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Posted by: kwflatbed



Kristi Taylor, with Whini, a pony assigned to her by a nonprofit organization that matches ponies with kids who have special needs.

By Lisa Sweetingham
Court TV

A California mother is suing a national charity to get her daughter's pony back.
Barbara Taylor claims her autistic daughter's condition has worsened since the organization took the pony away a year ago and refuses to return it.
"It's been a nightmare," Taylor said. "This pony was supposed to have been a lifetime companion."
Whini, a 5-year-old Shetland mare, was presented to Kristi Taylor on Aug. 17, 2002, by Personal Ponies, a volunteer organization that places ponies with special-needs children. Kristi was the first California recipient. She was featured with Whini in local newspapers and in a charity cookbook.
Before receiving Whini, Kristi was a recluse.

"She rarely spoke to anyone other than her mother. She was homeschooled, was frequently sick, and had a poor immune system," Taylor's suit states. "After she received and began taking care of Whini, Kristi blossomed, gained increased confidence, began to laugh and speak in public. Having and caring for Whini changed her life."
According to the suit, on July 21, 2005, Personal Ponies California state director Annie Norvelle picked Whini up for what the Taylors thought would be a short separation, for breeding purposes. Whini was never returned.
Personal Ponies claims Taylor gave the horse up willingly. Taylor claims Norvelle has a personal vendetta against her.
Taylor says she has been given the runaround, first being told they could have Whini back, then being told she signed a document relinquishing Whini.
"There's just no such document," Taylor told CourtTVnews.com. "I would have never given them Whini, not in a heartbeat."
When no document could be procured, the charity's attorneys indicated Taylor gave oral confirmation of her wishes.
Taylor filed a preliminary injunction against Personal Ponies on Oct. 27, requesting Whini's return while they fight it out in court, but things are at a standstill.
"Personal Ponies feels confident that once all the evidence is in, the allegations regarding the pony being improperly removed and the claims of a lack of knowledge will be proven to be not believable," Andrew Seiden, a lawyer for Personal Ponies, told CourtTVnews.com.
Meanwhile, Kristi's counselor says her condition is deteriorating.
"There is no doubt that her loss continues to cause her serious stress," clinical social worker Conrad Gonzalez wrote in a letter on Kristi's behalf. "If she does not get her pony back I believe it will cause her irreparable damage to her functioning. She has been depressed and has been isolating herself and crying daily."
Taylor says Kristi is 22, but functions socially and emotionally at the level of a 10-year-old. She is fixated on the return of her pony, unwilling at times to get out of bed unless coerced, according to her mother. Other times she screams and flails, bashing her head into the walls and floor, asking when her pony is coming back.
"On one occasion, Kristi suffered such a severe meltdown that I was forced to call the paramedics and take her to emergency for her own safety and others," Taylor said.
Personal Ponies has offered Kristi a pair of ponies to replace Whini. But Kristi has likened the offer to asking a parent to take another child.
"She referenced to me in one of our sessions if 'I could trade my daughter for another child,'" Dr. Gonzalez wrote. "A substitute would not alleviate her emotional pain, stress and depression."
Personal Ponies, a nonprofit, volunteer organization, was founded in 1986 in New York by Executive Director Marianne Alexander. Recipients of a pony agree to provide for its boarding, maintenance, food and veterinary care. Mares like Whini are subject to breeding agreements.
Whini was boarded at a stable in Orangevale called United Cerebral Palsy/Saddle Pals Therapeutic Center.

Whini, a 5-year-old mare, was taken from the Taylors for breeding.

"Kristi was out there all the time because it was so close to our home, and they also used Whini for other kids who needed a small therapy horse. Whini filled that gap for them," Taylor said. "All her care and maintenance was at no charge to us. It was a win-win situation for everyone."
Kristi would "hang out" with Whini, walking her like a dog around the stable, grooming her and tying bows to her mane.
Taylor says when Norvelle called her in spring 2005 about breeding Whini, she was hesitant.
"When Kristi first got Whini, she was pregnant, and it was an extremely traumatic foaling. She nearly died and the foal was stillborn," Taylor says.
A veterinarian, whose visit Taylor arranged and paid for, examined and approved Whini for breeding, but suggested waiting to allow her to carry during a cooler season. Taylor claims Norvelle rejected the idea, picked up Whini in July from Saddle Pals, and then refused to return her.
Norvelle did not return calls for comment.
When reached by phone, Executive Director Alexander declined to discuss the case. "I just find there's really nothing to say," Alexander said. "I shake my head in disbelief."
"There is a lot of distrust and animosity. Each of them calling the other a liar," Taylor's attorney David Price told CourtTVnews.com. "My view is: I don't care who's right or who's wrong. What does it take to get the horse back?"
In March or April of 2005, according to attorney Seiden, Whini was placed with a 5-year-old child in Illinois who suffers from extreme emotional distress due to abuse. The charity is determined to keep Whini put, Seiden says, so as not to disrupt the relationship with the new child.
An injunction hearing is set for December in Sacramento.
Kristi still asks for the pony she has not seen in more than a year.
"She fully comprehends and asserts that Whini is her pony and no other pony can replace her," Barbara Taylor wrote in court documents. "It breaks my heart when she repeatedly asks how long before Whini comes home again. And I can only respond and assure her that we're trying as hard as we can."

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Posted by: SOT

I am a cold hearted SOB but this story made me want to cry...then hunt down the idiot that took the pony and making them pay.

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Posted by: Andy0921

Quote:

Originally Posted by SOT_II I am a cold hearted SOB but this story made me want to cry...then hunt down the idiot that took the pony and making them pay.

If it didn't your a dick.

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