanize horses and believed it was best to be done by a “bullet”– criticizing the method used to euthanize her mare– despite a well-established position from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
While the defense called no third-party witnesses, Herring surprisingly took the stand in her defense, which later resulted in her being grilled during cross-examination by Kamins. During questioning Herring claimed that the veterinarian had improperly given her recently gelded horse “Banamine”, the common brand name of flunixin meglumine, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (or NSAID).
Herring said during her testimony under cross-examination that everyone knows you don’t give ‘Banamine’ to a horse after being castrated. The veterinarian, who was also the State’s expert witness, provided rebuttal testimony that debunked Herring’s claim regarding the drug and stated the opposite– that Banamine should have been given.
Herring also said during testimony that she had a total of 35 horses at the Madras property at the time of the incident, all of which were part of her purported horse training and trading business. Most of her testimony during questioning focused on her self-described experience and claims of being a trainer starting at the age of 14, growing up with horses, and having attended many “clinics” over the years. Herring also said in her questioning that she was cooperative with investigators who had initially been looking into Gooding-Murphy’s dog neglect case.
Court records in a separate civil case show Herring making a declaration that her business is “TNT Performance Horses”– but no such business appears to be registered with the Oregon Secretary of State– a legal requirement when physically conducting commercial transactions in the state. While not an element of her trial, this discovery raises further questions about Herring’s business practices concerning the employment of stable hands, payroll taxes, and other Oregon business requirements.
Circuit Court Judge Wade Whiting presided over the trial of Tania Herring. (Photo Credit – NW Horse Report)
The court moved quickly into sentencing following the verdict. Circuit Court Judge Wade Whiting who presided over the case appeared to issue a sentence that was much less than what the prosecutor asked for but was more than requested by Tania Herring’s court-appointed attorney, Jennifer Kimble. The State requested Herring receive a total of 48-hours in county jail, 24-hours for each count of neglect, but the Judge ordered community service instead of jail time.
On the two counts, Herring was sentenced to a total of 40-hours of community service to be performed with a non-animal related 501(c)(3) within 60-days following her probation, ordered to promptly complete an 8-hour Animal Rehabilitative Curriculum, and 24-months of bench probation. The biggest part of the sentence was a court order that prohibited Herring from possessing any equine or domestic animal for a period of 5-years, as stipulated by Oregon law with a misdemeanor neglect charge. Herring must also comply will all other laws during her probation.
Felony charges of animal neglect and abuse can result in up to 15-years. No provision in Oregon statute currently provides for any bans that are lifetime or longer than 15-years with animal neglect or abuse convictions.
Herring and her attorney both declined to comment both before and after the trial. Herring’s attorney had incorrectly told the court during sentencing that NW Horse Report released several articles that were demeaning of her client and repeatedly brought up her charges in 2010, even though only a single story up to that time regarding Herring has ever been published by this publication.
However, many newspapers and televised news stations across the northwest had indeed previously reported on Herring’s charges in the 2010 case in Linn County.
In a brief post trial interview with NW Horse Report, Kamins indicated his respect for Herrings attorney, Jennifer Kimble, who he felt provided an excellent defense for his client with a unique and difficult case for all. “I think Ms. Kimble said something in her closing that I absolutely agree with, that these are hard cases to sit through for jurors, for lawyers, witnesses– It’s just a hard thing to sit and watch these videos and see those pictures of animals suffering.”
Kamins also noted the timeframe the jury took in deliberations on such a case, saying, “…which says to me that [the jury] really gave thought to the charges and consideration to all the arguments of both sides and reached a fair verdict.”
When Kamins was asked about his repeated focus and agreement that Herring didn’t necessary act intentionally to harm her horses, he said, “It’s not that these people have a conscious objective to cause suffering to their animals– that’s a different crime.” referring to aggravated animal abuse. Kamins repeatedly made a point with the jury to understand that the charges Herring was facing did not require intent, but criminal negligence, which was a much different legal standard.
Tania Herring and her attorney standing while the verdicts are read on the 5 charges she faced. She was ultimately found guilty on two counts of animal neglect in the second degree in connection with a mare and its filly that was in her care in June of 2019. (Photo Credit – NW Horse Report)
It was not immediately clear what steps Herring would be taking to release ownership and possession of her horses, which reportedly are kept in multiple locations in Lane County, Oregon, and possibly in other areas. Law enforcement and humane society special agents will be able to inspect and ensure compliance with these provisions. It was also unclear if the conviction prevents her from holding employment with the Eugene Livestock Auction where she reportedly works part-time as a “clerk” during auctions.
