TAA Ready to Assist With Abandoned Horses
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When state and local officials in Kentucky earlier in the week intervened in a case, in which 43 horses had apparently been abandoned with some in poor health condition, they did not have to look far to find assistance in dealing with the situation.
Volunteers have been caring for the horses since earlier in June with limited ability because of lack of resources. The conditions of some of the animals located on a 121-acre farm in Mercer County deteriorated while the local sheriff’s department and county attorney, working with the Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian, grappled with trying to find who is culpable in the case.
On June 27, a team of veterinarians inspected and evaluated each of the horses and the following day began a process to remove six deemed to require an elevated level of veterinary care. The assessment revealed that three were emaciated, 10 were underweight, 14 were of suitable weight, and eight were overweight.
The six requiring the most care—as another mare and her foal will be later on—were moved to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s operation at the Blackburn Correctional facility near Lexington, about 40 miles from the farm, because it has the facilities and personnel to provide the necessary care, said Rusty Ford of the state veterinarian’s office.
Realizing the possibility that new homes may be needed for some of the horses, many of which were reportedly owned or under the care of trainer Maria Borell and/or her father, Chuck, the officials also reached out to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance for possible assistance.
Funded by a broad range of horse industry participants, TAA accredits and provides grants to organizations throughout the country to provide aftercare for horses. TAA is administered through The Jockey Club.
Because officials are still seeking to locate the horses’ owners, it is premature to know if the TAA’s accredited facilities will be needed, said Stacie Clark Rogers, TAA’s operations consultant.
“The Jockey Club and TAA worked closely in communicating what was happening and I contacted the nine accredited organizations in Kentucky and asked if they could take any of the horses and all of them said yes,” Clark Rogers said. “We are waiting and are on standby.”
With the horses required to remain in the state because of possible legal actions, Clark Rogers said it was important that there were a sufficient number of TAA accredited operations available.
“Having accredited organizations, including some that are expert at handling horses coming from situations like this, in which some are emaciated, puts everybody's minds at rest that it is going to be done properly,” Clark Rogers said. “We know our organizations because we have been accrediting some annually for three or four years.
“I think is is good to have this infrastructure in place, but it wouldn’t be possible without support from industry stakeholders all across the country.”
As the process of locating the horses’ owners continued June 29, Ford said the remaining horses on the farm would continue to be cared for by the volunteers who have been dubbed the “golden girls” because of their dedication.
Ford said their efforts will be now be greatly aided by the outpouring of financial assistance that has allowed for supplies to be sent to the farm, after a groundswell of publicity surrounding the abandonment case.
“We’re getting over the initial stages of stabilizing the situation at the farm,” Ford said. “The core group of volunteers is continuing to work at the farm, but we are getting assistance from all areas of the horse industry, led by the Thoroughbred industry but with generosity from all breeds.”