Sheriffs removed approximately two dozen horses suspected of being neglected from a farm in Henry county, IN, Jan. 29. Three other horses were found deceased on the property. A tip received from a passerby alerted authorities to the situation.

Sheriff Ric McCorkle said most of the horses were underweight. Several mares were in foal and may have been in trouble shortly if they hadn’t received proper care. The three horses that died are still being investigated.

The owner of the farm, Mike Monday, agreed to surrender the horses and even helped round them up. Almost all are thoroughbreds and Monday said one, named Chelsea Charmer, is a granddaughter of Secretariat. He raced some of the horses at tracks in the central part of the state.

“Me and my wife started this and then I lost my wife in 2013. I tried to carry this dream on and I let it get out of hand,” said Monday. “Everything was fine until winter got here. I got a defibrillator in and I can’t work like I used to. I got hay and feed but I didn’t have proper stalls to put the animals in.”

Linda Bir-Conn, director of the Henry County Humane Society, was on hand and happy that the owner cooperated with authorities.

“This is the desired outcome we want every time but we don’t always get this, so fortunately today we did,” said Bir-Conn.

Monday hugged the sheriff and thanked him as the horses were loaded into trailers.

“I appreciate the county for helping me out. I just want them to go to good homes. It’s hard. I tried and it fell apart,” he said.

The horses were transported to the Henry County Saddle Club. They will be put up for adoption in approximately a week, after being checked out. It will be up to the Henry county prosecutor to decide whether any charged will be filed.

Source: WTHR