Despite his flashy presence, my eye kept drifting to a small herd of mares in a nearby paddock. I made my way to the fence line and was met immediately by a pair of kind eyes and an inquisitive pink nose, searching for my face and neck. Sixty seconds later that nose was gently resting on my shoulder. I was won over. Three days later, Hoosier Artist came home as 'Frida'.

This chance meeting was not the beginning of Frida's story of course. Not even close! By the time we were serendipitously united, this little five-year-old mare had already endured and overcome so much.

Hoosier Artist was rescued from an extreme neglect situation in April 2021 by Lonnie and Diana Winkelspecht, the owners of L&D Stables. Literal skin-and-bones and struggling to stand, she was fighting for her life. After weeks and weeks without food, water and care, other horses on the same property had already perished and for some the only option was euthanasia. The scene was a nightmare. Despite her condition and against the recommendations of veterinarians, Lonnie and Diana knew they had to give this little filly a chance. They began nursing her back to health, sparing no resources. She was small, weak and unable to eat anything, but water-soaked hay and she was scared of everyone. Over the next few months they not only nourished and strengthened her body, but earned her trust.

Frida with Taylor | Taylor Tricarico

Hoosier Artist exceeded everyone's expectations and by mid-summer she was thriving! She began race training in earnest and showed grit and grace. Her first race left everyone who knew her in awe, and in some cases tears of joy. How was this the same horse that had to be supported to stand? How was this the same filly that had a body score of one, not six month earlier? And now she was doing what she was bred to do.

Despite a promising first time out, her racing career was short-lived, lasting only a half dozen times. Following a mismatch of training styles, the difficult decision was made not to push her, but to bring her back to L&D. This is where she stayed as the farm favorite, for several months before our accidental meeting.

I had no specific plans for Frida when she stepped off the trailer at my little farm in Versailles, Kentucky. All I knew is that this was a special soul and I was lucky to now call her mine. During our first off-track ride she couldn't turn right to save her life, as her gates were erratic and she held her head so high I wondered how she could see where she was going. But she was reasonable, responsive and had the best stop I'd ever sat. Two weeks later, we were riding bareback in a halter. Two months after that, she'd mastered all the groundwork I could throw at her. Before I knew it, my seven-year-old son was piloting her. This was a good horse. But what to do with her?

I'd missed the application window for the 2023 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover (RRPTM), when a ISO Facebook post caught my eye. A young trainer was looking to buy an RRPTM horse that matched Frida's description exactly: kind, quiet, slow, small. I messaged her asking, “I know this is a long shot, but would you be willing to partner and take my mare to the RRPTM? She's not for sale, but she is just what you are looking for.” The next day Blakely Releford was in my round pen working with Frida, swooning over her quick brain and sweet demeanor. I could tell immediately that this was a perfect match. A partnership was born and Hoosier Artist, the little-mare-that-could, was RRP bound!

–Taylor Tricarico, Versailles, KY

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Earlier this year, about two dozen horses were found at a property McGrapth was leasing off Brentsville Road in various states of neglect. Those horses were largely owned by people who lived out of state and had sent horses to McGrapth for breaking and training or foaling/breeding back. Most owners discovered McGrapth's operation through his Facebook posts as McGrapth Breaking and Training and/or Whispering Creek Thoroughbreds.

A criminal complaint was filed earlier this year alleging 13 counts of second-degree animal cruelty, which is a Class A misdemeanor in Kentucky.

The horses were discovered after one locally-based owner dropped by the property McGrapth leased to check on her pregnant mare and discovered two dead horses in a field near the barn. Additional investigation revealed several other horses in poor body condition. In the days and weeks that followed that discovery, owners and local and state investigators struggled to identify and relocate all the horses entrusted to McGrapth's care. Several told the Paulick Report their horses' racing prospects were seriously damaged as a result of neglect suffered in his care.

McGrapth has entered a plea of not guilty in the case.

Read our previous reporting on this case here.

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“The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office and the Bourbon County Attorney's Office are working closely together to bring this case to a close,” read a statement from the sheriff's office. “At this time, all horses involved have been removed from the farm and relocated to facilities to best suit the care they need.”

Mcgrapth has yet to be arraigned and is out on a $2,000 bond, according to court and county detention center records.

About two dozen horses were discovered at a property Mcgrapth was leasing off Brentsville Road in various states of neglect in late March. Owners, many of whom were located out of state, told media at the time they had engaged Mcgrapth to board broodmares or young training horses for them after seeing his services advertised through Facebook as McGrapth Breaking and Training and/or Whispering Creek Thoroughbreds.

Read more about the case from our previous reporting here.

The investigation remains active, according to the sheriff's office.

