HAMERSVILLE, Ohio – A trainer who set out to buy three horses said she found them starving and near death.
Since her shocking discovery a week ago, Kimberly Kinder and a host of volunteers have rallied to nurse those horses back to health.
"I've been up with this horse for six days," Kinder said. "I've slept two hours in six days."
A trainer at Kinder Sport Horses in Brown County, Kinder said she and her friend couldn't believe what they saw when they arrived in Clermont County to pick up the horses.
"Just utter shock," she said. "The closer we got, the more emaciated they looked."
The horses had broken the fence trying to get food.
"The fence was broken down," she said. "You could tell where they had been reaching over fighting to get the grass."
Thanks to Kinder and her helpers, the two older horses, Destiny and Bugs, are back on their feet. The young horse, Chance, would collapse and need 24-hour care.
"Chance is the baby. He's the 2-year-old fighting for his life," Kinder said. "Destiny is his mom. She's the 13-year-old Appaloosa mare and Bugs is the Mustang."
Chance was in terrible shape.
"He had active lice, mites, open sores," Kinder said.
"When [Chance] is down, he has to be turned every 4 hours."
But Kinder's family and a host of people from all over the Tri-State have come to their aid.
"People were setting up PayPals for us. People were setting up donations. Ninety percent of what's been done has been done by other people," Kinder said. "We've had our friend come from New Haven, Kentucky, a four-hour drive, last night and help us set up this makeshift hoist
The community donating thousands of dollars worth of supplies to give the horses a chance at life.
"We're having products delivered at 3 in the morning here," she said. "Happenstance Stables started off trying to get donations and what they've done has been incredible."
WCPO reached out to the Clermont County Humane Society, but we haven't yet received a response. Kinder said she contacted the Humane Society, the Clermont County Prosecutor's office and the Clermont County Sheriff's office.
"I'm just being told that it's going to be handled," she said.
For now, Destiny and Bugs are expected to survive. Chance just got a new hoist and is improving.
You can get updates on their progress at Kinder's Facebook page.
Kinder requests that donations be made through BDK Feed and Supply in Blanchester (937-783-3276) because they will deliver the supplies. Others who want to help can contact her through her Facebook page.
