I shared it.
I should tag people too, so it gets a little more attention. I don’t know any horse peeps in VA or at least that specific area.
I saw it in one horse group, but the thing is, it’s a non-shareable group post (and COTH is also a somewhat private-ish forum). Most horse groups are private, so it’s difficult for things to go super-viral (even with small animal cruelty cases, I usually only hear about them because I follow my local shelters).
Most of those type of posts can be shared by clicking it so you go back to the place it was shared to that group from, and then share it from there.
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Working on it!
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It showed up on my news feed today. I have a lot of friends in the area and mutual friends with the farm owner, though I don’t think she and I ever crossed paths.
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THIS. SO MUCH THIS.
this is the reason why I am not purchasing a second horse right now, only looking into leasing. The same reason I did not send my mare off to a retirement farm (though this place was recommended to me, which makes me shudder), and she is at a show barn, because they care is top notch there, even though she is retired. Owners need to be diligent in checking up on the horses care.
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Not going to post the link because I think it’s against the rules but here is the synopsis I wrote for the fundraising effort:
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 thirteen horses have been removed by their owners (with help from 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.
Please consider donating to help the horse owners with the costs of their care and medical treatment.
All donations will be distributed to the veterinary clinics assisting in these cases:
Woodside Equine Clinic, Ashland, VA
Keswick Equine Clinic, Gordonsville, VA
Veterinary Rehabilitation Service of Virginia, Gordonsville, VA
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Well-written. But can I suggest a minor edit for the non-horsey audience (and maybe some of the horsey audience as well)?
This will likely mean nothing to non-horse-owners, and not all horse owners will understand it either. Yes, it does say emaciated, but I think it may not make the full extent of the situation clear. To clarify, I would add: “(out of a scale of 1-9, with 1 equals emaciated and 9 equals obese).”
Hope the horses all get pulled out of that hell hole, survive this tragedy, and this women NEVER gets another horse in her care ever. While she’s obviously Capable of taking good care of horses as demonstrated by the show horses, anyone who could ever allow horses to starve like this should not be permitted any animals ever again. HOW could anyone SEE this and not be sickened, much less purposely allow it to happen?
If I owned one of the show horses on that property and discovered how the OTHER horses were treated, I’d take my horse out of there as fast as I could!
I’ll stop ranting now, but… 
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Thanks, I’ll add that edit!
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And just wanted to add, @Railbird is the real hero in this story, doing a whole helluva lot both on the scene and behind the scenes to get these horses out of there and hopefully bring some consequences to the responsible party.
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Just throw in multiple horses have been diagnosed with heart murmurs consistent with their bodies digesting their hearts in an effort to stay alive when explaining what a BCS of 1.5 looks like.
So much unsaid and every time I think I’ve found the new most effed up thing about it… boom, in comes something else.
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So how many retirees were boarded there, and now are in need of assistance?
So far seventeen have been removed. Updated this morning.
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Are most of the horses owners from out of (VA) state?
This woman, that farm owner, is a pretty heartless person.
Her comments about Britney Griner’s incarceration in Russia are frankly horrible.
When people show you who they are…
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There’s a lot of hypocrisy in her. She is quite sanctimonious about proper horse turnout at horse shows, berating others who don’t present their horses to her standards.
While literally starving horses in her back yard.
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That disconnect is what I find so weird about the situation.
How can you be so judgemental about how horses can be cared for, while letting more than 17 horses starve to death in your backyard? I would say it doesn’t make sense, except you see the pattern often enough.
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She thinks she’s taking great care of them. She considers seasonal starvation a valid and educated management technique that’s metabolically protective. When I’ve gone to pick up horses she’s visibly concerned where they are going won’t care for them properly with regards to their social needs in the herd, preventing cribbing from starting up again, etc.
I’m not trying to start a witch hunt necessarily but I think all horses need removed from the property and she is also in need of help for some serious illness of some sort.
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She can be very persuasive, she’s a great saleswoman, very passionate and engaged.
I think part of the problem is at some point she starts to believe her own inflated rhetoric.
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That pattern is not unusual. You see it often enough in situations like these. I certainly don’t know why it happens, but I think the problem is compounded by the common rhetoric of “that’s how they did it in the good ol’ days.” People are quick to embrace that belief in situations that may be otherwise difficult or uncomfortable, like when you have a stalwart of the horse community with starving horses in her backyard.
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