GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The owner of a horse retirement facility in Goochland is facing a total of 13 counts of animal cruelty ahead of her hearing date next week.
On, Saturday, Feb. 18, Goochland County Animal Care, Adoption, and Protection charged Byrd Rareshide with ten counts of animal cruelty.
This came after just over two weeks of investigation into Rareshide’s western Goochland horse retirement facility, The Byrd’s Nest Farm. On Friday, Feb. 3, Goochland County received a complaint regarding the conditions of horses that were being cared for at the facility. Not long after the complaint was filed, Animal Protection Officers opened an investigation.
On Friday, Feb. 17, findings of the investigation were turned over to the Goochland County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, and Rareshide was charged the following day.
Some horse owners previously told 8News about their negative experiences with Byrd’s Nest Farm. Amanda Myers brought her 29-year-old horse, Scarlett, to the facility in November after hearing about Rareshide’s strong reputation for caring for retired horses. But when Myers picked Scarlett up in February, she said the horse seemed unhappy and unhealthy.
Sarah Hatfield, a nearby farm owner, told 8News that she found the horses “way too skinny” every time she drove by Rareshide’s farm.
According to the Virginia Judiciary online information system, Rareshide’s original ten charges were all filed with an offense date of Feb. 1. Now, the system shows that Rareshide has an additional three charges for animal cruelty, each with an offense date of Feb. 7.
Rareshide’s hearing for all 13 charges is scheduled for Monday, March 6.
