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Manager of Bay Area horse riding company charged with animal cruelty

Jennifer Bryant of Chaparral Corporation failed to offer care to a horse that later died, prosecutors say.

A horse named Honey lays on the ground on a a ranch on Weller Road in Milpitas on July 12, 2024. The horse died a few hours later. The ranch is owned by Chaparral’s owners are Shawn Mott and Susan Pennell.
A horse named Honey at a Milpitas ranch on July 12, 2024. She died a few hours later. | Source: Courtesy photo

An employee at a horseback riding company that was the subject of a May 2024 Standard investigation has been charged with animal cruelty, the Santa Clara County district attorney announced Thursday.

Jennifer Bryant, a manager of the Chaparral Corporation — a Bay Area business whose permit to offer horseback riding in Golden Gate Park was revoked after The Standard exposed years of alleged animal abuse at its San Francisco ranch — will be arraigned Monday on a charge of failing to provide proper care and attention to an animal at a ranch in Milpitas.

The animal involved in the criminal charge was a horse named Honey, who died after being found sickly and emaciated during a scorching day in July 2024, according to witnesses and photos shared with The Standard.

Honey was described as “incredibly sweet” and “very affectionate.” | Source: Courtesy photo

“Honey the horse didn’t have to die like this — emaciated and malnourished on a hot day in July,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Proper care in line with a veterinarian’s recommendations could have prevented this outcome, but Honey wasn’t given that chance. All animals deserve a life free of abuse and neglect.”

The charge is a misdemeanor and Bryant could be jailed for up to one year if convicted.

Prosecutors say county animal control officers visited Honey in March 2024 at a ranch in Los Gatos after reports of animal abuse, where they found the horse in a sick state, infested with lice. A veterinarian visited the next day and recommended that Honey be given a special diet of alfalfa hay and receive a follow-up appointment.

The image shows an arch labeled "Bercut Equitation Field" at the entrance to an equine field framed by trees, and a weathered banner for "Chaparral Ranch" in the foreground.
Chaparral Ranch in Golden Gate Park had its permit revoked in May 2024. | Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard

County officials claim Honey was never given a special diet or additional veterinarian care.

Instead, the horse was moved to the company's Milpitas ranch, where she was later found dead.

Sue Pennell, who owns the Chapparral Corporation with Shawn Mott, did not respond to a request for comment.

Shelly Cannon, a South Bay resident and horse owner who had been following Honey's health crisis and confronted Pennell about the horse, said she is glad the company is facing justice. She hopes prosecutors inquire about the conduct of the company's owners.

"I'm just so happy something is getting done," Cannon said.

A senior man in a cowboy hat and blue jacket stands outdoors, looking pensive. In the blurred background, a person rides a horse.
Shawn Mott, one of the owners of the Chaparral Corporation. | Source: Jungho Kim for The Standard

In May 2024, The Standard reported on years of disturbing stories involving the Chaparral Corporation, including a 41-page whistleblower report authored by employees who alleged widespread abuse of the horses at Golden Gate Park.

In addition to being kicked out of the city park, Chaparral Corporation lost its privileges to operate at Yosemite's Camp Mather.

The Standard also discovered that members of the public had warned the city about Chaparral for years, and lawsuits involving Mott stretch back to the early 2000s.