New findings & ties to questionable non-profit
Before the trial, Herring had entered into a conditional release agreement in March of 2010. One of the conditions included not possessing animals and arranging for the transfer of animals in her custody and control. Kamins pointed out to the court during sentencing that Herring had violated the terms of her conditional release agreement over the last year by continuing to possess horses. NW Horse Report was able to confirm the accuracy of the State’s allegations, namely through social media postings made by Herring.
Herring currently has horses located with the owners of a related for-profit and non-profit organization– with similar names– located outside of Eugene. The non-profit, MG Equine Rescue & Therapy, appeared to be somewhat comingled with MG Equine Farm, a for-profit company. David Gravelle, one of the officers and owners of the respective entities, told NW Horse Report that Herring was last involved with them in January of 2021, despite NW Horse Report receiving information that clearly shows otherwise.
In January of 2022, Herring was found to have been posting online in attempts to hire workers at the Gravelle’s facility which is located just outside Eugene near the airport, although it was unclear which business or organization it was for. David Gravelle had also claimed that they shuttered the non-profit, although it doesn’t appear they have followed proper legal steps in dissolving the public benefit corporation– a type of Oregon non-profit.
MG Equine Rescue & Therapy has never filed required annual reports with the Charities Division of the Oregon Department of Justice, according to available records. The Oregon DOJ also clearly outlines requirements for non-profits with their board of directors and the legal obligations of board members.
The Gravelle’s ultimately declined to answer further inquiries into their affiliation with Herring, as well as several follow-up inquiries into their non-profit which appears to be operated at the same facility as their for-profit business. Tiffany Gravelle told NW Horse Report on Sunday that she would be able to respond by Monday, but no response to this publication’s inquiries was made by press time Tuesday.
These new findings and affiliation with Herring is a developing story.
Madras, Ore. – An Oregon woman and self-promoted horse trader and trainer is facing charges for abuse and neglect tied to three horses that were in her care. Tania Herring, 42, who now appears to reside in the Salem or Eugene area, was formally charged in February of 2021 by Jefferson County District Attorney Steven Leriche.
Past Issues & Charges
A photo of 1 of 31 of the horses that the Linn County Sheriff’s Office alleged was neglected by Tania Herring in 2010.
In 2010, Herring was the subject of an investigation by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office which was covered by multiple news outlets, including The Oregonian. In that case, 31 horses were seized from a property operated by Herring. Now retired Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller at the time reportedly said, “It smelled like sickness It was Bad.”
Muller said at the time that investigators found 116 horses on a 12-acre property in Mill City, many of them malnourished, diseased and slipping toward death. Mueller also had also said that some of the rescued horses were in such bad shape that they would have to be euthanized.
KGW Channel 8 News reported that it was the ‘worst animal neglect case ever seen in Linn County’ at the time.
The charges against Herring were later dropped, allegedly due to missteps by investigators during the case according to those close and familiar with the matter.
New charges and upcoming trial
Herring is now facing five misdemeanor counts related to her care of several horses at the property in Madras, including one count of practicing veterinary medicine without a license, three counts of animal neglect in the second degree, and one count of animal abuse in the second degree.
The horses included a Sorrel Quarter horse Mare, a Palomino filly, and a Buckskin Quarter horse Gelding. Due to the lack of information provided by the Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney, it is unclear if the horses were seized at the time from Herring or if they remained in her care.
The charging document obtained by NW Horse Report alleges that Herring, “…did recklessly cause physical injury to an animal,” explaining the reason for count of abuse on top of the neglect charge with Buckskin Quarter horse Gelding. Court documents also showed that Herring was not formally arrested and instead was issued citations to appear in this case.
A photo released by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at the property located off NE Loucks Rd outside Madras, OR in June of 2019.
The charges stem from an incident on and between June 24th and 25th, 2019, according to the States formal charges and allegations. The incident appears connected to the same location involving Aussie dog breeder Cora Gooding-Murphy, who on June 29th, 2019, had 57 dogs seized in connection with her Wagging on Wiggle Butt Aussies business, according to The Madras Pioneer newspaper.
Gooding was arrested that day according to a press release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. When reached for comment by NW Horse Report, Sheriff Marc Heckathorn said that his office had no comment and referred all questions to the Jefferson County District Attorney. District Attorney Steven Leriche has not returned multiple requests left with his office this week seeking comment.
