Neighbors of a California rancher described hundreds of his mustangs as weak and thin.

Now dozens of the horses are up for adoption here in Indiana. People have already adopted 8 of the horses through Indiana Horse Rescue. Law enforcement officials confiscated five hundred 98 horses from California rancher... Slick Gardner. Gardner was charged with nine felony counts, including animal neglect. Indiana horse rescue is now housing thirty of the horses, thanks to the Santa Barbara Animal Services.

Anthony Caldwell with the Indiana Horse Neglect says, "They were malnourished, there were substantial health issues all of that was resolved by the people in Santa Barbara California."

Kathryn Caldwell with the Indiana Horse Rescue says, "I cannot imagine...I just cannot imagine...why anyone would do that to a horse....why have it in your back yard... why have it on your property if you're not going to care for it. I can't imagine what would go through someone's mind."

The Santa Barbara Director of Animal Services says the horses have been sent all over the country. But they still have 140 of them left. Meantime, Gardner is out of jail on an appeal, facing a one-year sentence.

Source: WISH-TV - Dec 2, 2004

Slick Gardner, in jail for possibly violating terms of his probation, has been evicted from the 1,300-acre Santa Ynez Valley ranch that bears his family's name.

Several residents, including Gardner's girlfriend and child, vacated the ranch by the Tuesday eviction-deadline, said Christel Iwohn of Jelmax, the company that owns the property.

At least four people remain on the ranch, and are helping to care for about 300 horses that remain, Iwohn said. Jelmax is also allowing Santa Barbara County Animal Services to periodically occupy the property to remove horses, she said.

Source: Santa Maria Times - Oct 29, 2004

Buellton rancher Slick Gardner may find out this week if he's going to spend some time in state prison.

A Superior Court judge threw Gardner into county jail last week after ruling he may have violated his probation. Judge Art Garcia scheduled a hearing Friday to formally determine whether Gardner violated his probation by trying to block the removal of horses from his ranch off Highway 246 between Solvang and Buellton. If Gardner is found to be in violation, he could face a maximum of more than three years in state prison.

A probation report released last Friday recommended Gardner spend two years, eight months in prison for the alleged violation.

"The defendant has made a conscious decision to ignore the court's directives and has shown that he is not amenable to probation supervision," Deputy Probation Officer Shawna Coleman wrote in the report.

Until this week's hearing, the 57-year-old rancher is free on $50,000 bail, pending appeal of his conviction for felony animal cruelty and grand theft relating to horses kept on his ranch.

As part of his settlement, Gardner agreed to relinquish about 300 wild horses to qualified adopters. However, he allegedly refused last Wednesday to approve a seizure of about 50 wild horses by Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

Gardner's attorney, Steve Balash, maintains his client does not oppose the removal of the horses but just wants to have a say in their destination.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Mag Nicola said the county would try to remove the horses soon, since winter is approaching. Gardner has provided a list of adopters he would approve, and the county is trying to determine whether the facilities meet their standards.

Santa Barbara County has already spent more than $200,000 on the seizure of horses from Gardner Ranch, and officials are trying to recover those expenses from Gardner through civil proceedings. Gardner Ranch is apparently in foreclosure, Balash said.

Source: The Lompoc Record - Oct 28, 2004

Last month, Gardner pleaded no contest to charges of animal cruelty and fraud. In his agreement with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office, the wild horses were to be removed from his ranch. However, Gardner says his agreement is being violated, because he's supposed to have a say in where the horses go.

Judge Arthur Garcia says because Gardner and Santa Barbara County are disputing over several horses, he has ruled the Dan sisters, whom Gardner owes horses to, can choose any 27 they want.

"That's a disagreement between the judge and my client," says Gardner's attorney, Steve Balash. "The judge doesn't care which horses they take, Slick does."

As part of Gardner's plea agreement, he faces a minimum of one day in jail and a maximum of one year, in addition to $250,000 in fines and restitution fees. So far, more than 200 wild horses have been moved off Gardner's ranch, and there are about 300 left that need homes. If you're interested in adopting any of the horses, contact Santa Barbara County Animal Control.

