John Carlson, d/b/a/ Triple Crown Ranch, is a large scale kill buyer who is shipping horses to Presidio, TX several times a month. His horses ship to the EU approved Inter Meats plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The plant pays Carlson 0. 49 cents/lb. Public documents show that many of the horses shipped by Triple Crown Ranch are rejected by Mexican authorities for sicknesses and injuries.
Carlson also runs the bi-monthly horse sale in Sulphur, OK which ensures a steady supply of horses for his shipments.
Triple Crown Ranch uses the pen area of the small Lincoln County Livestock Auction in Meeker, OK as a collecting station for their slaughter horses. When investigators arrived at the collecting station they noted approx. 80-100 horses in the outdoor pens adjacent to the auction. The individual pens had hay and water buckets, but none of the pens offered any shelter for the horses. The entire pen area was surrounded by high manure piles, blocking the view to some of the pens.
Several of the horses observed were very thin and their ribs were clearly showing. Some had auction and/or slaughter tags attached to them. One horse appeared to be dead; it was lying flat on the ground showing absolutely no movement during the time of observation. One of the pens was very crowded, with horses of all sizes and genders. A small foal was lying beneath its mother among the other horses.
A few smaller trucks and stock trailers were parked in front of the pen area. There was no activity at the auction, likely due to the fact that it was the 4th of July. AA will continue to monitor this kill buyer.