Heal the Horses from Byrds Retirement Farm

On February 1, 2023, Kimberly St. John received a call from a veterinarian about her horse Loki. Loki, a 12-year-old off the track Thoroughbred gelding, lived at a retirement farm for horses in Goochland County, Virginia called Byrd’s Retirement Foundation. The farm, owned and operated by Byrd Rareshide, has been operating as a retirement facility for years and was organized as a 501(c)3 foundation in 2022. Kimberly had sent him there to live a leisurely life after Loki was diagnosed with kissing spines and it was determined he should no longer be ridden.

On February 1, the farm owner called the vet to examine Loki for a facial swelling, not an emergency. But after evaluating the horse, the vet contacted Kimberly with very serious news. Her horse was emaciated, with a body condition score (BCS) of just 1.5 (scale of 1-9, 1 = emaciated, 9 = obese). His temperature was low, and so was his heart rate.

Kimberly immediately made arrangements to pick up her horse and was shocked at his physical state. But she was even more shocked that the farm owner, a lifelong, knowledgeable horsewoman who came with multiple recommendations from professionals and who was herself a recognized judge for Virginia Horse Shows Association local hunter shows, would have allowed her horse to fall into such a dangerously unhealthy condition.

After moving Loki to the barn of a trusted professional and friend for rehabilitation, Kimberly took her story to Facebook and warned other horse owners about her horse’s horrible care at Byrd’s Retirement Foundation. And it turns out her horse was not alone.

So far FIFTEEN horses have been removed by their owners (with help from MANY volunteers in the community) and transported to veterinary clinics and equine rehabilitation centers. Most of these horses had BCS scores lower than three and more than one was suffering from impaction colic due to severe malnutrition and dehydration. They will all require weeks or months of a careful refeeding protocol to bring them back to health, and some may forever have damage to their hearts and other organs due to the effects of starvation.

Some of the other horses being nursed back to health include:

Kallie, a 19-year-old Arabian mare who retired from the show ring after a career as a Western Pleasure star. Kallie’s owner lives out of state and flew in to check on her as soon as she became aware of the situation. Kallie’s BCS was 2 and she is currently recovering from a bowel impaction at the Veterinary Rehabilitation Service of Virginia.

Ruby, a 23-year-old Canadian Sport Horse. Ruby is a chestnut mare whose photo showing her pitifully thin body was shared widely on social media after Loki’s story became known. Somebody finally recognized the mare and notified her owner, and Ruby is now receiving treatment at Woodside Equine Clinic. UPDATE: Ruby has been moved to the Veterinary Rehabilitation Service of Virginia.

Spotlight on Ruby:

https://www.facebook.com/1494030110/posts/pfbid0exEGvX6i5NjMw4KosqQuuBwtFQS87jz2mw2rPik6xV9eTEJKgGCmuCFFAVWfiBEPl/?mibextid=cr9u03

Opal, Paratrooper, and Cannonball all belong to the same owner and are now recovering at VRSVA. Spotlight on Opal:

https://www.facebook.com/1494030110/posts/pfbid02c6tFtTXm6Rw8piFxKDUYbvcsxsg6XmtWQLHNcfY7qPKwREd7LqMZXrz6K97xFqD2l/?mibextid=cr9u03

Scarlett is a WARHORSE now back home with her owner. Read about her here:

https://www.facebook.com/1494030110/posts/pfbid0f7BjBcGRt8J2W3HzCNSvGf6ZdzD6ybehS5GDzPWMNqqT14Lf9LZ1oN5LMP4wHKiil/?mibextid=cr9u03

Poofy is a former equitation and jumper superstar who was rescued from Byrd’s when an organizer of this effort bought him just to get him out! Read more here:

https://www.facebook.com/1494030110/posts/pfbid0CSt1VGcawL88ykpE5hzHux1bnS1KEJdEriyecpHAn1PyFnoYqDUnMxBVTsLak9Wdl/?mibextid=cr9u03

The owners of these horses and all the others entrusted their care IN GOOD FAITH to Byrd’s Retirement Foundation. They paid for boarding services every month expecting that their retired partners would receive adequate feed and water to remain in good health for as long as possible. This obviously did not happen.

The owners are working with appropriate authorities to make sure this doesn’t happen to other horses at this facility. But they are faced with a mountain of unexpected veterinary bills and long term rehab.

Please consider donating to help the horse owners with the costs of their care and medical treatment.

All donations will be distributed to the veterinary clinics assisting in these cases:

Woodside Equine Clinic, Ashland, VA

Keswick Equine Clinic, Gordonsville, VA

Veterinary Rehabilitation Service of Virginia, Gordonsville, VA

You can also sign up to help in other ways here:

Support services for the horses