Local 4
The breakdown
•
Oakland County Animal Control seized 38 horses from High Vibe Trail Rides in August 2026, but were returned when prosecutors declined to pursue charges
•
Stable owner Lucille Ptasznik flatly denies the accusations of animal neglect and abuse, claiming that the seizure was based on “false statements and material omissions”
•
The lawsuit filed Thursday seeks damages for losses incurred as a result of the 21-day seizure, including lost contracts with FanDuel, Barefoot and Free Festival, and Oakland County Parks and Recreation.
The owner of a Milford trail riding business is suing Oakland County, two animal control officers and a local equine rescue after over three dozen of her horses were seized over neglect allegations, and then returned weeks later.
The civil rights complaint, filed on behalf of High Vibe Trail Rides, LLC and its owner, Lucille Ptasznik, claims that Oakland County Animal Control unlawfully seized 38 horses from the property on Aug. 12, despite earlier inspections finding the animals to be generally healthy.
High Vibe Trail Rides is a horseback riding stable and trail guide located on Meadowood Lane and N Garner Road in Milford. (WDIV)What the lawsuit claims
The lawsuit filed in Oakland County Circuit Court on Wednesday alleges that the seizure of the horses was based on “false statements and material omissions, by an officer’s warrantless entry onto the property where their horses were kept.”
Attorneys for Ptasznik say that prior to any search warrants being issued, an animal control officer told her ex-boyfriend that the county was “going to take the horses from Lucie.” The lawsuit also claims that the officer admitted to entering the property without permission, and then texted her ex-boyfriend and told him to “stay quiet ‘or its my job.’”
Further, Ptasznik alleges that a county animal control officer found the horses to be in “good shape” with “access to hay, water and shelter” on July 16 — less than a month before the animals were seized.
Court documents also show that on July 30, a licensed equine veterinarian “walked every pasture” and determined that 35 of the 37 horses owned by Ptasznik were within a normal weight range. The other two already had established treatment plans with the vet, the suit said, and one horse that was seized belonged to a private owner.
Yet Ptasznik’s attorneys say those findings weren’t included in the warrant affidavits.
High Vibe Trail Rides (WDIV)What prompted the search warrants?
The animal control investigation began in July 2026, after the agency received several complaints from former employees and others regarding the alleged neglect and inadequate care of the horses at High Vibe Trails.
Multiple former employees reported seeing evidence of neglect and abuse at High Tribe, alleging that many horses were underweight, failed to receive veterinary care when sick or injured, and regularly had empty water troughs and unsafe pastures “full of mud manure and broken fencing/hay feeders.”
One ex-employee also claimed to witness Ptasznik kicking horses “multiple times.”
Animal control officers say they secured two search warrants for the property after a “weeks-long” investigation into the animal cruelty allegations that involved speaking witnesses and consulting with a local equine expert — Kristine Dvonch, owner of the nonprofit Horses’ Haven in Milford
However, according to the lawsuit, officers never asked High Tribe directly about the health status of the horses or asked for veterinary records prior to the warrants being served.
The complaint also claims that Dvonch’s expert testimony was tainted by her conflict of interest in the case, alleging that when she took custody of the horses after they were seized, she used them to raise funds for Horses’ Haven.
Horses returned, prosecutor’s decline charges
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Sept. 1 that it would not pursue charges against High Vibe Trails or its owner, and declined the forfeiture of the animals.
As a result, 36 of the 37 horses owned by High Vibe were returned to the property. One of the horses, a 14-year-old gelding named Knox, was euthanized while in the agency’s custody.
Knox was euthanized without Ptasznik’s knowledge, and according to the complaint, “neither the county nor Horses’ Haven have explained his illness or who decided to euthanize him, or produced his necropsy report.”
The lawsuit is seeking a jury trial and damages on multiple counts for losses incurred as a result of the 21-day seizure — including lost contracts with FanDuel, Barefoot and Free Festival, and Oakland County Parks and Recreation.
You can read the full complaint here.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.