Cross posting from off topic by request, since most of the horses removed are retired hunters and jumpers. If you or a friend has a horse remaining there with the understanding that specific horse is healthy and well fed, please understand that is likely not the case.
@2bayboys kindly wrote the below unless you own a Haflinger whose owner I have not yet located.
(A brief note. Some of the horses have now been diagnosed with heart murmurs, when previously their hearts were healthy. This is consistent with starvation, as the body tries to consume its own organs to stay alive.)
On February 1, 2023, Kimberly St. John received a call from a veterinarian about her horse Loki. Loki, a 12-year-old off the track Thoroughbred gelding, lived at a retirement farm for horses in Goochland County, Virginia called Byrd’s Retirement Foundation. The farm, owned and operated by Byrd Rareshide, has been operating as a retirement facility for years and was organized as a 501©3 foundation in 2022. Kimberly had sent him there to live a leisurely life after Loki was diagnosed with kissing spines and it was determined he should no longer be ridden.
On February 1, the farm owner called the vet to examine Loki for a facial swelling, not an emergency. But after evaluating the horse, the vet contacted Kimberly with very serious news. Her horse was emaciated, with a body condition score (BCS) of just 1.5. His temperature was low, and so was his heart rate.
Kimberly immediately made arrangements to pick up her horse and was shocked at his physical state. But she was even more shocked that the farm owner, a lifelong, knowledgeable horsewoman who came with multiple recommendations from professionals and who was herself a recognized judge for Virginia Horse Shows Association local hunter shows, would have allowed her horse to fall into such a dangerously unhealthy condition.
After moving Loki to the barn of a trusted professional and friend for rehabilitation, Kimberly took her story to Facebook and warned other horse owners about her horse’s horrible care at Byrd’s Retirement Foundation. And it turns out her horse was not alone.
So far SEVENTEEN horses have been removed by their owners (with help from MANY volunteers in the community) and transported to veterinary clinics and equine rehabilitation centers. Most of these horses had BCS scores lower than three and more than one was suffering from impaction colic due to severe malnutrition and dehydration. They will all require weeks or months of a careful refeeding protocol to bring them back to health, and some may forever have damage to their hearts and other organs due to the effects of starvation.
Some of the other horses being nursed back to health include:
Kallie, a 19-year-old Arabian mare who retired from the show ring after a career as a Western Pleasure star. Kallie’s owner lives out of state and flew in to check on her as soon as she became aware of the situation. Kallie’s BCS was 2 and she is currently recovering from a bowel impaction at the Veterinary Rehabilitation Service of Virginia.
Ruby, a 23-year-old Canadian Sport Horse. Ruby is a chestnut mare whose photo showing her pitifully thin body was shared widely on social media after Loki’s story became known. Somebody finally recognized the mare and notified her owner, and Ruby is now receiving treatment at Woodside Equine Clinic.
The owners of these horses and all the others entrusted their care IN GOOD FAITH to Byrd’s Retirement Foundation. They paid for boarding services every month expecting that their retired partners would receive adequate feed and water to remain in good health for as long as possible. This obviously did not happen.
The owners are working with appropriate authorities to make sure this doesn’t happen to other horses at this facility. But they are faced with a mountain of unexpected veterinary bills and long term rehab.
