A charity that provides care for retired racehorses has failed to take care of them properly according to a veterinarian hired to conduct an investigation into conditions affecting the horses' health and causing the death of some horses
The veterinarian, Stacey Huntington, was hired by a donor to the charity, the estate of banker Paul Mellon, to investigate more than a dozen farms in the South. She found numberous instances of possible abuse including lack of proper feed and health care.
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. had a $1.2-million deficit in 2009, according to recent tax filings, and is charged with not paying the farms to feed and care for the horses.
George Grayson, the group’s president, admitted the organization was in a financial hole and promised to take action to prevent horse abuse.
“Everybody on the board takes any allegation seriously,” he said, “and anything less than positive circumstances for the horses are unacceptable. When we’ve been made aware of issues, we have responded quickly, and we will on this.”