Breeders seek help for sick, starved foals

Kentucky farm owner facing 13 counts of animal cruelty

A pair of thoroughbred racehorse breeders launched a Gofundme to help their horses recover after they were allegedly starved and mistreated at a Kentucky boarding and training facility.

Scott and Amanda Scarsella, who own Crusader Hills Farm, said they sent six horses south to Kentucky late last fall. The horses, including a mare that was to be bred, as well as five young horses that needed training for racing careers were found in what the Scarsellas called, “unfathomable,” conditions. They’re asking for public help in raising money to pay for the medical care necessary to help the horses recover, according to the fundraiser.

But even if they do recover, the Scarsellas said they don’t expect the horses to ever be able to race.

Several racing publications picked up the story last month, detailing the alleged abuse and mistreatment. The facility’s operator, Xavier Mcgrapth, has not been

found and is facing 13 misdemeanors related to animal cruelty, according to those reports. At least two horses were reportedly found dead at his farm.

The Bourbon County Sheriff ’s office issued a statement on Thursday saying the Kentucky Department of Agriculture was investigating as well after deputies found about two dozen horses at Mcgrapth’s farm. About half were determined to be neglected.

Bloodhorse.com spoke with Scarsella, who told them she sent horses to Mcgrapth the previous year and had no issues. But after another horse owner tipped her off about possible neglect, he stopped responding to messages and would make excuses why he couldn’t send her photos of her horses.

The three fillies she sent him are malnourished and have skin conditions. The two colts are in worse shape and the abuse might have ended their careers before they began, she said. The Times Union could not reach the Scarsellas for comment.

“The three fillies can come home but the colts aren’t strong enough to make the trip yet,” she said. “They have to be boarded in Kentucky, but they’re done as racehorses. They’ve lost too much time.”

Scarsella told the site she still doesn’t know what happened to the five-year-old mare she sent down there.

“It is a giant web of crap,” Scarsella told the site. “It is not just that my horses were starved and one possibly stolen; it is maybe you’re not going to be breeding this year and your mares’ pages are damaged because your homebreds aren’t going to make it to the track.”