Distressed Lockwood Valley neighbors urged Ventura County law enforcement to do something about the Bor ranch allegedly breeding thoroughbred horses without adequate food or care. Over 100 starving horses were said to be held in pens. On October 8, 2008 a raid was staged. Nearly 50 horses were confiscated. Some died, most are being nurtured back to health by the Ventura County Humane Society. Several recently had foals. The Bors, on bail, allegedly left the ranch with about 50 horses, perhaps for a site in Los Angeles County.—Editor

By Alex Wilson, Special to The Mountain Enterprise

VENTURA—The former operators of a Lockwood Valley horse breeding ranch were ordered to stand trial on felony animal cruelty charges Thursday, May 21, even though defense lawyers argued there was no intent to hurt the 13 animals for which the defendants are being held accountable. Attorneys urged Ventura County Superior Court Judge James Cloninger to reduce the charges to misdemeanors.

In the October 2008 raid on the 21 acre Cochema Ranch in the 16,000 block of Curtis Trail of Lockwood Valley Ernie Bor, 31, his wife Cecilia Bor, 35 and his mother Joan Bor, 66 were arrested.

Ventura County Animal Regulation Department Manager of Veterinary Services Craig Koerner testified during their preliminary hearing that some of the horses he examined were extremely sick and malnourished, and conditions at the ranch were unsuitable for the approximately 100 horses kept there. “The animals were in crowded pens, the pens themselves were in some state of disrepair,” Koerner said. “They were certainly not up to industry standards.”

He testified that a severely emaciated mare named Proper Code had recently given birth, but was unable to produce milk for the underweight offspring by her side. “Both Proper Code and Mary Ann were in serious condition, they were very thin. Plus her filly Mary Ann had had a severe respiratory infection,” said Koerner. “Proper Code had no milk and was trying to nurse.”

Koerner said that in the months since many of the Bor’s horses were seized or relinquished, most of them have recovered, thanks to proper nutrition and nursing care, but three of them died.

Saving Mary Ann took considerable effort, according to Koerner’s testimony. “She was too weak to nurse. She was essentially hand fed by personnel at the shelter. She almost succumbed to her respiratory infection, but she made it, and now she’s a healthy young horse,” said Koerner.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy William Hollowell testified about an interview in which Ernie Bor admitted recent financial setbacks had made it hard to pay for all the food the horses required. “They fed them once a day, in the evening, and they did actually feed a little less to make the hay go longer,” said Hollowell.

Hollowell testified that Bor also asked authorities to take away some relatively healthy mustangs. “He said that they were basically worthless to him in terms of a profit and a lot of the mustangs they had on the property were uncontrollable and not tame,” said Hollowell.

Joan Bor’s lawyer Henry Snow argued they were not trying to hurt the horses like other people typically convicted of felony animal abuse, so the charges should be reduced to misdemeanors. “I believe that the Bors exercised reasonable efforts to maintain the horses. Were there some horses that had problems? Definitely, but there were certainly not the kinds of problems to warrant felony charges,” said Snow.

Ernie Bor’s lawyer Adam Pearlman argued that the Bors tried to care for the horses but got in over their heads. “We’re not talking about people who are being cruel to the horses or torturing them,” said Pearlman.

Deputy District Attorney Wendy Macfarlane’s voice rose with emotion as she argued why she thinks the crimes are felonies. “No one was paying attention to these animals. It was pure neglect. They had too many, and they continued to get more. They couldn’t feed the ones they had, and they didn’t care,” said Macfarlane.

Judge Cloninger ruled that the Bors will face felony and not misdemeanor charges. “It appears to me, based on this evidence, that this herd of horses was being slowly starved to death,” said Cloninger. “This may not have been intended by any of the defendants, but this is felony conduct.” Cloninger said that he found the testimony about the starving foal to be “particularly distressing.”

Judge Cloninger bound each of the Bors over for trial on 13 counts of felony animal cruelty, one for every horse they allegedly abused.

They’re currently free on $10,000 dollars bail each, and were ordered back to court on June 2 for an arraignment where they’re expected to enter not guilty pleas.

Macfarlane said after the hearing that the Bors no longer operate the Lockwood Valley ranch and she’s unsure where they moved with their remaining horses.

This is part of the May 29, 2009 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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