More than three dozen horses have been seized from a Milford equestrian operation and a nearby private residence after Oakland County Animal Control officers served two search warrants this week. The horses came from High Vibe Trail Rides at 2471 Meadowood Lane and from a separate property on West Commerce Road, with veterinary staff now set to evaluate the animals' condition. The seizure caps weeks of public turmoil for the business and its owner, who has run trail rides through Kensington Metropark since 2017.
Multi-Agency Operation Targets Popular Trail-Ride Business
Oakland County Animal Control is the lead agency in the investigation, according to the Detroit Free Press, which first reported the seizure. Officers were assisted by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Milford Police, Huron-Clinton Metroparks Police, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, underscoring the scale of the operation across both commercial and residential sites. The investigation remains ongoing, and the newspaper's report does not indicate that any charges have been filed.
The seized horses are being taken to a Michigan-based horse rescue rather than a county shelter, per the same report. That arrangement tracks with how Oakland County typically handles large livestock seizures — county animal shelter facilities are built primarily for domestic pets and lack the capacity to house equines, according to Oakland County Times, which has covered the county's past reliance on outside rescue partnerships during similar animal seizures.
Owner Built Business Around Trail Rides, Meditation, and Mindset Coaching
High Vibe Trail Rides is owned by a woman identified in the Free Press report only as Lucie, who has been buying, training, and selling horses for 15 years and says she has owned, ridden, and sold thousands of horses around the country. The business offers day and night trail rides for individuals and groups through Kensington Metropark. According to a professional background profile from Humantic AI, the owner's full name is Lucie Ptasznik, a University of Michigan graduate who left a corporate career to build the equestrian business around commercial trail rides, guided meditation, and what she describes as subconscious mindset coaching.
Beyond standard trail rides, High Vibe Trail Rides marketed a wide range of niche offerings, including two-hour guided walk-only rides through Kensington Metropark, nighttime full moon rides, corporate team-building retreats, and cowboy-style campfire cookouts, according to a business directory listing from Explore Brighton Howell Area. Ptasznik describes herself as passionate about horses, meditation, and empowering others through self-love and self-development, per the Free Press report. Riders operating within the park's designated equestrian trail network must display an official registration bridle tag issued by the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, according to guidance from Huron-Clinton Metroparks.
Weeks of Online Backlash Preceded the Seizure
The search warrants followed a period of intense public scrutiny that began in late July, when social media posts from local community members accused the facility of failing to provide clean water, riding malnourished horses, and harboring contagious equine illnesses, according to posts shared in a local Facebook group. Those accusations have not been confirmed by any official finding, and the investigation is still ongoing.
The backlash escalated quickly. On July 30, High Vibe Trail Rides announced on social media that it was canceling a planned open house scheduled for the following day, citing a surge of hostile online messages and violent threats directed at the business.
Potential Legal Exposure Under Michigan's Animal Cruelty Statutes
If prosecutors ultimately pursue charges, Michigan law provides for significant penalties in cases involving large numbers of animals. Under Michigan Penal Code section 750.50, as amended by 2018's Public Act 452, animal neglect or cruelty involving 25 or more animals is classified as a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and up to 500 hours of community service, according to a legal review from Attorneys for Animals. State law defines “adequate care” as the provision of sufficient food, water, shelter, sanitary conditions, exercise, and veterinary attention necessary to maintain an animal in good health, per the Michigan Legislature. Separately, Michigan Penal Code section 750.50b makes knowingly or recklessly torturing, maiming, or disfiguring an animal a felony carrying up to 10 years in prison for first-degree offenses and up to four years for lesser violations, according to the Animal Legal & Historical Center. No charges have been announced against Ptasznik or High Vibe Trail Rides as of this report.
An Equestrian Identity Now Under Strain
The case lands in a community that has built part of its civic identity around horses. Milford Charter Township's 2024–2028 Parks and Recreation Master Plan explicitly supports maintaining Milford as an equestrian-friendly community and expanding non-motorized trail connections between village routes and Kensington Metropark, according to the township's own planning document. That backdrop helps explain why a case involving a well-known local trail-ride business has generated such intense community reaction, both online and now through a formal multi-agency investigation. Veterinary evaluations of the seized horses are expected to shape whatever comes next, with the outcome of the investigation still unresolved.
