An Arabian horse breeder, highly regarded in the equine industry for decades, needs our help.

The seizure of 25 Arabian horses on December 29, 2007 from King Arabian Farms in Florida recently came to my attention. After viewing video footage of several horses while they were being removed from the property, I asked myself, why am I not seeing the other 22 horses that they are claiming are malnourished? In the film footage I saw 2 to 3 horses that I might consider to be under weight, but they were far from being emaciated or at risk. The news report did not state the ages of these horses, which I later learned were not only advanced in age, but one of them has always been a chronic “cribber” and “wind sucker”. There were two brief views of horses crowded into two stock trailers. From what I could see through the open slats on the sides of the trailers, they all appeared to be well nourished. They were not covered in urine and feces as reported. The horses shown in stalls were not standing hock deep in manure as reported. In one video, as an older gray stallion is being led down the barn isle to a trailer, I noticed 5 sacks of grain stacked against the wall. See some video footage here:

http://volusia.org/sheriff/press/200...ber/070245.htm

http://www.wesh.com/news/14946456/de...s=orl&psp=news


I have had in depth conversations with both Mr. Donahue and other breeders that know him well. There are too many details in this story to write them all here, but you can find additional details at http://kswatcher.wordpress.com

Some brief history as I understand it: Before a divorce approximately 3 ½ years ago, Mr. Donahue owned 40 acres and kept approximately 250 horses at four locations. He was the leading Arabian breeder in Florida for a period 10 years or more, and created the Orlando Arabian Horse Club about 30 years ago. I think that he won a total of 15 championships over a period of 6 years. He takes great pride in the ownership of two mares of Russian ancestry that are granddaughters of Prikhot and sired by Fast Ptrack. It looks like Fast Ptrack was nominated by the Arabian Racing Cup 11 straight years from 1992 - 2004.

A divorce settlement left Mr. Donahue with 150 horses, his current 10 acre farm, and approximately $565,000. Over the past 3 ½ years, he has diligently worked to downsize to the current 25 horses, and has pretty much spent all of his money caring for them in the meantime. Approximately half of the 25 horses seized were recently sold and had not been picked up yet. It was his intention to only retain 4 to 6 horses. He was in the process of applying for an equity loan on his farm just before this seizure occurred.

In Mr. Donahue’s own words, “There has never been a single day that my horses weren’t fed and taken care of.”

Considering Mr. Donahue’s outstanding achievement record and reputation spanning multiple decades, are we honestly supposed to believe that he would neglect and jeopardize horses with these prestigious bloodlines?

Mr. Donahue currently needs financial aid for legal assistance. I am personally asking you for donations. I realize that the market for horses has been depressed for a number of years, and due to droughts in various parts of the country, the price of hay has skyrocketed. Even donations of $5 and $10 can quickly add up. Time is of the essence due to a hearing that must be scheduled before the end of the month. Please find it in your heart to help if you can.

A trust fund account has been set up at:
Wacovia Bank
San Antonio Financial Center
11938 Curley Road
FL 4802
San Antonio, FL 33576
Attn: Alex Pizzarello
Phone # 352-521-6270

For convenience, a paypal account has also been set up as an alternative to snail mail. Donations can be sent through paypal to email address
donahuetrust@gmail.com