Linn Deputies Seize 31 Neglected Horses

Mueller says Thursday's horse rescue was one of the largest in Linn County's history.

(ALBANY, Ore.) - Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller says deputies with his agency seized 31 horses from property in Mill City following an animal neglect investigation Thursday.

"The 31 horses were in immediate need of medical care in order to survive and have been placed in foster care with members of Linn County Animal Rescue, a nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement and provides care for animals in rescues such as these," Mueller said.

He added that the horses that were removed from the property were extremely malnourished or had injuries. 30-year old Tania Lynne Herring, who lives at the property on SE Fourth Ave. in Mill City, was charged with 30 counts of second-degree animal neglect and cited to appear in Linn County Circuit Court on Feb. 24.

"Of the two animals that she did not give up ownership, one was reportedly being boarded at the property and the other she stated she had an emotional attachment to."

There were a total of 116 horses on the property when deputies arrived to serve the search warrant on Thursday.

"The animals were living on approximately 12 acres, three of which were occupied by buildings. Every horse was inspected by either a veterinarian or a person certified to examine horses in suspected neglect cases," Mueller said.

Neighbors concerned about horses in Herring's care over the past three years reportedly made several complaints, but Mueller says she had moved several times between ranches and to other jurisdictions, making it difficult for investigators to obtain a search warrant.

"Since she moved to the Mill City property last August, the Sheriff's Office had received several complaints about the condition of the horses there."

Twelve deputies from the Sheriff's Office were on site along with about 30 members of Linn County Animal Rescue, two veterinarians and two members of the Humane Society of the United States.

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d February 15, 2011 10:38 pm (Pacific time)

this treatment is unnecessary and these people DO NOT deserve or have any right having these horses in their possesion. We NEED more regulation with horses to trust those of us with responsibility for their care and to trust us as friends. We need to put these people that abuse animals behind bars! I'm willing to do this as a tax payer!!

d February 15, 2011 10:41 pm (Pacific time)

We need to put these people that abuse animals behind bars- they do NOT deserve or should have the right to precious animals. I will support this as a taxpayer!!!

ilovehorsestoo January 27, 2010 9:24 pm (Pacific time)

there were no strangles,there was feed for all the horses the day linn county went in,she has always moved because of a lease running out,not because she was running from something and she has put up many a rescue horse in marion county whenever they brought one to her.i don't believe the horses removed from her place are as bad as is being said,i want to see pics now before they can say they are fattening up.Tania is not guilty of not feeding her horses,ask how much her feed bill is,she has given her life for horses yes as a dealer/rescue maybe if just 100 people would open there wallets and care for 1-2 horses if they have the place these things wouldn't be happening yes the economy took a crap and people were frantic to just give away their hoses it was taking food from the families mouth,well horses took food from Tanias mouth too,shes missed many a meals to pay for hay.

gp January 24, 2010 1:49 pm (Pacific time)

We haverecently had horses running loose in our barrio. As with other things,our barrio acted from the bottom up. One woman got the telephone number of the man who owns a nice mare and colt, when they get loose she calls him and he gets right on over to take care of the problem. Another couple of souls are seen giving water to the horses on especially hot days. The neighbors have been in a buzz about what to do about horses that used to pasture here and now may cause an accident. Though some have run to the mayor's office for legal help, others have taken the reins of the problem and are seeking equitable solutions to a particularly Argentine rural problem. Probably the most useful tool we have is our barrio email bulletin board. We are all made aware of any neighborhood problem simultaneously and in a timely way. Solutions are usually found pretty fast.

teri g January 24, 2010 5:51 am (Pacific time)

after seeing how Oregon courts release meth users who loose their children and let them out with slaps on the wrist, why should animals get any care ! Oregon courts need to reconsider and prosecute to the max ! then make them serve the term.

Kittin January 24, 2010 1:24 am (Pacific time)

Here is the thing that bothers me the most. She has not only tortured all these poor helpless horses, but she has swindled many buyers as well. She would purchase these horses at auction and take them home to try to sell them for profit. Duping the new buyers into thinking they were getting a younger more well trained horse. She never kept any of the new auction horses quarantined from the rest of the herd to see if they were going to get sick, so all the sickness was spread all over the ranch. The other thing to consider is that now the ranch that she was leasing is going to be a health hazard to any and all horses that may live in it for the next 5 years. Strangles stays in the soil for 5 years. It is often fatal. The vet can do a nose swab to test to see if the strangles virus is present in their nasal cavity. A horse can carry the strangles virus without ever showing any symptoms of it, and can pass it on to other horses it comes in contact with. She has only been at this nice place since September. She was previously in Jefferson in Marion Co, the owner asked her to leave from there, one can only assume because of the horrible shape of the animals. I rescued a BIG palomino paint mare (not from Tania) in October. She was so weak from hunger she could hardly stand. By December she was almost fat and hardly even looks like the same horse. So you can't tell me that it took her 6 months and the starving horses from September still look that skinny. I feel sorry for the people that she had duped into believing that she has the horses best interest at heart. It is horrible, she probably won't have anything happen to her, all her favorite special horses will be transfered into other peoples names and she will keep them. I have seen this happen with other people who wanted to be horse traders as well.

Octane January 23, 2010 10:21 am (Pacific time)

Linn County sheriff states that the owner will probably not do any jail time and that they will seek that she not own horses again (Oregon law states 5 years for second degree neglect) What's to prevent her from putting her horses in someone else's name? Looks like the owner will only get a slap on the wrist and a small fine. I don't believe the Linn County District attorney's office will prevent this from ever happening again !!

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