2kits staff, I’m surprised to hear this. Even the agricultural states I’ve lived in have basic state laws protecting livestock. There are exemptions/exclusions for hunting, for aspects of livestock husbandry, and so forth. A lot depends upon enforcement and interpretation of the statute.
A lot also depends upon whether the statute covers the infraction as a misdemeanor or felony. Unfortunately, I think misdemeanors are often less vigorously pursued than felonies, but I have no proof of this; and I think most animal abuse is treated legally as misdemeanors, not felonies. (I’d like to see that change, personally, with minor infractions handled as misdemeanors, but with felony animal abuse laws created for serious infractions, in terms of degree and/or number.)
I think someone leaving horses standing in waste, with no food and little water, with protruding bones apparent on their bodies, will be surprised when they try to argue with the jury that these conditions are “normal or accepted practices of animal husbandry.” Especially if the jury gets to see photos of how deep the waste was, photos of deformed hooves, or reports from the assessing veterinarian about the animal’s condition.
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