6 horses now recovering at Alaqua Animal Refuge after rescue in Holmes County

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - 6 horses are recovering at Alaqua Animal Refuge after being rescued from a Holmes County property, and a 29-year-old man is now facing criminal charges.

Austin Johnson, 29, faces three counts of animal cruelty. His first court appearance is scheduled for July 9.

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office said a concerned neighbor called June 11 after becoming worried about conditions at a residence in the county. When Alaqua staff arrived, they found broken fencing, dirty green water, and no food.

“When I walked out there, my heart sank,” said Callie Vargas, manager of farm and horses at Alaqua. “It’s very difficult to view these innocent animals that are depending on people for their food, for shelter, for safety, for protection, and for love. They didn’t have it. They were literally just wasting away.”

Staff documented open wounds, outgrown hooves, and skin issues. Three of the six horses had the lowest possible body condition score.

“In the horse world, when you hear a certain kind of body condition score, you immediately know,” Vargas said. “They looked very sickly. And three of them had the lowest score possible.”

With assistance from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, all six horses were transported to Alaqua. Among them was a Florida Cracker, an endangered horse breed that has deep roots in Florida’s history. Vargas said the horses appeared to recognize the rescue effort.

“They did know we were there to help them because horses don’t always like to load easily,” Vargas said. “But for some reason, they just all loaded up and we were able to get them out of there. We’re able to provide them with a different future they wouldn’t be able to have otherwise.”

Staff said the horses have made visible progress since arriving at the refuge, though some are advancing more slowly than others.

“These horses have shown incredible resilience. They are making incredible progress,” Vargas said. “We are still concerned with the ones that had the lowest body conditions — they are not going to progress as rapidly as the other ones. And they’ve come so far over the last couple of weeks. My heart is happy. You know, in these situations we hope for the best, but there are no guarantees.”

One of the horses, approximately two years old, has been seen running for the first time since arriving at the refuge.

Alexa Gillespie, community partnership director at Alaqua, said the organization continues to take in animals despite the demands it places on staff.

“Crazy to say that we are fully staffed, there’s so many big, huge hearts here at Alaqua that continue to say yes,” Gillespie said. “We kind of just do it because we know that if we don’t do it, nobody else will.”

Alaqua staff are urging anyone who witnesses suspected animal neglect to report it. They are also asking people with horse experience to volunteer and help the 6 horses recover. Anyone who needs assistance caring for their animals is encouraged to reach out to Alaqua for help.

The goal for all six horses, staff said, is to reach full health and find new homes.

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