The Myers Flat woman whose 40 horses were seized after found to be suffering from a host of health
problems pleaded no contest to a count of animal neglect Wednesday as part of a plea deal.
Elsie Smith, 69, appeared in Humboldt County Superior Court next to her attorney Neal Sanders with her
hands clasped before her. She won’t face any jail time as part of the agreement, but will be on probation for
three years, during which time, she won’t be allowed to own horses or any equine animals.
Smith will also have to pay upwards of $10,000 in restitution fees for the costs the Humboldt County Sheriff’s
Office Animal Control Division accrued in caring for the animals since their early April seizure.
She has also agreed to attend counseling and perform community service work.
In what was described as the largest horse rescue operation in recent memory, studs, mares and colts were
seized from Smith’s property on April 2 by officials responding to a report of neglected horses.
They were reportedly found standing knee-deep in mud and manure, and had lice, matted coats, deformed
hooves, signs of infected hooves and were said to be malnourished. Officials described the scene as a
“hoarding situation” at the time.
Since their seizure, most have made remarkable recoveries, but two were euthanized in late April after an
equine veterinarian found them to be “irredeemably suffering” with no hope of recovering from their pain.
Most have also been bid upon to be adopted locally, but four remain in need of homes, Heart of the
Redwoods Horse Rescue co-founder Sara Isaacson said.
“It’s just amazing how good they look now,” Isaacson said. “It was really sad to see them before.”
A second charge of unlawfully obstructing a peace officer — which stemmed from Smith allegedly hiding a
horse on her 25-acre property during the seizure — was dropped as part of the deal. With both
misdemeanor counts, Smith was facing two years in prison if convicted.
“The horses did not get appropriate care because of her condition,” Sanders said to Judge Dale
Reinholtsen. Sanders said Smith fell over the summer and broke her wrist, and a person helping her left
shortly afterward to attend school.
Though a drain was installed on the property, water backed up during the wet winter and flooded the area
the horses were kept, Sanders said.
Deputy District Attorney Ben McLaughlin said it’s the District Attorney’s Office’s position that the plea deal
was in the interest of justice. “The disposition of this case was in the interest of justice, in light of the
defendant’s age, lack of criminal history, and her agreement to undergo counseling and perform community
service work,” he said.
Smith will return to court June 23 for the receipt of the probation report, which will address potential
alternatives for community service work. The report will also give an updated total restitution amount.
As of May 9, $11,675 had been spent caring for the horses.
Animal Control Division Lt. Steve Knight said the past two months have been very labor-intensive for his staff
and the Heart of the Redwoods volunteers. Now that the criminal proceeding process is nearly over, “we will
be working to get homes for the horses as soon as possible and to get out of the horse business,” he said.
Whether the plea deal in this case was fair and just, Knight declined to directly comment. “Our staff does
their job and we leave it up to the DA and courts to decide what is the most appropriate judgment,” he said.
“The bottom line is they’ve all gotten better care than they were receiving and down the road will get better
treatment and care.”
Isaacson said this is the first time Heart of the Redwoods assisted the Sheriff’s Office in an animal seizure.
“The largest (rescue) we ever did was four horses,” she said. “This is 10 times that.”
The individuals in both groups formed somewhat of a bond, Isaacson said, and good working relationship.
She said Smith will be on law enforcement’s radar now, but didn’t comment further regarding her plea deal.
“Our thoughts from the beginning has been for the welfare of the horses,” Isaacson said.
To get more information on adopting any of the remaining horses, Isaacson asked that people contact Heart
of the Redwoods through its Web site, www.redwoodrescue.org.
Horse owner gets no time in jail
By KAREN WILKINSON, The Eureka Reporter
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