The post Mcgrapth Arrested On Charges Of Animal Cruelty In Kentucky Boarding Operation Case appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The sheriff's office released a brief statement Wednesday, which read “On the afternoon of April 13, 2021, Xavier McGrapth who is a suspect in an active investigation involving Equine in Bourbon County came into the Bourbon Sheriff's Office for an interview. Upon conclusion of the interview McGrapth was arrested on an active warrant that was tied to the same case. The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office and the Bourbon County Attorney's Office are working closely together to bring this case to a close. At this time, all horses involved have been removed from the Farm and have been relocated to facilities to best suit the care they need.”

Earlier, McGrapth was charged with 13 counts of animal cruelty in the second degree. It appeared that he had been starving some of the horses under his care, and that at least two of them died.

“I'm relieved in that we've made some progress with Xavier turning himself in,” said Amanda Scarsella, who had sent six horses to McGrapth. “With the news that he has formally been charged and taken into custody, I'm hopeful we can move forward and see some justice served. This is only the beginning. What needs to happen is we all need to use this as a teaching point and as a learning point to change laws. We don't want to see this happen again.”

Five of the horses she had with McGrapth have returned to Scarsella's upstate New York farm. She fears that a sixth horse, a broodmare named Fresh Face (Uncle Mo), may be one of the two dead horses, neither of which have been identified.

“This has been bittersweet,” she said. “We are so glad that they are alive and are home, but it's been pretty gutting to see them this way. My colts are sleeping a monstrous amount of time because they are just so wreak and so tired.”

McGrapth had been advertising his services on Facebook under the names of McGrapth Breaking and Training and Whisper Creek Thoroughbreds. He posted that he was available to break and train young horses and board broodmares. McGrapth had the horses on a section of a farm he leased from longtime Central Kentucky horsemen Steve Johnson. Johnson has said that he did not know that McGrapth was mistreating any of his horses.

The case came to the attention of the Bourbon County Sheriff's office when Alyssa Evans, a client of McGrapth's, came to the farm to check on one of her horses. While there, she saw two dead horses laying in a paddock and alerted the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office began its investigation shortly after receiving Evans' call and first inspected the farm on March 19. The sheriff's office then called on a local veterinarian, Dr. Zach Logan, who inspected 23 horses and reported that 11 were malnourished or severely malnourished and that two others were dead.

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Animal cruelty in the second degree is a Class A misdemeanor in Kentucky.

Around two dozen horses were discovered at a property McGrapth was leasing; half of those horses were determined by a veterinarian to be neglected.

McGrapth advertised his services on Facebook under business names McGrapth Breaking and Training and Whispering Creek Thoroughbreds, offering breaking and training for young horses and broodmare board. McGrapth ran those operations out of a property owned by longtime Central Kentucky horseman Steve Johnson.

The Bourbon County Sheriff's Department released the following statement to media about the case earlier this week:

“On the afternoon of March 19, 2021, the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office received a complaint of equine welfare at a farm on Brentsville Road here in Bourbon County. Deputies responded to the scene and immediately started an investigation into the welfare of the equine[s] present. The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office has received support from The Kentucky Department of Agriculture, who assisted us with locating and contacting owners and started the process of relocating horses to a safe environment for care and treatment. They are also assisting with the investigation and have sent an investigator to work closely with us throughout this case.

“As of now all the horses have been identified and the process of relocating them to various locations is coming to an end. The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office has identified a suspect in the case and a criminal complaint has been issued. This investigation is still ongoing, and all authorities involved are actively working together to bring this to a close.”

Johnson said that he had rented the barn and surrounding paddocks to McGrapth last year after vetting McGrapth's references, and had no issues until November when McGrapth fell behind on his rental payments. At least one of McGrapth's clients, many of whom are based out-of-state, was satisfied with his care of broodmares for the 2020 foaling season and sent him horses again this year.

On March 19, locally-based client Alyssa Evans visited McGrapth's operation to check on her pregnant mare and discovered two dead horses in a field near the barn. Additional checks revealed other horses in poor body condition. Evans removed her mare from the property and contacted law enforcement and Johnson. Johnson said the barn McGrapth leased was at the back of his property and the horses visible in the front of the parcel looked a little light but were not in bad shape. Johnson urged McGrapth to provide them more feed and said he hadn't seen the horses that were being kept in the back of the barn until around the time Evans contacted him.

“It was his business, and I will tell you I did not go back and monitor his operation, primarily because it was his operation and I didn't consider that to be my responsibility,” said Johnson. “I tried to help him out. I gave him hay.

“It took me three days to get the barns cleaned properly. Why people will do this, I really don't know.”

Johnson said he hasn't been able to reach McGrapth or seen him on the property in six weeks, during which time he fed the abandoned horses until officials could verify ownership and supervise their removal. He also said McGrapth told him he had client horses at other facilities but does not know how many or where they may be.