Charging information document obtained by NW Horse Report showing the five counts against Tania Herring
With little more than the charging information, specific details regarding the State’s allegations against Herring are still unknown. It is unclear why the Sheriff’s Office did not issue a press release as it did with the Aussie breeder, and is common with cases of equine neglect with commercial operators.
Court records show that the State’s special animal cruelty prosecutor Jacob Kamins is one of the several Deputy District Attorney’s assigned to the new case against Herring. Kamins often consults or provides direct assistance to the various District Attorney’s across the State of Oregon. Kamins has handled two other major horse neglect and abuse cases since 2019 in Oregon involving Gwenyth Davies near Eugene, and a separate ongoing felony case against Susan Swango of Carlton.
The attorney of record for Herring– according to court documents– refused to confirm if she even represented Herring, citing ‘ethics’ and provided no comment. NW Horse Report made several attempts to reach Tania Herring without success, seeking comment.
Herring now appears to be operating a horse boarding and/or training facility in the Eugene area– having been actively listing horses for sale online, including Facebook. It does not appear she has any business registered with the State of Oregon. Additional postings appear to show Herring offering employment for barn work, raising additional questions considering the lack of any registered business and reporting of payroll taxes.
Herring was also reportedly working in the horse trade around Yakima, Washington, sometime within the last decade.
An online posting by Herring made in October of 2021 appeared to show her working with the Eugene Livestock Auction (ELA). When reached for comment and asking if they did business with Herring and could provide contact information, an unnamed official with ELA stated that Herring was actually employed by them as a part-time “clerk” for their auctions. The official further stated that while she was unaware of the new charges against Herring, she was vaguely familiar with the charges from 2010 incident.
Herring’s trial is scheduled to begin April 11th at the Jefferson County Circuit Courthouse in Madras. This is a developing story that NW Horse Report will continue to cover.
Sound Equine Options, which is based just outside of Portland, Oregon, is the go-to horse rescue organization for many large law enforcement seizures stemming from horse neglect cases across SW Washington and NW Oregon.
The announcement of the fundraising campaign included details about one of the horses rescued by SEO during a law enforcement seizure in February of 2021. While SEO’s post didn’t give particular details regarding the specific seizure or provided the intake photos of the horse’s condition at the time, NW Horse Report could indecently confirm that the horse was 1 of 48 horses seizued by the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office from Susan Swango at her horse breading facility just outside Carlton, Oregon last year.
Swango was indicted on 55 counts of felony animal neglect after investigators served a search warrant at her Carlton home and facility in late Feburary of 2021. Swango’s case is now awaiting a ruling on her “fitness to proceed”, following questions being raised about her mental state and courtroom outbursts and disruptions also reported on by NW Horse Report. The presiding judge in the case also revoked Swango’s initial waiver of attorney which allowed her to represent herself during several pre-trial hearings.
The horse ‘Girlfriend’, which SEO described as being part of the seizure, was not was not halter broke and we suspected of never having any farrier care. “After 4 months of rehabilitation, Girlfriend went into much needed groundwork training last spring. While she was making good progress, she had some trouble with her initial heat cycles post rehab.” the post stated.
“Currently Girlfriend is in training and has had about a dozen rides on her, she has been relaxed and willing. It will not be long until she is ready for a fabulous new home.”
Girlfriend has been under SEO’s care for 405 days. SEO stated that this has required roughly 5 tons or approximately $2250 of hay for Girlfriend alone, giving an idea as to the enormous costs incurred by SEO in taking care of the many other rescued horses over the last year.
SEO now owns Girlfriend after she and many of the other horses were ultimately forfeited by court order not long after the seizure from Swango last year. The 7 cats in the case were forfeited to the Oregon Humane Society.
SEO’s fundraising campaign is handled through Global Giving’s Little by Little campaign. That means that through April 8th, all donations up to $50 are being matched at 50%.
SEO’s Executive Director Kim Mosiman spoke with NW Horse Report saying, “This is one of our largest and most important fundraisers of the year. With recent hay shortages and price increases, it is now more important than ever to purchase a large portion of our needs as soon as fields are cut.”
Mosiman went on to say, “When we get the call to help on a neglect case, and before we can say yes, we need to know we have enough hay available to care for additional horses. On average SEO has 50 to 60 horses to feed on a daily basis.”
