KHS Takes in Surviving Pregnant Mare and Colt from Herd Killed in Eastern Kentucky
Dec 28, 2019: Late last night, the Kentucky Humane Society (KHS) received a pregnant mare and her weanling colt from the same herd where 20 horses were found shot dead on a strip mine near the Pike and Floyd County line on Dec. 17.
The two survivors are recovering at the Kentucky Humane Society’s Willow Hope Farm in Simpsonville KY.
The mare is very thin and has been placed on a special feeding regimen. Both horses are being assessed medically and behaviorally to determine what resources they will need as they recover.
“The colt took everything in stride as long as his mom was close, but the mare was showing signs of stress and anxiety on arrival,” said Lori Redmon, President & CEO for KHS. “She was sweating and her breathing was labored so our primary concern was getting her stabilized and relaxed. She is heavy in foal and we didn’t want her to go into premature labor due to stress.”
The two horses were collected by Dumas Rescue, a local animal rescue group in Eastern Kentucky that has been on the scene helping with this case from the beginning.
“I feel like we closed the door on their tragic past as they walked off the trailer and into their bright future,” said Tonya Conn, President of Dumas Rescue.
There are believed to be three horses still alive from this herd at the strip mine site. Dumas Rescue will return to the site and work to capture the remaining horses.
In October KHS took in an extremely emaciated horse from this same herd. Willow, as KHS named her, is recovering at Willow Hope Farm in Simpsonville, KHS’s new equine farm. The farm was named in her honor.
How to Help
Donations to the Kentucky Humane Society Equine C.A.R.E. (connect, assist, rescue and educate) program are gratefully accepted at www.kyhumane.org/equine-donate.
Donations to Dumas Rescue can be made via PayPal at [email protected].
Both organizations work in partnership with local authorities in Eastern Kentucky to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome free-roaming horses in crisis.
About Free-roaming Horses
There are hundreds, and probably thousands, of free-roaming horses living in Eastern Kentucky. Learn more about this issue at https://www.kyhumane.org/equine/free-roaming-horses
Learn more about the surviving pregnant mare and colt recovering at our farm and the 20 free-roaming horses who were…
Posted by Kentucky Humane Society Equine CARE on Tuesday, December 31, 2019