Aftercare organizations comes to rescue of 98 Thoroughbreds in Virginia

A Northern Virginia sheriff’s office last week took possession of 98 Thoroughbreds from a farm in Shenandoah County after concluding that the horses were in a state of neglect and malnourishment, according to officials involved in the effort.

Law-enforcement officers in Shenandoah County arrived at the farm on Thursday morning with a warrant, local veterinarians, and representatives of several animal-welfare organizations, according to Sgt. Erin Brogan, the animal control officer for the county sheriff’s office. The warrant cited “inadequate living conditions” and an “insufficient amount of food.”

The sheriff’s office declined to identify the farm or the names of the horses.

The effort was coordinated with three equine-welfare organizations: Hope’s Legacy Equine Rescue, Central Virginia Horse Rescue, and Shenandoah Valley Equine Rescue Network, the sheriff’s office said. The seized horses were divided up between the three organizations for aftercare.

Maya Proulx, the founder and executive director of Hope’s Legacy, said that her organization took possession of 36 horses from the property. The ages of the horses ranged from 2 to 25, Proulx said.

“Every single one was in some level of emaciation, ranging from a 1 to a 3” on the nine-point scale that veterinarians use to score body weight, with one being the most severely malnourished, Proulx said.

Proulx said that she could not provide the name of the farm where the horses were seized due to the sheriff office’s ongoing investigation.

The process to relocate the horses took three days, according to Proulx, and involved teams of volunteers from around the area. Local veterinarians evaluated all of the horses prior to the horses being relocated off the property, she said.

Several breeders have contacted Proulx to inform her that they will take possession of the horses if they had been bred at their farms, Proulx said.

In the meantime, Proulx is getting the horses’ vaccinations up to date and “getting around to the basic care that the horses clearly haven’t had in awhile.” She said that all 36 horses taken in at Hope’s Legacy are expected to survive.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.