Miniature horse farm reduced by 34 animals

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Vern Trembly, owner of a miniature horse farm in Uniontown, said last week he has 62 horses, down from 96 he had a month ago.

Trembly has been selling the animals to individuals who live outside of Bourbon County, who have expressed concern about the horses.

Individuals associated with Chances Miniature Horse Rescue and Kansas Miniature Horse Club purchased numerous horses, said Victor McMullen, president and founder of Southern Winds Equine Rescue and Recovery, a non-profit organization based in Wellington.

Trembly said he sold the animals for 20 to 40 percent less than their actual value. He declined to give a specific amount.

McMullen said he'd like to see Trembly get down to around 40 horses. That's the same amount Bourbon County Sheriff Harold Coleman said his department would like Trembly to have, especially with winter a couple months away.

It's been nearly three weeks since authorities with an animal rescue group loaded up 10 of Trembly's miniature horses.

The horses were transported to specialized care facilities outside of Bourbon County. Two of the horses were taken to a facility in Atlanta, Kan., and eight were taken to a farm in the Kansas City, Kan., area.

McMullen said Tuesday that the 10 horses are not ready to be adopted. They are still receiving medical care. Four of the 10 were blind or partially blind and others suffered from worms.

"The horses are making progress but it's going to take time," McMullen said.

The rescue was coordinated by Southern Winds along with the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office.

Worldwide attention focused on Trembly's miniature horse farm, called Trembly Tiny Trails, at 903 Limestone Road in rural Uniontown.

It all started about two months ago, when a Fort Scott resident noticed an apparent lack of care of the horses.

The resident documented the conditions and contacted Chances Miniature Horse Rescue, a nationwide organization that rehabilitates abused, unwanted or neglected miniature horses.

A representative from Chances inspected the animals and found inadequate living conditions along with sick and suffering horses.

What followed was a firestorm of criticism toward Trembly and the sheriff's office. Letters, faxes, e-mails, and phone calls flooded the office. An Internet message board generated heated commentary from horse enthusiasts nationwide.

On Oct. 11, a veterinarian with Kansas State University inspected Trembly's farm. He compiled his findings in a report, which was given to the sheriff's office. However, the sheriff's office has not released the findings contained in that report.

Trembly, meanwhile, is still upset about the outpouring of attacks against his treatment of the horses.

He said he has never neglected the horses but that some of them have contracted worms, and that's why they're so thin. The horses that remain on his farm are being adequately cared for, Trembly said.

"It took me over 50 years to make what I've got, what I had, and somebody tore me down overnight with a computer," Trembly said.

He voluntarily decided to give up custody of 11 horses that were deemed to be in need of the most care. But Trembly said he felt pressure to do that and was "forced into it" because of the constant attacks, which have subsided within the last month.