I have noticed a lot of Saddlebred fans on COTH. This happened last week here in Georgia (specifically this was the North Georgia area: )
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/1-donkey-dead-12-animals-found-starving-in-pickens/ngKKS/
The media has some of the details incorrect so this is what the real information has been on the situation:
A donkey and a horse were found dead. Both had been dead for awhile. There are photos of the horse’s carcass on social media sites.
While some of the horses’ owners boarded their horses with this individual, some of the horses were also owned by the person boarding them. The horse community in the area knows who the owner/barn owner is, but until that detail is shared on the media sites or by the sheriff’s department, I won’t post them here. I use the term “barn owner” to mean barn in the business sense, not property owner.
The woman responsible was BIG in the Saddlebred world in the Southeast United States region including, but not limited to, hosting Saddlebred regional shows, supporting Saddlebred rescue, and training and showing their own horses.
I have seen this particular barn name hop from leased barn to leased barn to leased barn in the area. Almost every time they have moved, they have used the statement that the barn they were leasing had been sold out from under them, and they had to move. Another statement was that the barn had fallen into foreclosure so they had to move.
I see a lot of people attacking the full board owners wondering why they let their horses get this way. One woman was paying $700/month for full board for her horse while she was away at school. Again, keep in mind that the barn owner/barn in the middle of this debacle were very good at getting people to believe them. After all, who would think a barn that supported Saddlebred rescue would ever do THIS? The woman who paid full board’s horse? That’s the carcass in the photos shown on social media sites. I would venture to guess that many of the full board owners relied on what the owners said and believed their horses were getting great care and more than likely were also out of state.
Some people have asked why the owners of the removed horses weren’t contacted. I know that three of the horses removed from the property were owned by the barn owner.
This is more than disgusting.
Since the horses have been seized, individuals in the area have come forward with information about the various horses including photos of them a few years ago being shown. At least one of the horses was a National Champion.
This is just another warning of how people can seem to be wonderful and then capable of this.
Here is a Facebook link to some GRAPHIC photos:
https://www.facebook.com/chipa.wolfe/posts/771612996224263
I know at least two rescues are housing/rehabilitating the horses:
Save The Horses - Cumming, GA
Sunkissed Acres - Summerville, GA
