MILFORD, Mich. (WXYZ) — Oakland County Animal Control said it seized 38 horses from the High Vibe Trail Rides and the owner's home on Wednesday. The horse riding business is in Milford and is owned by Lucie Ptazsnik.
Ptazsnik, her boyfriend and their lawyer said animal control officers made a big mistake.
Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below:
“I think you will see that this has nothing to do with horses and everything with a personal vendetta to harm Lucie,” Ptazsnik's boyfriend, Jason Roberts, told news media.
Roberts and Ptazsnik said she’s always taken good care of her horses.
“Less than two weeks ago, an independent well-respected veterinarian evaluated every horse on the property, scored virtually every horse with a perfect body score," Roberts said. “Animal control was also out less than a month ago and gave a completely clear report."
Oakland County Animal Control launched an investigation weeks ago. The department said it opened a case after receiving a complaint that the horses were malnourished and being neglected.
In response, Roberts said, “Many of the pictures circulating online are horses that Lucie doesn’t even know. They’re pictures of injuries and wounds that never took place at her property. This is a disgusting witch hunt and it has gone way too far and it needs to stop."
Animal control supervisor Patrick Fanning said witnesses who were willing to be identified helped move the investigation along.
“We had veterinary folks (present) during the execution of the search warrant. So, the horses that were seized, it was based on what they observed during their field evaluation," Fanning said.
Meghan MacDonald, a former employee of High Vibes, said she blew the whistle and that other former employees reached out to her.
“The best thing is that these horses are being taken away from someone that is just using them to make a ton of money and doesn’t care about their well-being," she said.
Roberts said the complaints are from former disgruntle employees. MacDonald said she was fired in July 2024 for complaining about alleged employee misconduct.
“Disgruntled employee or not, animal control seized those horses for a reason,” MacDonald said.
Fanning said exams of the 38 horses started Thursday.
“When our investigation is complete, we will forward our case file to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for a review on any and all possible charges," Fanning said.
7 News Detroit confirmed the horses are at horse rescuer and rehabilitator Horses Haven in Howell.