McGrapth's clients, many of whom say they had no written contract with him, were attracted to him in part because of his competitive board rate. Now, several of them are questioning whether their horses will recover from the neglect they suffered in his care.

One pregnant mare, sold by McGrapth for a client, lost significant weight in the two weeks she was in McGrapth's care. By the time her purchaser picked her up at another facility, veterinarians determined her overall health was “extremely poor” and questioned whether she would be able to survive foaling or nurse a foal if she did survive.

Amanda Scarsella said she sent McGrapth six horses – five young horses in training and one mare by Uncle Mo named Fresh Face, whose fate is still unclear. All five are recovering from various levels of starvation, significant skin disease, and lice infestations. Three of them are expected to improve enough to make it to the track; the other two – both colts from the only crop of Effinex – will have a much longer road to recovery and Scarsella said while she's hopeful for their futures, their careers may be over before they'd begun.

“I've been trying to stay up to date through the other owners, the sheriff and those who helped rescue them. With that being said it's been draining in every way,” said Scarsella, who is based in New York. “Ultimately I feel responsible because they are like my kids. I try to compartmentalize the Kentucky ordeal to deal with it as I can when needed so I can concentrate on running my farm here and foaling mares at night. I'm mostly a one woman show so it's quite a challenge but I'm managing.”

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In a statement released Tuesday, the Sheriff's office said that the investigation was ongoing and that a suspect had been identified and a criminal complaint had been issued. McGrapth was not named in the statement.

“On the Afternoon of March 19, 2021, the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office received a complaint of Equine Welfare at a farm on Brentsville Road here in Bourbon County,” said the press release from the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office. “Deputies responded to the scene and immediately started an investigation into the welfare of the equine present. The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office has received support from The Ky Department of Agriculture who assisted us with locating and contacting owners and started the process of relocating horses to a safe environment for care and treatment. They are also assisting with the investigation and have sent an investigator to work closely with us throughout this case. As of now all the horses have been identified and the process of relocating them to various locations is coming to an end. The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office has identified a suspect in the case and a criminal complaint has been issued. This investigation is still ongoing, and all authorities involved are actively working together to bring this to a close.”

According to a police report obtained by the TDN, the sheriff's office received a tip from horse owner Alyssa Evans, who had given McGrapth a mare to care for, that there were two dead horses in a paddock on the property. Upon investigating, they discovered the two dead horses and found additional horses that were malnourished. Veterinarian Dr. Zach Logan was brought in to evaluate 23 horses and he advised that 11 were malnourished or severely malnourished and that two dead horses likely starved to death. The two dead horses have yet to be identified.

“There's no doubt in my mind that he was starving them,” Evans said of McGrapth. “Never when I went out there did I see him feeding anybody.”

According to the police report, “(Evans) advised that she went into the barn to locate her horse and located another horse in the stall that hers was supposed to be (in). The horse in that stall was very malnourished and also had sores on its head and body. Deputies also were shown the two dead horses, one of which appeared to (be) recent and one that appeared to have been dead longer.”

The report says that police called in a veterinarian, Dr. Zach Logan, to assess the horses. “He looked at the 23 horses that were at the location, he advised that 11 were malnourished or severely malnourished, and the two that had died were likely to have been starved to death.”

Diana Winkelspecht, who had received a call from one of McGrapth's owners asking her to retrieve his horse, was among the first to arrive. She said she would eventually take in a number of ailing horses that had been on the property.

“We couldn't walk away from the situation,” she said. “After seeing this I had to see that something was done and that someone was held accountable for it. It looked like these horses had been abandoned. It didn't look like anybody had been on the part of the farm Xavier was leasing for a while. Weeks if not longer. There were two dead horses in the paddock and there were horses that were skin and bones. That's weeks and weeks of abuse.”

Amanda Scarsella said that she had turned over five horses to McGrapth. One, a 5-year-old broodmare named Fresh Face (Uncle Mo) has not been located and Scarsella said that she believed she may be one of the two dead horses.

The police report said that Johnson had offered to personally see that the horses would be taken care of, and he told TDN that he was unaware that there were any problems with the McGrapth horses.

“This was his operation,” he said. “I didn't feel it was necessary for me to go back and look over his shoulder at what he was doing. I would drive by the front of the part that he was leasing and I saw the horses in the paddock, I saw him out exercising, galloping the horses or whatever. I could see the shape of those horses and they were acceptable. There weren't any warning signs that I saw.”

Johnson said he looked into McGrapth's background before leasing him the stalls and received “glowing reports” on him. McGrapth had worked at Pin Oak Stud as a groom.

“I checked him out and his references were very strong,” Johnson said.

Bourbon County police said they plan to file a summons.

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