So way back in late October and early November when a friend saw these kooky Craig’s List ads and then I started looking on my own and asking questions about horse rescue, I have said it before, but it is the truth: I had no clue the craziness that would ensue.

Day after day, week after week things just swirled about Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue in Glenmoore (Oxford too?) and Parx Racing’s Turning for home.  I did not seek it out.  I even got comments from people as far away as Oklahoma. On and on, and drama swirled.   Facebook kamikaze to odd things happening at people’s homes. (Unless you think the state police showing up in full Ninja turtle gear is normal for Chester County mornings?). People getting followed, people feeling generally bothered, and lots of finger-pointing, and how nutty was all of it?  Even I received comments and such that could be interpreted as threatening or menacing, and wow, what did I do?  Ask questions? Care about animals in rescue?

When would it stop?

No one seemed to know.  And all it was to begin with was worry over horses entering rescue and how they were being cared for and where was LAPs in all of this?

Now from my perspective can it be said that Barbara Luna who is with Parx Racing’s non-profit Turning for Home among others has a lot of questions she should be answering versus dodging?  After all isn’t it Barbara Luna who helps shift these racehorses who have outlived their track usefulness off the track around here and into local rescue?  Still to this day, where is this woman’s accountability?  How did these horses end up across state lines without proper paperwork in some cases? And did some end up in that awful New Holland place in line to become god knows what?

Anyway, last week it was noticed that Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue of Fairview Road in Glenmoore (and elsewhere?) was offline.  As in the Facebook page and website suddenly went dark. It had be active in both cases as of March 11, because they were advertising a yard sale to raise money for the rescue sometime this month, so why?  Why is the only thing left (probably until this post gets published) a tumblr page? Are they closing their doors or merging with another horse rescue?  If either occurs, what happens to the horses in this rescue?  And where are they?

So many unanswered questions.  But today, I have been asked by someone who says they were duped by Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue to publish something.  It is her story.  She wants to go public because she is tired of being painted as a villain in a multi-act play.

Her name is Carol.  Below is what she wrote verbatim.  She owns her words and takes responsibility for them.  If Off  The Track Thoroughbred Rescue is indeed done, then perhaps Barbara Luna of Turning for Home can address this? Even  apologize?

Click on hyperlink for Carol’s Story.  carols story

A lot of this centers around Carol’s special needs daughter.  And anyone who knows horses or has worked with say Thorncroft or other horse therapy programs knows the power horses have for good in these situations.

Here is the text (there are photos and other things the author embedded in the document above):

In Jan of 1999 God blessed our family with a beautiful baby girl. Her birthmother loved her so much she actually came to our home with a weapon and ripped her from my arms.

My baby was lost to me for 3 months before authorities were able to bring her home. She came home very lethargic. I had my baby back but, she didn’t laugh, she didn’t coo, she didn’t even cry all that much. She simply laid there, a human baby with no light in her eyes. It was like holding a doll.

Doctors said she’d outgrow it…experts said that severely neglected infants become very withdrawn but love would heal that. I couldn’t just sit by and hope. I quit my job and devoted every minute of my life to bringing her back. She never left my sight during those first nine months. We bonded and slowly I began to see a spark in her eyes.

At 4, we learned she was on the autism spectrum. I watched my child struggle to fit in, to make friends, to be good at something/anything for years. The pain was incredible. Then in 2010 at the age of 11 she discovered horses and her whole world changed. She started taking lessons, she learned to ride and she found her voice. Finally she had friends, she was good at something and she liked her world. For months she saved every penny of her allowance, her birthday money and Christmas money. Her goal was to own a horse of her own.

Day after day she spent hours on dream horse trying to find a horse she could afford until the day she saw an ad placed by Jessica Troxell Basciano. Of course we took her to see the horse. Of course we let her buy him. What parent could say no to a child’s dream?

Never did we think anyone, much less a mother, would take advantage of a handicapped child but that is exactly what Jessica Troxell Basciano did. She said the horse was perfect for my daughter. She said the horse was sound and well trained. Jessica Troxell Basciano stood next to me, watched the tears rolling down my face as my only child lived out her dream on the back of that horse…and she lied.

Instead of a sound, well trained, suitable for a child, horse Jessica Troxell Basciano sold my baby a horse that had only been off the track for three weeks, had been recently gelded and had severe stifle issues.

We returned the horse to Jessica Troxell Basciano within 24 hours of purchase. Two years later we are still fighting to have my daughter’s money returned to her.

This is “Moose’.  In the background is my car and the tent we slept in next to Moose because my child refused to leave him that night. Below is Jessica’s response. We did not leave the horse alone at all actually. He never fell during the night and he didn’t have a soft tissue injury anywhere on his body.  He was not injured while we had him.

As for the vet bill:

1. My husband is a well respected, highly intelligent engineer. To suggest he would offer to pay anything more to her is just insulting.
2. What vet charges $300 to come look at a horse? No x-rays were taken. The vet came at 3:00 pm and Jessica started texting me to say the horse was perfectly fine at 3:05.
3. She claims to have a bill and a letter. We have yet to see anything of the sort.

Jessica Troxell Basciano “re-homed’ ‘Moose’ to a young woman named Jenn Messner. Jenn is one of many young women who work for Jessica in exchange for free horses. Below is Jenn’s response:

Please note that she says she wouldn’t have put my child on that horse but Jessica did. Also note she says he has stifle issues.

All I want is my daughters money back and for Jessica Troxell Basciano not to be able to do this to any other family. Yes, it IS about the horses but sometimes it’s also about the people who love them.

Carol Linares