Frog Pond Farm Draft Horse Rescue Slanderous, bunch of liars who thrive on causing trouble for everyone. Cambridge Ohio

What Horse_sense has written is sad but true the people at drafty acres claim to rescue horses and have since changed the rescue name to Drafty barn Farm rescue,I don't know how the people in your state get away with selling horses for slaughter then turning around and calling themselves a horse rescue,she takes horses to sugarcreek on a regular basis to be sold for slaughter than buys a handful for practically nothing,fattens them up a little then resells them for a profit.All i know is there must be a really shoddy bunch of law enforcement and usda officials there.Its ridiculous and sad to know theres people out there that rust this woman.Watch the news video and see is you still would want to entrust her with any animal.

  This group (Frog Pond)has a wonderful reputation throughout the United States.They are up front and honest about what they do,unlike some places that like to incorporate "horse rescue" into their advertising to line their own greedy little pockets.Some are just glorified horse thieves that claim to be rescuing a horse just to turn around and ship them off to slaughter auctions like Sugarcreek and are ignorant enough to be seen on the news"worshiping"the auctioneer!Just a few months ago the stable owner that wrote this original report had a huge writeup on the front page of her web site stating she is an advocate of horse slaughter and how wonderful it is and how it creates jobs,etc etc etc ,and now she claims to rescue horses!!You  can't be both! Its and oxymoron!Well she got it half right anyway.

I have had the pleasure and priviledge to foster one of Lisa's beloved drafts and can tell you that this person is not painting an accurate picture. I've been to Lisa's facility and found it to be clean and caring. She's meticulous in her care and one of the only rescues that has the integrity to actually follow up on adoptions and remove an adopted animal if it is being mistreated. I have been involved in horse rescue both as an individual and with our local humane society and can tell you that the ones who scream the loudest are the ones who have lost an animal due to their own neglect and/or abuse. As for the "non-profit" comment - Frog Pond Farms is a state approved facility but is not 501(c)3 - this means she gets absolutely NOTHING monitarily - no tax write off, no reimbursement, no funding except what donors provide. The amount of time, effort, dedication and heart ache outweighs the amount of money required to that job - no, wait - you get paid for a job. What she gets is the satisfaction of knowing she has improved and saved so many lives. But then there are the folks out there like the Proudstablehand who try to tear her down. Hang in there Lisa - we know the truth.

Just a very quick comment regarding the post by Spotted draft in CA.

They wanted to haul a mare a week to 10 days of delivery from Ohio to California so they could rebreed this mare during her foal heat (heat cycle right after foaling). This instance was 6 years ago when we were new, our contracts were a year and because the mare was a papered draft, she was allowed to be bred. We no longer allow breeding of any of our mares...registered or not.

Just a very quick comment regarding the post by Spotted draft in CA.

They wanted to haul a mare a week to 10 days of delivery from Ohio to California so they could rebreed this mare during her foal heat (heat cycle right after foaling). This instance was 6 years ago when we were new, our contracts were a year and because the mare was a papered draft, she was allowed to be bred. We no longer allow breeding of any of our mares...registered or not.

Just a very quick comment regarding the post by Spotted draft in CA.

They wanted to haul a mare a week to 10 days of delivery from Ohio to California so they could rebreed this mare during her foal heat (heat cycle right after foaling). This instance was 6 years ago when we were new, our contracts were a year and because the mare was a papered draft, she was allowed to be bred. We no longer allow breeding of any of our mares...registered or not.

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Re: [spotteddrafthorse] This is ridiculous
You do not have enough of the facts to make many of these comments. Is it not enough that a so-called business person aka "Draft Horse Rescue", considered breaking her own contract? For your information, It was discussed with Lisa Gordon about her keeping the foal. We told Lisa, that we were not happy about that scenerio because of the age of the mare and or her breaking her contract. She told her own children that she was keeping the foal before she ever discussed it with us. She visited other message boards asking for advice and she was pummeled by most people posting messages. We bought the mare "AS IS"!!!!!! That means good, bad or otherwise (hidden injuries, diseases, bad feet, unable to re-produce or whatever). Why then because the good would have benefitted the buyer that you think this is ridiculous? "AS IS is AS IS!!!!!!!! OK? You are obviously someone who might break a deal also, so we would have nothing in common with you. We would not be suprised if you were not Lisa Gordon of Frog Pond Farm herself, a family member, or an ignorant friend. Moral of the story is, if you really relate to Lisa Gordon, contract breaking, and messing with other people's hearts and emotions, you would not be the type of Spotted Draft person we would associate with in the first place. By the way, the people in the group are some of the most decent people we have ever had the pleasure of doing business with or communicating with . Had we been pummeled by the group, we would surely have taken a second look at ourselves and our intentions, but for some reason, we were supported over whelmingly. Either there is alot of people in this group with good common sense or they are all on our payroll! :) And believe us LIBBY, the last thing we are upset about is that we did not get a free foal.........That is the ridiculous part of your post. We are upset because we delt with a dishonest person who broke her own "AS IS" contract. You do not know our intentions or our hearts, and for you to guess what you think they might be is ridiculous. Good Day!!!!!


