Animals’ Angels investigators returned to the Presidio export pens in Texas, which remains the busiest border crossing for horses shipped to slaughter in Mexico. Upon arrival at the small desert town, they immediately saw the tractor trailer and a single deck trailer of the Stanley Brothers parked in front of the hotel. The trailer was empty, indicating that it had most likely dropped off a load of horses at the pens the night before. There were approximately 60 horses inside the pen area. Several of them were in poor condition, with overgrown hooves and ribs clearly showing. A few horses – most likely those that had just been dropped off the night before - appeared to be very tired and continued to lay down inside the crowded pen.
The pen contained many different breeds. There were large Belgium drafts still wearing their halters, thin, nervous Standardbreds and a lot of Quarter horses. Most heartbreakingly, investigators spotted a very young horse, barely six months of age, among the others. At approximately 9am, a pen worker arrived and scattered a small amount of hay along one side of the pen. The pen quickly became agitated as the hungry horses quickly attacked the food and the more dominant horses tried to keep the others away. Several horses got kicked and bitten in the process, which could have easily been avoided if the worker had taken the time to spread the hay out.
Investigators continued to monitor the pen all day, but there was no more activity. When they returned the next morning, they passed the tractor trailer of Circle C, an AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder from Henrietta, TX. His single deck trailer was empty, and he was apparently in a big rush to return home as the truck drove extremely fast, often exceeding 85 mph. Circle C is known to have ties to the O’Dwyer’s; they are currently the largest shipper of slaughter horses in the country. It is unclear if the truck delivered some of their horses to the pens or some of Circle C’s own, unwanted animals.
Investigators again monitored the pens all day, but there was no activity. However, the encounter with two delivery trucks in two days confirms that the pen continues to be active, and warrants being monitored.