Horse May Not Have Suffered in Alleged Sexual Assault: Equine Expert

Though the emotional well-being of a horse by a Shelton man remains a major concern for the animal's owner and advocates, the mare herself may have experienced something similar to a routine medical procedure and no more, according to one expert.

Horses — even those not mated — typically can adjust to invasive medical procedures, according to Dr. Sue McDonnell, an animal behaviorist specializing in horses at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

“It’s certainly weird that someone who isn’t a vet or breeder would do that, but from a horse’s perspective it’s the same thing we do to examine ovaries to see if they’re ready to breed,” McDonnell said.

The comments come as Shelton residents grapple with the details of an unusual case that emerged in October, when 63-year-old Marian Wegiel was arrested after police found him in neighbor Joan Flannery's corral. Flannery had contacted police saying that she discovered Wegiel there and that he appeared to have been touching a horse in a sexual manner that caused pain. Wegiel reportedly told police that he was trying to comfort the horses and may have inadvertently put his fingers inside one of them.

Wegiel is scheduled to appear May 5 in state Superior Court in Derby. His lawyer, Ralph Crozier, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Flannery could not immediately be reached for comment.

Nancy Rice, a member of Friends of Animals, a Darien-based nonprofit organization, has said that the sexual assault of an animal should be handled as a rape case.

“Just because Indiana is an animal, does she suffer less?" Rice told Patch. "I don’t know. No one can say for sure because Indiana does not speak our language. But I know how I would feel, and we know that the horse was in pain. Its owner said she was crying out, so that tells you something right away.”

According to Rice, data collection on such incidents is scarce, as they're underreported and even more severely not discussed.

“People are very uncomfortable talking about this. It happens to dogs, babies, young women, old women – it is a big topic, not something to be taken lightly, and a good topic for discussion,” she said.

McDonnell said she couldn't comment extensively on the emotional effects such an incident has on horses. However, in her 30 years of working with horses, McDonnell said, “It just doesn’t quite make sense to me that the horse would be in distress unless the person who did this to it was so rough that it caused physical damage.”

And in the case of physical damage, "the horse could get really sick or even die. If it didn't die, it probably wasn't injured," she said.

Yet Flannery, who lives on the same street as Wegiel, has told Patch that the incident continues to haunt.

"If he denies guilt, which he's been doing, he'll get extended rehab and won't go to jail," she said.

Wegiel was charged with cruelty to animals, fourth-degree sexual assault, third-degree criminal trespassing and second-degree breach of peace. Crozier has told Patch that his client was cleared in a recent psychiatric evaluation.