‘I still don’t know where he is’: owner still searching for horse seized from ranch where he was boarded

A Manitoba woman is searching for answers a year after her horse was seized by the province from Barefoot Ranch.

Tamsen Richards officially adopted Chrome in 2022 after meeting him at the Teulon-area rescue, where the formerly abused horse was becoming comfortable, and they developed a special bond.

“I just instantly fell in love. He’s a beautiful dapple grey horse, I absolutely loved him,” said Richards.

But when the ranch was raided by the province last summer, Richard’s horse was one of many scooped up. She says she gave her information to an officer on site in order to get him back, but she never did.

“I don’t know where he is, and it’s very hard… I’m going to cry. It’s very hard. I don’t know where he is. I don’t know what he’s doing. I don’t know if he’s scared. I don’t know if he thinks I abandoned him,” Richard explained.

Richards was eight months pregnant at the time.

“I have some photos that have chrome licking my baby bump a few times. And the last time I had saw him, which was on June 8, he was licking the bump and smelling it and everything and I just always loved that he did that. And I would like him to meet my son.”

But she feels no closer to getting him back than she was a year ago.

“I spent maybe every morning calling the animal care line, the PVO numbers I had, I had emailed so many people,” Richards explained.

The first responses told her to contact the ranch owner, who, Richards says, also had no answers.

Then, in January, the Court of King’s Bench overturned the seizure order, but Richards got an inspection report saying she still wouldn’t get Chrome back.

“It doesn’t reflect me as an owner, I feel. So I don’t understand why I don’t get my horse back still. Did you want me to find a different location or something? Is there anything that was needed for him?”

Then Thursday, she got word from the Minister of Agriculture stating the file was closed.

“Be assured this was made based on the best interest of the animal, that’s my third response of ‘My condolences, mourn your loss, move on,’” said Richards.

In a statement, the province says “On March 25, 2025, a judicial justice of the peace granted an order, restricting ownership to two dogs and six cats, spayed or neutered, and five equines, for a period of three years. The Office of the Provincial Veterinarian – Animal Welfare ( PV-AW) will continue to ensure the owner and Barefoot Ranch remains compliant with the order and The Animal Care Act.”

Adding, “The remaining animals were forfeited to the Crown, and the Office of the PV-AW utilized full discretion to determine the disposition of these animals. After careful consideration and a home inspection was conducted, PV-AW determined the animals would not be released to certain individuals and remained property of the Crown, as various criteria could not be met to satisfy the expectations of PV-AW and the Animal Care Act. Their final disposition was determined in accordance with the applicable legislative and regulatory authorities of the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian, and appropriate placement was pursued to ensure the highest standard of care, with animal welfare as the top priority.”

Richards says, “Which I don’t understand. Being a boarder, does that mean I gave up my ownership rights to my own animal?”

Richards says the province never gave her a warning, and she would have boarded him elsewhere if given a chance.

She’s hoping for the day she’ll get to see her horse again, noting he’d been important for her mental health, and she’s felt it decline since he’s been gone.