Source: KSBY

Buellton rancher Slick Gardner pleaded no contest to animal cruelty and grand theft in a deal with prosecutors that requires him to give up the more than 400 wild horses remaining on his ranch.

The horses will be put up for adoption in groups of 20 or 30.

As part of Thursday's plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop 10 additional charges, including animal cruelty and check fraud counts, which could have led to a 10-year prison term. Gardner, 57, now faces up to a year in County Jail when sentenced Oct. 6.

Source: Los Angeles Times - Sept 5, 2004

Buellton rancher Slick Gardner filed for bankruptcy, putting the county's $220,000 civil action against him for horse cruelty on hold.

Gardner said Wednesday that he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to put "a little sanity in what's going on here."

"The Chapter 11 reorganization puts the brakes on all of this stuff," he said.

Last year, county Animal Services officials began a neglect probe against Gardner followed by two of the largest and costliest livestock seizures in its history.

Gardner was billed for the costs of the raids, seizure of the horses and the monitoring by animal services but he hasn't paid anything to the county.

"Clearly a question is, will we ever be able to collect? At this point I don't know the answer to that," County Counsel Michael Youngdahl said.

The bankruptcy filing has now raised concerns about the foals are being born at the Gardner Ranch as well as the 450 wild horses that officials and neighbors already believe are at risk of neglect. Animal Services continues to monitor the health of the horses.

The costs of looking after Gardner's horses last year pushed Animal Services over its $2.7 million budget. It's expected to do the same this year.

Read More:

Buellton rancher Slick Gardner pleaded not guilty Wednesday to three new charges filed against him by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's office.

Gardner, 57, who owns a 2,000 acre ranch off Highway 246 in Buellton, now faces 13 charges, including grand theft animal, animal cruelty, grand theft, writing bad checks and obstructing justice, according to court documents.

He had already pleaded not guilty to multiple felony counts of animal cruelty, writing bad checks and grand theft stemming from his handling and treatment of adopted wild horses. If convicted of all charges, he faces more than 10 years in prison, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Mag Nicola.

The setting of a preliminary hearing scheduled for Wednesday was continued until April 21 by Superior Court Judge Art Garcia.

In the new charges filed this week, the District Attorney's office alleges that Gardner never paid for 246 horses he was supposed to have purchased from Carrie and Mary Dann of Nevada, according to court documents.

He also is charged with grand theft for allegedly failing to repay more than $12,000 he owed to the Western Shoshone Defense Project, Nicola said.

The Western Shoshone Defense Project is a non-profit organization based in Crescent Valley, Nev., that functions as an advocate for the Western Shoshone American Indian tribe -- of which the Danns are members, according to Julie Fischel, an attorney with the group.

The amount was advanced by the group for expenses related to the acquisition of the horses, according Fischel. Gardner allegedly wrote a bad check to repay the group, Fischel said.

A third charge alleges that Gardner wrote more than $12,000 in bad checks to PG&E, according to the court documents.

Attorney Steve Balash, who is representing Gardner, believes the new charges constitute overkill.

"I think it's a bit much," Balash said. "Do they really need to bring every charge in the world against Slick Gardner?"

Balash also noted that he may remove himself from the Gardner case.

"In a case like this, you need an investigator and a veterinarian," Balash said, noting that he is working at a reduced rate.

Gardner Ranch in Buellton was searched twice in September by county animal services, sheriff's and district attorney's investigators. During the search, 167 horses considered neglected or malnourished were seized and sent to several area ranches.

Source: The Lompoc Record

Buellton rancher Slick Gardner pleaded innocent to nine felony counts of animal cruelty, writing bad checks and grand theft stemming from the alleged poor treatment of hundreds of mustangs from Nevada.

Gardner, 57, entered the pleas Feb 11, but reserved the right to a demurrer on a misdemeanor obstruction of justice count because it's unclear "what they said he did," defense attorney Steve Balash said.

Read More: SignOnSanDiego