Conroe woman worries for missing horse
 |
| The Ehrman family of Conroe is seeking help in locating Midnight Thunder, a 17-year-old quarter horse missing since February. |
By Brad Meyer
When the agent commissioned to sell a pair of horses didn’t pony up the cash and couldn’t say where the animals were, a Conroe woman launched a campaign to track them down.
While one has been found, Victoria Ehrman is still looking for Midnight Thunder, a 17-year-old quarter horse with a white star snip on his face and speckles on the front of his legs. The retired racehorse supposedly sold in February is missing and she fears foul play.
“Not getting paid is the least of our worries,” said Ehrman. “I am very concerned the horse might be abused or mistreated.”
When her daughters, ages 14 and 16, began to lose interest in the family’s horses, Ehrman said the decision was to find the animals a new home where they would be appreciated and exercised daily.
“They were wonderful horses with a great disposition,” she said. “Midnight Thunder loved peppermints, mangos and watermelon, he’d even sing for his feed.”
Ehrman said they commissioned Akidhorse.com in the Cleburne area to sell the horses. The horses were picked up in Conroe in December and sold in February, she said.
“We got suspicious when we didn’t get paid,” she said. “And no one could give us a straight answer about where the horses were.”
Ehrman said she discovered the company that took the horses operates under several different names. When the owner was contacted, she said she was told dishonest employees had sold the horses and stolen the money.
Indeed, the website for Akidhorse.com states the “north Texas facility is closed due too (sic) incompetent employees and advises past clients to contact the company with details of any problems they have.”
While Akidhorse is not listed with the Better Business Bureau, Texas Horse, at www.texashorse.org, includes the same phone number as Akidhorse. Texas Horse is rated “F” by the BBB for reasons that include Texas Horse’s failure to respond to complaints, and the BBB’s lack of sufficient background information on the business.
Ehrman was able to track down one of her horses to a facility in north Texas, but the fate of Midnight Thunder is still unknown. She was told he was sold to an Australian man in Cedar Hill for $1,100, but has been unable to verify the sale or the identity of the buyer – if he exists.
“My biggest concern is I’ve heard many of the horses that were sold have not been fed for weeks,” she said. “We just want to make sure Midnight Thunder is being taken care of.”
Robbie Jones, owner of Akidhorse, said the two women he hired to operate his horse sales operation in the north Texas town of Godley, allegedly defrauded the company and sellers by failing to fill out paperwork and pocketing the money for horses sold.
Jones said he has filed suit against the two women and is attempting to locate information on transactions that occurred during their employment. A notice on his website asks recent purchasers to contact him so he can document their sale. Several complaints about the women are also are allegedly listed on www.ripoffreport.com.
“This has been a disaster for all concerned,” Jones said. “I feel bad for the Ehrmans and am doing everything I can to rectify the situation.”
Documenting the location of the horse and his well being continues to be a challenge. Ehrman said she just wants to know that Midnight Thunder is being fed and cared for in a good environment.
“It’s just so frustrating,” said Ehrman. “We tried to do something good for the horses and we are afraid we might have made them worse.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Victoria Ehrman at vve389@yahoo.com or at (713) 419-1789.
Brad Meyer can be reached at bmeyer@hcnonline.com.
While one has been found, Victoria Ehrman is still looking for Midnight Thunder, a 17-year-old quarter horse with a white star snip on his face and speckles on the front of his legs. The retired racehorse supposedly sold in February is missing and she fears foul play.
“Not getting paid is the least of our worries,” said Ehrman. “I am very concerned the horse might be abused or mistreated.”
When her daughters, ages 14 and 16, began to lose interest in the family’s horses, Ehrman said the decision was to find the animals a new home where they would be appreciated and exercised daily.
“They were wonderful horses with a great disposition,” she said. “Midnight Thunder loved peppermints, mangos and watermelon, he’d even sing for his feed.”
Ehrman said they commissioned Akidhorse.com in the Cleburne area to sell the horses. The horses were picked up in Conroe in December and sold in February, she said.
“We got suspicious when we didn’t get paid,” she said. “And no one could give us a straight answer about where the horses were.”
Ehrman said she discovered the company that took the horses operates under several different names. When the owner was contacted, she said she was told dishonest employees had sold the horses and stolen the money.
Indeed, the website for Akidhorse.com states the “north Texas facility is closed due too (sic) incompetent employees and advises past clients to contact the company with details of any problems they have.”
While Akidhorse is not listed with the Better Business Bureau, Texas Horse, at www.texashorse.org, includes the same phone number as Akidhorse. Texas Horse is rated “F” by the BBB for reasons that include Texas Horse’s failure to respond to complaints, and the BBB’s lack of sufficient background information on the business.
Ehrman was able to track down one of her horses to a facility in north Texas, but the fate of Midnight Thunder is still unknown. She was told he was sold to an Australian man in Cedar Hill for $1,100, but has been unable to verify the sale or the identity of the buyer – if he exists.
“My biggest concern is I’ve heard many of the horses that were sold have not been fed for weeks,” she said. “We just want to make sure Midnight Thunder is being taken care of.”
Robbie Jones, owner of Akidhorse, said the two women he hired to operate his horse sales operation in the north Texas town of Godley, allegedly defrauded the company and sellers by failing to fill out paperwork and pocketing the money for horses sold.
Jones said he has filed suit against the two women and is attempting to locate information on transactions that occurred during their employment. A notice on his website asks recent purchasers to contact him so he can document their sale. Several complaints about the women are also are allegedly listed on www.ripoffreport.com.
“This has been a disaster for all concerned,” Jones said. “I feel bad for the Ehrmans and am doing everything I can to rectify the situation.”
Documenting the location of the horse and his well being continues to be a challenge. Ehrman said she just wants to know that Midnight Thunder is being fed and cared for in a good environment.
“It’s just so frustrating,” said Ehrman. “We tried to do something good for the horses and we are afraid we might have made them worse.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Victoria Ehrman at vve389@yahoo.com or at (713) 419-1789.
Brad Meyer can be reached at bmeyer@hcnonline.com.
Link for this article http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/05/10/conroe_courier/news/horse050910.txt
No comments:
Post a Comment