No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
NEWBORN FOAL LEFT TO DIE
STEPHANIE REDLICK - NEGLECTED HORSES?
YOU BE THE JUDGE
Originally published February 4, 2025.
Updated February 7, 2025.
JIM HORNE WRITES:
On Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 4:30 pm I was called by my second cousin’s wife, Dianne Beleskey to ask if I could help Stephanie Redlick whose mare had given birth the night before.
Dianne works at a gas station close to a property that Stephanie Redlick leases and Stephanie came into the gas station to get some water for the mare.
Stephanie Redlick told Dianne the foal was born during the night in a small uninsulated barn in Oro-Medonte, Ontario. The outside temperature was minus 18 Celsius. (Minus 26 with the wind chill factor.)
The newborn somehow got hung up over a chain that goes from a gate to a post at the end of the stall and the foal was stuck there until Stephanie - who lives over an hour away in North York - arrived the next day.
JIM HORNE CONTINUES:
Once freed from the gate the foal's back legs were stiff.
I arrived at approximately 6 pm.
When I went into the small barn, which is more of a shed, I saw the mom and her foal.
The stall had about 3 feet of manure in it and the mare was eating hay that was also her bedding.
The baby was uncovered and cold. I immediately got a bottle from Stephanie, fed the foal and asked Stephanie to milk the mother and get more milk to feed the filly.
I covered the foal in blankets and rubbed her.
I squeezed her back legs and was happy to get a response to the pressure.
I lifted her up and she was putting some weight on her back legs but she was not strong enough to keep standing on her own.
I laid her back down and fed her again.
She had a vigorous appetite.
I told Stephanie that the mare and foal needed to go to the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph and that I would arrange for transportation.
Redlick said she couldn’t afford trailering, so I said I would pay for it.
Stephanie’s mother was there as well. I told both of them that they must stay with the baby all night feeding her, keeping her warm and allowing her to sleep between feedings.
I warned them that she would die if they did not do as I asked.
They both agreed to stay all night in their vehicle and care for the foal until I picked her up in the morning.
I received a text from Stephanie around 6:15 am saying she just went back to Toronto (an hour away from the foal) to nap and that I could load her and take her. [MDB writes: That turned out to be a lie.]
I said she had to be present as I didn't want to later be accused of stealing her.
She then said she had to take her dad to the hospital and would not be able to get back to the barn till later.
I asked her when the foal was last fed. She said 7:15 a.m. which didn't make sense as she sent me a text at 6:15 a.m. that she was an hour away napping - and wouldn't be able to come to the property until later in the morning. She didn't get to the barn until after 9 a.m.
I looked after my horses and then headed over to the property Stephanie leases to wait for Stephanie and to feed the foal while I waited.
When I got there I could see the baby half covered with the blankets and she had digging marks all around her, made by the mother trying to get her up.
The foal was dead.
Stephanie did not stay the night and texted Dianne during the night to say she didn’t stay because she was too tired.
When Stephanie arrived, I looked at her and told her the foal was dead.
I asked her if she stayed all night and she swore she did and said she fed her every twenty minutes and rubbed her all night to keep her warm.
That didn't make sense based on what she'd texted Dianne Beleskey.
I am including a screenshot (below) of the message Stephanie sent to Dianne on Sunday evening February 2, stating that she'd left.
Stephanie did not appear upset in any way, she Just wanted to know how to dispose of the body. I told her to call a dead stock company but instead after 2 days of the dead foal lying in the stall with the mother, she dragged it to the woods for coyotes to eat.
I would also like to note that inside the "barn" any water buckets were frozen solid and the outside water troughs were empty.
I am haunted by this situation.
Had I known what I was dealing with I would have stayed.
I’m certain the foal would have lived.
At that point, I vowed that this beautiful foal's death would not be in vain and that I would do anything and everything I could to stop Stephanie Redlick from inflicting such cruelty on any other trusting beautiful soul.
Horses only have us to protect them and now after a week of endless phone calls and police visits I am frustrated that it feels like my complaints and concerns are falling on deaf ears.
FOAL DEATH DUE TO NEGLECT?
AGAIN, YOU BE THE JUDGE
Stephanie Relick sent this text to Dianne Beleskey at 12:03 AM on February 3rd, just after midnight.
Earlier, she had assured Jim Horne that she would stay with the newborn foal throughout the night, ensuring she was fed every twenty minutes and kept warm.
Jim had emphasized that if Stephanie didn’t stay, the foal—who was too weak to stand and unable to nurse from her mother—would not survive.
Despite this, Stephanie appears to have left the barn around 11 PM, possibly even earlier. Again she lives an hour away from where the foal was and she promised to stay the night but she didn't come back till after 9 a.m. the following morning.
As a result, the helpless foal was left alone in the freezing barn. By the time Jim arrived to take the foal to the vet - offering to haul her for Redlick - because she couldn't afford hauling - the foal was dead.
Many people have stayed silent out of fear—because anyone who speaks out about Stephanie Redlick’s behaviour quickly becomes a target.
Her default tactic is to aggressively smear and discredit those who expose the truth. That intimidation has been effective in silencing people and delaying accountability. But when one person is willing to stand firm, it changes everything.
Jim Horne’s willingness to stick his neck out is exactly why we picked up this story. He spoke openly, knowing the personal cost, and refused to back down when others had been pressured into silence. Nor did his neighbour and friend, Crystal Mitchell back down.
Crystal also chose integrity over safety and stood her ground knowing she would be targeted as well. What happened next—and the courage it took to keep going—explains why this story continues, and why it must be told.
You do NOT need a PayPal account to donate through PayPal.
You may make a one time donation or if you prefer set up a monthly donation.
EMAIL for e-transfer or PayPal:
donations@banhorseslaughter.com
If asked for a security answer please use horses
SPEAK UP - IT TAKES LESS THAN A MINUTE
This 2-click "done for you" email sends a clear message to elected officials that Ontarians will not accept a system that allows repeat harm.
It takes less than a minute — and it puts real pressure on decision-makers to close the loophole that allows Redlick to keep accumulating horses - even after 16 were seized, 13 animal welfare charges were laid - and Redlick owes the provincial government over $116,000 for their care.
Pictures and videos on this page are courtesy of Summer Secord, Crystal Mitchell and Celia Carletti.
Press contact: marie@banhorseslaughter.com or phone: 250 801 8231
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN...
JOIN ACTOR KATE DRUMMOND &
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD
