SAN FERNAND0 : Dispute Over Pony Treatment Moves to Court

Untrimmed hoofs were the issue in the beginning.

But after animal cruelty charges were filed, 11 ponies and horses impounded, and a $750,000 lawsuit lodged in San Fernando Superior Court, the dispute between Linda Menary, owner of a Reseda pony ride, and Sandra Jolene Venables, owner of a Chatsworth horse rescue, turned into something a bit more personal, Venables said.

“Menary has tried and tested my temper ever since this started,” said Venables, 36, a former manicurist, bounty hunter and bail bondswoman who runs Jolene’s Horse Rescue, a charity organization that saves horses from neglect and slaughter.

Menary did not return several calls this week seeking information about a $750,000 law suit filed in June that names Venables and the city of Los Angeles as defendants.

Today, Venables is in court representing herself before a judge in San Fernando Municipal Court, who will decide whether Venables must respond to requests from Menary’s lawyer for information including details about any past criminal record Venables may have.

The imbroglio began in early March when Venables received a tip that several horses and ponies owned by Menary were living under cruel conditions, with unsanitary feeding areas, and in bad need of hoof trimming.

Venables said she checked out the story and was “shocked” at the condition of the horses she found on property owned by Menary in the 22100 block of Chatsworth Street in Chatsworth, several miles northwest of the pony ride and children’s petting zoo known as The Farm.

She took pictures of the animals and called the West Valley Animal Care and Control Center, which impounded 11 of the animals and charged Menary with animal cruelty.

In June, Menary sued Venables and two animal control officers employed by the city, seeking compensatory damages stemming from the charges.

Menary’s lawyer, Harold Kippen, said his client was improperly arrested, adding that it is unusual for animal control officers to arrest, book and fingerprint those accused of offenses.

“These animal reg people, they act like cowboys,” Kippen said Tuesday. “The fact that they actually booked and fingerprinted her is sort of unusual. My client is suing the city and Venables for the hardship this whole matter has caused her. Her horses were impounded for 30 days; she had to hire a lawyer. And it’s odd the city never pressed criminal charges against her.”

Lt. Timothy Goffa, one of two animal control officers named in the suit, declined comment, referring questions to Deputy City Atty. George Lowery.

“Our answer to the complaint is to deny every allegation, and contend the plaintiff’s injuries are her own fault,” Lowery said Tuesday. “The animal regulation officers were duly qualified and acted in good faith, and had probable cause to arrest or detain the plaintiff.”

The court proceeding today will determine whether Venables must respond to Kippen’s request for information about her background.

Venables said she has never been convicted of a felony, and believes such questions are an invasion of her privacy.

She said she has spent about $2,500 in legal costs stemming from the dispute, devastating the budget for her nonprofit horse rescue operation, and vowed to defend herself in all court proceedings.