This page contains a summary along with some exchanges between myself and Charity Neatherlin via her husband's cell phone as well as some duplicates of information contained elsewhere on this site. I have left it intact for continuity but have color coded it for ease of reading.
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I entrusted this pony to Neatherlin Horse "Rescue" early in December because they said they had a good placement for him with a friend (Kevin) and I was accepting another horse from Neatherlin. I made it clear that I wanted contact information for Ruby Beau's placement and that I wanted to be kept informed regarding his condition and location. I was pleased with the initial placement and stayed in contact with the original adopter, Kevin.
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I entrusted this pony to Neatherlin Horse "Rescue" early in December because they said they had a good placement for him with a friend (Kevin) and I was accepting another horse from Neatherlin. I made it clear that I wanted contact information for Ruby Beau's placement and that I wanted to be kept informed regarding his condition and location. I was pleased with the initial placement and stayed in contact with the original adopter, Kevin.
On February 8, 2015 Charity Neatherlin informed my farrier, Rick Benningfield, that Kevin was having some problems. She also told him that Kevin was a felon and was being charged with animal abuse. (NOTE: I have since clarified this. Kevin spent 3 years in prison in the 1980s for possession of stolen property and has had no problems since. He is not currently charged with felony animal abuse as Charity led Rick to believe. SB 3/27/15)
I texted Charity and told her:
Me: If Kevin's horses are in a situation where they're going to be seized, I want Ruby Beau back. 8:27 PM
Neatherlin Ranch: I've had him with us for about 1 month 8:37 PM
Me: How and why did that happen? 9:42 PM
Neatherlin Ranch: he did not work for him so we got him back so he is in good hands and happy 9:44 PM
Me: what was the problem? 9:50 PM
Neatherlin Ranch: he can't ride and to small he also tried to sell him to a lot of people to 9:55 PM
Me: I am sorry to hear that. I had checked with him a couple of times, and he told me he was very happy with him.Have you had many people interested in him? 9:59 PM
Neatherlin Ranch: no we are going to keep him the vet said he is 5 and he now has his shots and cogens 10:01 PM
Me: oh good! ok...have you ridden him? 10:03 PM
Neatherlin Ranch: all the time he is such a good horse 10:04 PM
Me: good! I'm glad you like him. Please send me some photos :) 10:07 PM
Neatherlin Ranch: ok 10:08 PM
Charity Neatherlin never followed through by sending current pictures; even though, I reminded her every few days throughout the month of February. During this time, she sent photos of a horse with an injured foot to Rick and could have sent photos of Ruby Beau to me or to him to set my mind at ease, but she did not.
On February 24, 2015 I sent Charity Neatherlin the following message via Facebook:
Tuesday 5:50pm
I am having difficulty understanding why you apparently believe that it's appropriate to ignore my request for current pictures of the horse that I entrusted you with. Here's a timeline of what has occurred between you and me since I met you.
I contacted you because I was concerned about a horse (Gitta) that you had picked up that I was also interested in. This 30-year-old mare was advertised as free to a good home on rescueme . org, and you actively sought her out and took her into your rescue.
After talking with you and visiting your establishment I decided to give you my support. I created a website for you, raised funds for you, donated a little bit of money to you, bought hay for you and feed. I also gave you some hay that I had on hand along with a saddle, a new saddle blanket and some personal items including a jacket. I also bought you and your husband dinner when your truck broke down and you were stuck with no money overnight.
I introduced you to Rick Benningfield who has donated more than $2000 worth of cash and equipment to you and provided a good placement for one of your horses (Major).
I provided a good placement for one of your horses (Apache).
I entrusted you with my horse (Ruby Beau) because you said you had a good placement for him. It has turned out that that placement was with a felon who is now apparently charged with animal abuse. You also placed Gitta with this person. What has become of her?
You have told me that you have had Ruby Beau at your establishment for over a month and plan to keep him, but you ignore my requests for documentation of this. If you do indeed have Ruby Beau with you and you like him and plan to keep him as you say you do, that is fine with me. You should have no problem providing me with current pictures of him so that I can see that you do have him and that he is in good condition.
I have also told you that I'm willing to sponsor him with you at least partially to be sure that he is maintained in good condition and being fed properly. I know that you sometimes have problems getting hay and feed, and I'm willing to help with that.
Furthermore, I have offered to continue helping you with fundraising for a horse that is reportedly in dire need of veterinary care. I have asked you to send me pictures of that horse and give me some back story so that I can set up a campaign, and you have not done so. Has funding for these needs come from some other source? If not, please get the information to me so that I can start trying to raise money to help this horse.
I am worried about Ruby Beau, and I want to see that he's being well cared for. If you are the professional that you claim you want to be, you will comply by sending me current, date stamped photographs of him to set my mind at ease.
