<b>By SARA DRYDEN<br>
Indiana Correspondent</b> </p><p>

OWENSVILLE, Ind. — Richard Stallings, 66, was sentenced last week for 50 misdemeanor counts for neglecting more than 100 horses on his property at W. 800 South Road in Gibson County.<br>
Gibson County Superior Court Judge Earl G. Penrod accepted the plea agreement of guilty. Stallings faces one year of probation with four of those months in home detention. He can have no contact with animals during the probation. He was also fined $1 per count of abuse.<br>
Stallings’ attorney was not available for comment.<br>
“This is a very fair and just sentence, only because it is what the law allows,” said Kathryn Caldwell, office manager and wife of the president of Indiana Horse Rescue (IHR). Caldwell’s group plans to meet with humane societies and rescue organizations in order to work with the state legislature to amend animal welfare and abuse laws.<br>
“We want to see stiffer penalties and better definitions,” she said. “Animal owners should have to provide more than food and water. They should also provide medical care and shelter.”<br>
Since the final seizure of Stallings’ horses in June 2007, the IHR has been able to purchase the 80-plus-acre farm where the horses were kept. The organization has turned the six-barn property into a home for rescued horses.<br>
Several of Stallings’ horses either died or were euthanised. Horses were living in manure packed four feet high, with broken stalls, according to Caldwell and the IHR’s website. Dead mice and live tadpoles were found in drinking water. Many of the animals were starved and suffered severe parasitic infections.<br>
Under the care of IHR workers, she said many of the horses have rebounded.<br>
Stallings was breeding high-quality Quarter and Standardbred horses. The recovered horses are ready for adoption.<br>
Because of the severe conditions of the barns, the IHR has worked to clean the structures, replace or build paneling for stalls and improve all living conditions.<br>
The IHR is looking for volunteers to help repair and build the Indiana Horse Rescue Southwest. It is seeking donations. To contact the IHR, call 812-729-7697 or visit www.indianahorserescue.com