Eddie and Sabrina riverdraft
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I have adopted 2 horses from Frog Pond Farm and currently have 1 in my care for training. This report regarding their legitimacy is untrue and unfounded. I can honestly state that they have very STRICT adoption and fostering contracts regarding everything from how you will care for your new horse, to horses you currently own, and those you have owned in the past.

The owners of Frog Pond not only have you go through strict procedures to adopt, you must follow up for a MINIMUM of 5 years (some are lifetime) with photos, vet records and routine worming, teeth, and foot care records. They even go so far as to have the photos date stamped. Now to me, that is thorough and looking out for the care of the horses they rescue. As for the statement that "They collect the fees, ship the horses, and ultimately have developed the practice of repossessing said horses just to collect adoption fees again on the same horse" is ridiculous.

Horses that ARE repossessed (which are the lesser of the whole) are adopted out again with hopes at a second chance for the "good life" they deserve. These horses are sold for MINIMAL adoption fees. Anyone who has been around horses knows how expensive their upkeep is. Some adopters just get in too deep and no matter how good their intentions, can't continue care- so at least Frog Pond takes them back after all of that so they are still insured a good home. The fees are unbelievably low. No experienced horse owner or handler could actually think they are enough to make a profit. I have shown on the "A" Circuit of showjumping for 10 years and have ridden many other disciplines including eventing and dressage. Let me assure you that there is no possible way that the owners of Frog Pond are trying to make a profit. Their goal is to save horses and give them good homes. People who buy and sell horses for tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars have a hard time making money in the "horse business", a mere $500 or so adoption fee is barely going to cover what the farm needs to continue routine care and feeding. They do that through generous supporters and outsiders who believe in their mission.

I for one believe in the good heart of Frog Pond Farm and I will not sit here and let someone slander it with nonsense. You should read the article that was filed on the lady who is accusing Frog Pond. It is obvious that she doesn't have a base for what she is saying and should take a look at her own situation.

It's interesting that you chose the title Slanderous, bunch of liars who thrive on causing trouble. That is exactly what you are doing here. You are not an adopter of any Frog Pond horse. There are no reports here by any adopters. If there are so many and the list is shockingly long, why are they not here complaining? Just how have YOU been ripped off by Frog Pond? You haven't.

You wrote this report within the hour of finding one had been written against your farm, Drafty Acres Stables. You "assumed" the person who wrote that report was from Frog Pond, or a supporter, then openly bashed them in your rebuttal to the Drafty Acres report. Then you filed this report out of revenge, and without proof that they had anything to do with writing the Drafty Acres report. I know that you have a personal grudge with FPF, and what you have done here is exactly what you accuse them of doing to you. If it wasn't so pathetic and sad, it would be laughable.

Lisa and FPF work very hard to save horses that are destined for slaughter, and in need. They have a wonderful network of people who truly care about horses and do what they can to save them, rehab them and find good homes for them. Frog Pond has very recently passed an inspection of their farm by a USDA inspector. Can you say the same thing? P.S. I currently am a FPF supporter, but will soon be a FPF adopter. I'll let you know if I get screwed over but don't hold your breath.

I read this Rip Off Report produced by Ms. Rena and was quite appauled. I am actually a volunteer for Frog Pond Farm Draft & Pony Rescue. I am VERY honored to work with such an honest rescue facility that holds extremely high standards. We have a wonderful network that WORKS together to rescue and home MANY drafts and I myself have been very involved with fostering and even adoption. I can vouch for the adoption and fostering process and the lengthy application involved. I know reference checks and site evaluations are also done.

In regards to Ms. Rena's statements, she needs to get her facts straight. For whatever reason it may be, she seems to have issues with Frog Pond Farm Draft & Pony Rescue and is posting ridiculous statements on many websites. I know for a fact she called many of us on a particular network a "bunch of thugs". As far as I am concerned I find her to be intentionally harassing and slandering Frog Pond Farm.

Now.... when it comes to filing rip off reports - should we post the recent USDA/OH DEPT OF AG report of findings in which a dead horse remained in a rivean on Ms. Rena's property? It laid there well over a week for MANY to see who did file complaints. Sad the owner, Rena Martin did not even know her horse was missing? And this woman has the nerve to file complaints on others? If anyone has any questions, please contact the USDA/OH Dept of AG and they will gladly send you a copy of their findings - and THIS IS A TRUE FACT!