Please understand that my endorsement of you and my support of you is worth something. I have a good online reputation, and I do not associate myself with businesses, products and causes lightly. People who follow my articles and know me on social media trust my judgment and my advice. Whether I recommend or do not recommend a business, service or product is meaningful and has an effect.
I'm asking you again (for the 5th or 6th time) please send me current, date stamped pictures of Ruby Beau showing that he is indeed at your establishment and that he is in good condition. If he does not look to be in good condition to me, I am willing to help with his care and feeding conditional on regular updates.
I look forward to hearing from you within the next couple of days!
Suzanne
To which she replied:
Tuesday 10:29pm
I will get them to you soon
That was on February 24, 2015. Several days passed, and I heard from Rick that Charity had called him and told him that her truck was about to be repossessed and that she indicated that she wanted to "get rid of" Ruby Beau. I sent her the following message via Facebook:
February 27, 2015, Friday 4:16pm
Do you have feed and hay?
Saturday 12:15pm
no out
Saturday 2:17pm
I am having a round bale delivered. It should be there shortly.
I am doing this because I don't want Ruby Beau to go hungry. Please send me a current photo of him.
I received no response to this communication. When I spoke with the owner of the local feed store, Clint at The Ranch, I explained the situation to him. He told me a number of interesting things about the Neatherlins including that they had ordered $400 worth of specialized equipment through him and then left him holding the bag for the cost. He also told me that Kevin was a good customer and that he had indeed been to prison in the past but that he took care of his animals and in the opinion of this local business owner he was an upstanding citizen. I asked the owner of the feed store to look for Ruby Beau when he delivered the hay and he promised to do so.
After speaking with Clint, I decided to call Kevin and see what his side of the story was. He said that the Neatherlins had picked Ruby Beau up from him in mid-January saying that they were going to take him directly to a "forever home" with kids who would use him as a play-day horse. Kevin said that he knew the person who was supposed to have received Ruby Beau and would get contact information to me.
I sent Charity Neatherlin the following message via Facebook:
I need to know where and how Ruby Beau is. Please supply me with contact information for the person who now has him. Thank you.
I received no response.
On March 1, I received an email from the sister of the owner of the feed store who had delivered the hay. Here is what it said:
This is Karen, Clint delivered the hay. Your horse was not there. He looked the place over and did not see it.
That same day Rick called me saying that Charity had called him to tell him that Ruby Beau was in a "good placement”. Rick told me that Charity cautioned him that her phone was going to run out of minutes and that it did run out of minutes while he was talking with her. She was also concerned that her truck was being repossessed and she wanted to go out and get two more horses to add to her "rescue" even though she had just told me that they were out of feed.
In the course of this conversation, she gave my farrier her husband's cell phone number. I sent the following texts to that phone number:
3/1/15
Me: I need to know how and where Ruby Beau is. Please text me the contact information for the person who now has him. Thank you.
Neatherlin Ranch: Who is this who are you looking for
Me: This is Suzanne. Rick supplied this number as Biily's number.
3/2/15
Me: Again: I need to know where and how Ruby Beau is. Please supply me with contact information for the person who now has him. Thank you.
Me: Beau was never a "rescue". I entrusted him to U because U said you had a good placement. I told you I wanted to be kept informed of his condition and wanted contact info for his placement. Charity has lied to me about his whereabouts for over a month. Provide me with this information, or I am going to assume you have sent him to slaughter. You're welcome for the round bale BTW. 3:35 PM
Neatherlin Ranch: You need to talk to Kevin not me because he came to us from him as a rescue and now he is in a very good home and you calling. And bulging them won't work so as soon as I get pictures I will sins them to you 3:54 PM
Me: I have contacted Kevin also. Please comply with my request. The longer you delay and the more excuses you make, the more suspicious I become. Send me the contact info for his placement. I have no intention of "bugging" them. I simply want to verify his whereabouts and condition and offer assistance if needed.
There was no response.
Today, March 4th, I received a call from Kevin. He said that he had been in touch with the woman (Jennifer) who was supposed to have Ruby Beau. She told him that Charity Neatherlin had never delivered Ruby Beau to her. He told me that he went to the Neatherlins home to find out what had happened, but the Neatherlins were not at home and Ruby Beau was not on the premises. He inquired of the neighbors who told him that the horse that he was describing had been on the premises until mid February and then had been loaded up and taken away.
Ruby Beau could be anywhere now. He is a challenging little spitfire, and with his blind eye placing/selling him may have been difficult. If he has indeed made his way to a good placement, I would like to know it simply to know where he is and how he is and offer my assistance if it is ever needed. If anyone has seen him in a feedlot or on a slaughter truck or anywhere else, I would surely like to know.
Anyone with information regarding Ruby Beau's whereabouts please email me care of:
[email protected]
With the subject line "Where is Ruby Beau?"