Veterinarian Recommends Horse’s Death

A Potlatch veterinarian has recommended that Latah County order the destruction of a deformed Appaloosa horse on a Viola farm where more than 30 animals were found dead earlier this year.

Alan Terry Walser is scheduled to stand trial Oct. 25 on three misdemeanor charges for allowing animals to go without care. Each count is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $300 fine.

But Moscow attorney James Siebe said the charges were trumped up by nosy neighbors, an overzealous police officer and animal-rights groups that he contends pressured the Latah County prosecutor into unreasonable action.

“I think it’s clearly a case where certain neighbors have issues with Terry, whether it’s because of his family, his appearance or his request that they not ride horses across his property,” Siebe said Thursday.

“Throw into the mix an overzealous officer such as Steve Jarvis and you run into this hopeless mess where political efficacy overruns common sense.”

Based on a report from one of Walser’s neighbors who alleged several horses on his farm were suffering from hoof diseases and lack of proper care, Potlatch veterinarian Dr. Scott Barnes and Latah County Sheriff’s Deputy Dock White reassessed the condition of the animals recently.

“Barnes told me the Appaloosa pony was suffering from chronic pain,” White wrote in a report to Siebe. “Barnes recommended the horse be euthanized as soon as possible because it was deformed to the point it could not be fixed.”

But Siebe, who described Walser as eccentric but not cruel, said his client actually was showing concern for the Appaloosa, which he feared would be killed and turned into chicken feed because of its deformity. In fact, Siebe said, Walser only recently purchased the horse.

Faced with a demand for the horse’s destruction, Siebe got an opinion from a Lewiston veterinarian that disputed White’s report of Barnes’ findings.

Dr. Nick Egland wrote that the 2-year-old horse had a deformed right hind leg and a hoof in need of trimming. However, “I do not believe this filly is undergoing chronic, debilitating pain, for she does not exhibit any of the signs, such as weight loss, dull hair coat, hair loss or ulcers.”

Based on the new information, Latah County Deputy Prosecutor Doug Whitney said there was no basis for removing more animals from the farm or filing any additional charges.

But Whitney also denied Siebe’s claim that animal-rights organizations were pressuring him to remove animals from Walser’s care.