Famous racehorse among 13 severely neglected horses rescued from Kentucky farm

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One of more than a dozen starving and neglected horses rescued from a Kentucky farm earlier this month was once a famous racehorse.

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, the Kentucky Humane Society rescued 13 horses from a farm in Franklin County after getting a call about them not being taken care of.

The horses were found so neglected, you could see their bones and some were standing in knee-deep mud. They were also starving to the point where they were eating bark off of trees, and pushing down wire fencing to get to some grass. Some of them were also in a pasture with no grass.

Their owner signed them over to KHS for help. The horses were taken to the humane society's Willow Hope Farm in Simpsonville, where they will be rehabilitated.

Crews found out that many of the horses were registered and microchipped. They were surprised to see so many of them were Paso Fino and thoroughbred horses with esteemed pedigrees.

"It's shocking when you find out a horse who has participated in a prestigious race went from flying across oceans and top-notch care to starving in a mud pit. Unfortunately, that's what happened to War Envoy," KHS said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

KHS said one of the first horses identified by rescuers, War Envoy, was once a world-touring racehorse.

"War Envoy was one of the first horses we identified, and we were shocked to learn he's been all over the world, winning hundreds of thousands of dollars for humans, only to end up in knee-deep mud with other horses who had also been left behind," the humane society said.

KHS said War Envoy has likely been in multiple hands since his racing days ended, and called attention to better caring for horses like him once they retire.

"The reality is that many horses of many breeds end up like this," KHS said. "We, as a community, must ask ourselves how we can better stand behind War Envoy and horses like him as they retire and seek out new careers."

Another horse found is Handsome Todd, a 2018 thoroughbred stallion. He is expected to make a full recovery.

One of the horses struggling the most is a 2-year-old bay thoroughbred colt, Mischief Humor, who they've been calling Victor. He was the thinnest of the 13 horses. KHS said Friday he has since been transferred to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. Earlier this week, they said he had mild gas colic but was doing better after treatment about two days later. Once he seemed OK to move around, he was let out. But when he got down, he couldn't get back up. KHS said the equine hospital has a larger staff present 24/7, climate-controlled stalls, lifts and more to be able to better help him.

The equine team said it will likely take months for the herd to recover from the severe emaciation, malnutrition and neglect they suffered.

If you'd like to help or donate toward the work being done at KHS' Willow Hope Farm, click here. To learn more about KHS' Equine C.A.R.E. Program, click here.

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