A Paso rescue local to me was only found to be starving horses when a storm tore out massive trees and made the horrors visible. Even then they didn’t grasp that their rescues were starving.
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I appreciate the insight.
I guess I should realize by now that humans will see what they want to see.
Glad these TBs are on their way once again being healthy and in proper condition.
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I was (and continue to be) horrified at the state of these horses. I have also been pretty involved with local rescue (small animal and horse) and there are a lot of folks that certainly do fit the profile of “well-meaning animal lovers that get in over their heads.” We’ve also had at least one publicized local “rescue” that was fantastic at working the system and the local media and proved to be a grifting crook. I hope that all of these horses are finally getting the help they need to thrive going forward. They are certainly currently in a great place.
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I saw the update on a 2 year old filly and just - wow. How can people be so horrific? I just lost one of my older retirees to acute colic so I have an open stall…. I’ll be following their progress toward adoption!!!
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TDN also did a story in today’s paper: https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/war-envoy-story-highlights-the-vulnerability-of-ex-breeding-stock/
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From TDN article above:
The Kentucky Humane Society has received several offers to adopt War Envoy, including from Mick Ruis, who raced the colt and stood him as a stallion. Ruis had also offered to adopt back another of the horses rescued from the farm-a 3-year-old filly he bred called Specific Vow.
According to Ruis, he kept War Envoy at his Wen-Mick farm in Kentucky when his career as a stallion was over. Ruis put the farm up for sale and was going to take War Envoy to his property in Montana.
According to Ruis, an employee at the farm said a brother of a groom who worked for Jose DeLima wanted War Envoy for breeding purposes…“We thought he was at a good home when we gave him away,” said Ruis.
Paulick report:
Owner/trainer Mick Ruis said he has learned a lesson about keeping track of rehomed horses from this experience, which included his former stallion War Envoy and homebred Specific Vow.
“What we can learn from this is that when we do send the horses to someone, we need them to agree to send updates on what these horses are like,” he said. “What are you doing with them? Have they gone anywhere? If we are going to give them away to a good home, that way we can monitor them. If we had that tool, before he started getting skinny if the guy couldn’t afford to have him, we could have said ‘give him back to us.’"
I feel like so many owners/breeders, of not just TB’s, are of the mind set “out of sight, out of mind” and off the feed bill.
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My cynical soul thought, yeah you’ve learned your lesson now that you’ve been called out.
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It’s a very “racetracker” thing to be kind of clueless about rehoming. Even in 2025 with tons of attention given to this topic, the horse world barely exists beyond the racetrack to many of these folks. So I’m willing to withhold judgement of the Ruis family without knowing any more details. I can tell you about tons of other racetrackers who operate similarly out of cluelessness about how these stories often end. “My friend’s neighbor’s brother told me they would give him a good home.”
But seeing as how they are selling their farm and moving to Montana, I hope the humane society persuades them to let the humane society handle the rehoming instead of returning the horses to them.
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Exactly, and not to mention it can be so very easy for a horse to slip through the cracks. One bad car accident, health accident, job loss, who knows what – and a previously fully vetted home suddenly needs to move that horse on.
And, some people talk a big game and they’re good at it. I’ve been duped myself.
I think about how easy it is for a horse to slip through the cracks often. It happens all the time. The horses who stay with people for decades are the truly lucky ones.
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Each time I bought a horse, I promised him/her: your life or mine, whichever comes first. And I made generous and careful provision, just in case I went first. I am now horseless and won’t buy another because I can no longer make that promise.
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I think it’s important to remember it doesn’t have to be a racing TB to fall through the cracks and end up in a crappy situation. Our most recent adoptee is a giant sweetheart lug of a ~20-25yro paint gelding who clearly has had a lot of training, and if he were rideable I’d bet money he was dead broke. I have to think someone spent a great deal of time and money on him and would be mortified to know how things turned out for him (before us 
).
But somehow, he ended up with a shady horsetrader (redundant?), who did a crappy job loading him and the poor sweet boy fell out of a trailer at speed on the road. 
His back/pelvis/hips? suffered severe injury and his right side is badly scarred. The horsetrader still tried to clean him up and sell him as a riding horse (!) before the rescue got their hands on him–200lbs underweight–and after a year of rehab, he came to us.
“Kronk” is unrideable except maybe at a walk–we haven’t tried–but he is perfect for us. He is one of many we’ve seen, breed regardless, that after changing hands multiple times ended up in nightmare circumstances. I know in most cases we’ve seen, original owner/trainer/breeder would be horrified and want to scoop them right back up if they knew.
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Right!
Honestly, it happens far more with non-racehorses… but because they don’t necessarily have tattoos, freezebrands, or microchips, it can be hard to track.
Sorry to hear about Kronk.
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I saw this news on Louisville TV station on dec 27 or 28th. Then looks like Paulick picked it up, then TDN 9 days later.
I think war envoy won at royal ascot with obrien, then came to u.s. under Ward, for BC races, then got sold at auction.
A lot of besutiful horses on tgat farm, only 6 were TBs.
It is so sad but thankfully there are places with the expertise to bring them back to health.
It shoudnt matter, of course, that any were once famous as this can happen to any horse who faĺls thru the cracks.
Bless the person who saw it and called it in. “If you see something, say something”. I had to call in some horses many years ago who were being “choktaw wintered” ( i think that is the expression, i hope it it is not offensive to anyone, I just remember the prosecuting attorney saying that to me when he returned my call…i had never heard the term before. This was over near oklahoma border). They were just feeding on whatever blades of grass were coming up thru the snow and were emaciated. None of the people driving by there called it in…yet many had to pass that way to get home. This had obviously been going on for months. Gotta help the people and help the horses.
I just happened to be visiting someone out that way and I was 35- 40 miles away from where I lived at the time… I called the sheriff immediately when i drove by. I just dont understand the " mind your own beeswax" when you witness stuff like this? I just cannot subscribe to that.
Tv station
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I’m sickened to learn (not from this thread) how once a horse falls into the auction scene it can travel to multiple states being placed into auction after auction until it is sold. Pretty hard for any horse to overcome that trauma and mishandling.
Gosh, he has the same general conformation, coloring pattern and facial expression of my great old paint, Wally (RIP) who was sired by Street Legal. If he were still here, Wally would be 23.
What terrible trauma Kronk endured. I’m so glad he ended up with you!
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