Monday, Nov. 11, 2024

Jury Finds Texas Equine Veterinarian Guilty On Animal Cruelty Charge

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A Brazos County, Texas, jury found equine veterinarian and amateur dressage rider Ashlee Watts guilty of animal cruelty related to an incident where she repeatedly used an electric cattle prod on a horse she was treating.

It took jurors less than a hour of deliberation on Wednesday to find Watts, formerly employed by Texas A&M University, guilty, according to Kelly Brown, a spokesperson for the university.

Watts, 47, of College Station, Texas, was indicted on the felony animal cruelty charge in 2021. The 2019 incident involving the cattle prod was recorded in surveillance video, which showed Watts repeatedly shocking a horse named Allie who was recovering from surgery.

But the case is not over just yet. Watts asked for a pre-sentence investigation, District Attorney Jarvis Parsons said, and the judge in the case has scheduled a hearing for Dec. 6, ahead of a formal sentencing.

Allie’s owner, Scott Berry, testified during the trial. He told local media after the verdict he was grateful.

“Just relief I think and hopefully a little bit of closure, and I think some good and some education can come out of this and ethical treatment of animals,” Berry told the KBTX news station Wednesday. “Whether you’re a regular person off the street or a veterinarian, it is important.”

During the trial, several equine medical professionals took the stand as witnesses and experts to determine whether using a cattle prod with an electric shock, also known as a “hotshot,” was a common and ethical practice in veterinary medicine. Some made the case that the hotshot was akin to natural horsemanship or dressage training. Others insisted the practice was inhumane.

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The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners revoked Watts’ license to practice earlier this year after an investigation into the case found evidence of animal cruelty, unnecessary and unauthorized treatment, and dishonest record-keeping in failing to document her use of a hotshot dozens of times over a roughly half-hour period on the mare, who was suspended in a sling but not weight-bearing. Watts told the board she was trying to get the horse—who had been down for roughly a day since undergoing surgery—to stand, as that was crucial for her recovery.

Watts performed surgery on Allie to treat an abscessed infection in her rear hoof. While the horse awoke from anesthesia and initially appeared “bright,” she was still unable to stand the day after her procedure. The horse was moved to a stall with a mechanical lift the next day but was still unable to support her own weight in the sling.

While the mare reacted to the electrical shots, which video indicated were administered to areas of her body including her face, ears, muzzle and tailhead, she was never able to stand independently. At one point in the video, she was lowered back to the ground and left to rest on her side for approximately seven minutes before she was raised in the hoist again, and Watts administered more shocks.

At that point, video from the stall documented Watts “using the hotshot for over half an hour (including an approximately seven-minute break in the middle).” The text continues: “Allie was lowered and left alone to rest. She died in the stall approximately an hour and half later.”

A necropsy revealed that, in addition to the hind-foot infection Watts had treated, the mare was suffering from “severe pneumonia with numerous abscesses in her organs” and “unlikely to have survived even if she had been able to stand following surgery.”

Following the mare’s death, a veterinary technician filed a complaint with the Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and provided the stall video documenting Watts’ hotshot use.

Texas A&M University does not permit the use of cattle prods on horses, said Brown, the university spokesperson. This is the first and only criminal case Texas A&M has had against a faculty member.

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“This case involving a former faculty member has been deeply troubling for clinicians, students, support staff, and leadership, not just at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences but for the public and, particularly, the equine community as well,” said John August, dean of the college of veterinary medicine and biological sciences. “We firmly believe that the incident is not in any way representative of the care we strive to provide to the nearly 27,000 animals that visit our Small and Large Animal Teaching hospitals each year.”

Watts worked as part of the college’s large animal clinical sciences department since 2012. Her teaching and hospital responsibilities ended in October 2021. But Watts was still employed as a researcher through tenure until October 2022.

She’s also an amateur dressage rider who has competed in U.S. Equestrian Federation-sanctioned competitions, including the U.S. Dressage Finals (Kentucky). Watts was able to compete as an amateur rider even after her indictment. A recent update to GR838 in the USEF Rulebook, which takes effect Dec. 1, could prohibit instances like this where Watts was able to still compete while under investigation on an animal cruelty charge.

The rule change expands the scope of USEF’s jurisdiction to include horse abuse that occurs outside of competitions and show grounds. It also clarifies examples of what constitutes abuse and mandates reporting of horse abuse, among other new welfare changes.

A USEF representative said Thursday that Watts has been temporarily suspended, effective today, based on her conviction.

“USEF initiated disciplinary action against Ashlee Watts last year based on administrative proceedings in Texas,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “Following the verdict in the criminal court yesterday, USEF amended the allegations to include the criminal activity and imposed a temporary suspension on her effective today. The hearing committee has jurisdiction over this matter and the case will proceed through the disciplinary process in accordance with USEF procedures. When determining appropriate penalties for horse abuse, the hearing committee is guided by the USEF Horse Welfare and Safety Penalty Guidelines.”

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