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Third Survivor from Horse Shooting Now at Our Farm

 

A third horse survivor from the herd shot and killed in Floyd County in mid-December is now recovering at our farm in Simpsonville.

Yesterday our friends at Dumas Rescue returned to the remote mountaintop in Floyd County where 20 members of a free-roaming herd were shot in mid-December. They were there to attempt to collect the remaining four survivors. At one point, they had three geldings contained in panels and were slowly moving too close in the gate when someone started shooting an automatic rifle in the distance up on the ridge. The horses panicked and bolted out of the corral before they could get it closed, and the horses would not approach the rescuers again.

Rescuing at-risk free-roaming horses in these remote areas is often very difficult work. Many of these horses are understandably wary of humans. Access to these sites can be extremely challenging, as roads are few and far between and often become impassible from the rains; some areas are only accessible by ATVs, so bringing trailers up to collect the horses is often not an option.

Even though the geldings evaded capture, Dumas Rescue’s incredible volunteers were able to capture a filly that is believed to be Hope’s daughter; Hope is the 15-year-old pregnant mare who is recovering at our Willow Hope Farm along with her weanling colt, Knox. Diamond, as we are calling this filly, is a feral horse with limited exposure to people – and probably much of this exposure was not positive.

Dumas Rescue arrived with Diamond at our farm last night. Diamond was scared but calmed down as soon as she saw her mother and brother. Knox and Diamond appear to have a strong bond, and we are glad that Diamond has been reunited with her family. We will provide more updates as we have more information.

How to Help

Donations are gratefully accepted by Dumas Rescue via PayPal at [email protected]. Donate to KHS Equine C.A.R.E. at www.kyhumane.org/equine/give or via Facebook. Thank you for your compassion!

Want to learn more about Kentucky’s domestic free-roaming horses and why there are so many in Eastern Kentucky? Visit www.kyhumane.org/equine/free-roaming-horses.

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