Sincerely,
Karen Heselton

I have followed Frog Pond Farm for several years and must say that they work tirelessly for the welfare of the horses in their care.

The woman who filed the negative report only has one purpose which is to do everything she can to protect Leroy Baker. Mr. Baker owns Sugarcreek and has recently been fined over $162,000 by the USDA for many violations of cruelty. There is nothing Leroy hates more than rescue organizations!

The horse mentioned, Thor, died during transport from the Sugarcreek auction. Should this ever happen? Absolutely not, but it will continue to happen unless the USDA and the local police department actually do their jobs. Baker should have had the horse euthanized, but refused to do so. Frog Pond Farm once again stepped up and made an effort to save another horse. Sadly, they were too late.

Here are a couple of things to think about.

1) Frog Pond Farm takes a horse from Sugarcreek, it dies, and Frog Pond Farm (FPF) is crucified by a crazy person. If FPF didn't take this horse, it would have been loaded on a double decked trailer headed for a Canadian slaughter plant. The horse would have died en route and the crazy person would have nothing to say.

2) FPF is also being subjected to abuse from this complainant for doing follow up visits on horses they adopt out. GOOD FOR THEM! I wish ALL rescues would do follow up visits. No matter how well we (rescue organizations) screen applicants, we are still ocassionally scammed and put in a position that requires us to repossess an animal. Whether or not that animal is later adopted out again is completely irrelevant. Do you really think that it costs nothing to repo an animal especially an equine? Also consider that animals are typically only repossessed when they shown to be in poor condition, usually due to neglect of the adopter. Guess what, it costs money to vet and rehab these animals to make them whole again. Why wouldn't a rescue request an adoption fee?

Please watch the video as posted in Frog Pond Farms' response. If only the complainant was as agreeable with cutting off her own head as is she with cutting off her breast (to please Leroy) we would all be better off.

Frog Pond Farm has a stellar reputation among horse rescue boards. Always on the up and up and providing information regarding horses saved and adopted. Apparently, someone has an axe to grind if accusing FPF of anything other than doing good for the horses.

Interesting......you state your case well, then in the beginning of the last paragraph you say you will not stoop to the original posters level, but then you proceed to do exactly that by slamming her.....

I really wasnt sure responding to this post was necessary but I will. I will also provide it to all the families who have adopted from us and support us to allow them to respond as well.

This woman is local to our organization. She is friends with the owner/operator/kill buyer located in Sugarcreek, OH. We did a rescue in May 2008 at Sugarcreek where she insisted on getting her 15 seconds of fame on the news who showed up there to do a story for the local news. Feel free to take a look.

http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=89723&provider=gnews

She is the one who offered her breast to the auction owner/kill buyer if he needed it. So you can take whatever she posts here at face value and make your own decisions.

Now, as far as our placements of horses we follow the same strict requirements with all our horses. We have a 15 page application and a 3 page contract, both of which is displayed to any potential adopters on our website to print and complete if they so choose. The guidelines are clearly laid out. We do as any other REPUTABLE rescue would do and thats keep a check on the welfare of our animals. We absolutely have the right to make visits above and beyond our required check ins every 6 months. If a horse isnt being properly cared for OR if a mare is found to be bred, WE WILL REMOVE. In all cases thus far, the horses we took back in were turned back over with no need to involve any outside governmental agency. The contract is clearly laid out and our families know this.

I welcome anyone questioning our procedures to contact the folks listed on our reference page. You can also make contact with both our farm vet and hospital vets or the farrier we use.

Of all horses slated for removal from families, believe me there was no money made. There were extensive vetting and rehabbing costs associated. In a case currently ongoing, of the 4 that were placed, 2 had NO FEES when placed. One passed in placement of old age and the other will be returning to Frog Pond Farm as a sanctuary animal. We have well over $1300 already invested in this group that was removed less then 30 days ago. We will continue to have costs with the one that is returning due to hoof issues. There will never be a large enough fee to cover the costs associated with rehabbing and replacement of these horses.

As stated above, we welcome inquiries. Always have. But we will not stoop to the childish level that this complaintant has gone to. If you want information on her well run farm, contact the USDA or Ohio Department of Agriculture and request copies of the violations her farm has received for leaving a dead horse lay in her pasture in view of the public and young school children for more then a week. Apparently she didnt even know it was missing from her herd. Excellent horsekeeping skills I would say! Kudos!

Lisa Gordon
Frog Pond Farm Draft Horse & Pony Rescue
Cambridge, OH 43725
www.frogpondfarmdrafts.com