Poor horses. Placing pesticide on their food is irresponsible and very dangerous. This stable should be sued for killing these 27 horses. It is awful to think what these 27 horses endured before they died and to see the others dying around them. The owner of the stable is responsible for the safety of the horses and this never should have happened.

He says he followed procedure when he treated the silo containing horse feed and now 27 horses are dead. He did something wrong and now 27 horses are dead. The owners of these horses should seek an attorney and sue the man and his stable for the death of these horses. He is responsible for these beautiful horses deaths.

I have boarded horses in stables all over Houston! Since WHEN do barn owners put pesticide in horse feed?! It's supposed to come out of the bags or closed bins and be rationed out!!!
I personally have never heard of treating feed with any sort of chemical - horses have very delicate systems and any caretaker should KNOW this! Is he an idiot, or what?!

phosphine gas is used to kill the insects in stored grain and with adequate time allowed it will dissipate and the feed is safe to use. this
person made a grave mistake by feeding to soon
and killing the horses, however this does not mean
that the stable owner should be sued.

First - this is a tragic accident that needs to have a full investigation so that it never happens again. The pesticide manufacturer has been at the stables in order to run tests to see why the tablet didn't disperse fully as it is designed to. This has been noted several times in various stories.
Second - Read the story and follow up on the investigation like I did. You would learn that grain weevils are a big problem because if investation occurs, they can cause a horse to reject their grain completely. When a lot of feed is needed, bulk grain buying is preferred over bagged grain as bagged grain can't be easily stored, costs are prohibitive when needing a lot of it, and my favorite - bags/paper bring on heavier investations of both rodents and insects like roaches. Yeah, I think I'd love to know my horse was stabled in a rodent-infested barn.
Third - the owners of the dead horses actually grieved TOGETHER. A story was written about a memorial service that was held to help bring closure to all the owners who suffered a loss. Perhaps those that are writing/posting negatively didn't read the stories closely - the owners you are wanting everyone to sue lost 9 of their own horses!
Fourth - Joe's got it right that a mistake happened but everyone else just thinks suing is the answer. Sometimes, grieving together and learning why something happened is really the best thing. Resorting to name calling and acting like this was done intentially are stupid reactions.

Well said NTK!

Many people do not know how often they are exposed to pesticides. Schools, churches, child-care centers, airports, restaurants, hospitals, parks, children's playgrounds and many other places where we spend time are often sprayed with poisons on a calendar basis.

Texans for Alternatives to Pesticides (TAP) encourages the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to control weeds, insects and other pests. Before applying pesticides, first look for places insects enter and plug the holes so that pests cannot get inside. Then use the least-toxic products to control unwanted insects.

Be sure that the treatment is not worse than the original problem.

Pesticides, toxic chemicals widely used to kill insects, weeds and fungus are a danger to humans, pets and wildlife. Because they are poisons, low levels of pesticide exposure can have adverse effects to neurological, respiratory, immune and endocrine systems. EPA does not allow the word �safe� to be used when referring to a pesticide. It is designed to KILL living organisms. Pesticides should only be used as a last resort.

Twenty-seven horses would be alive if this toxic pesticide was not applied to their food.

For more information about alternatives and the health effects associated with pesticide use go to www.nopesticides.org and www.beyondpesticides.org

Maybe this wasn't an accident? For enough pesticide to kill one horse let alone kill 27 horses, would take alot. This would not be an easy mistake to make. For actual gas to show up in the stomachs, they would have to have eaten some of the powder. Wait till the test results get back before making snap judgements. These people have had this ranch for years and by reputation have taken excellent care of their horses. These owners lost most of their best horses and a couple of stallions they were very attached to. Anger lashing out without proper direction and information does more harm than good.

Maybe someone who didn't like these people did this....there are sick people out there. If this ranch owner had been doing this for years, it is hard to think that he would make such a drastic mistake. I personally can't point my finger, without knowing all the facts. It is a very,very sad thing.

Pardon me, but grieving together does not make it OK after your horse dies a horrific death. My horse died -- I know. If weevils were such a problem in the silo, the owner should have made other arrangements than putting pesticide poisoning in their feed.
The pesticide was used Saturday evening and fed Sunday morning. It needs minimum 48 hours before being fed - that was 12 hours or less. Four horses fell ill right away, 16 more by early afternoon were dead. Their stomachs were bloated from the gas, blood coming out of their nostrils, sweating, trembling, ... -- this poison acts with moisture and overdose will cause lesions of the heart, liver, kidneys, and air passages.
When vets came to help, the owner must never have mentioned that day about the pesticide treatment, because the vets were treating for heat problems that "death trap" day. And I know the owner was not licensed to have or administer this poison. He did apply it, though. CR

In response to CR's comment. Where you there? I was! First, the horses were not bleeding from their noses. If some did it was because of the tubing, not the effect of the phosfume. Yes, it was a horrific death. I have night mares still from it. I lost one of my horses. I was with him to the end and I would not wish this on my worst enemy, but all this talk of sueing is so wrong. The time line of when the phosfume was applied is in dispute. This is because of a disgruntled employee is saying he applied it a day after he said he did. The reports we have received indicate the horse would have had to injest so much more than was applied by the owner. This was not his fault. I understand your hurt and want someone to pay, but your going after the wrong person. You have been given two horses for the one you lost. Be happy with that! I am still looking for a horse for my 12 year old son to replace his he lost. We are not looking for Brad to fix this, but he his going above and beyond to try and find horses for all of use that have lost one. Please move one and stop trying to make trouble.