SALEM, Ohio — Taylor Robb had been looking forward to a busy November at the former Pure Gold Stables. She was preparing to lease the property from owner Heather Birkmire with plans to host horse shows, welcome new boarders and offer training sessions.
But those plans came to an abrupt halt when a farrier made a gruesome discovery on Oct. 26: the skeletal remains of four horses locked inside a round pen.
According to a Columbiana County Sheriff’s report, the wooden enclosures were riddled with teeth marks from the horses as they apparently tried to chew their way through them. Buckets inside the pens contained only remnants of straw. The report noted that the decomposed horses were still draped in winter coats, suggesting they had died months earlier, likely the previous winter. Robb, who made the call to the police, said she believed the horses had been left inside and starved to death.
Birkmire could not be reached by Farm and Dairy for comment. The case has been referred to the Columbiana County Humane Society and the county prosecutor’s office for review.
Signs of trouble
In a phone interview with Farm and Dairy, Robb said that from the beginning, there were signs of trouble. Following their verbal agreement for Robb to lease Pure Gold, Birkmire placed strict limits on where on the property Robb could go.
“She said that I could bring my horses and myself onto the property, but not to go anywhere near the back barn and not to go anywhere near the round pen because she had furniture and equipment in both of those buildings,” Robb recalled. “And I said, ‘OK, no problem.’”
Robb moved in on Oct. 18 and almost immediately started to understand that something wasn’t right.
“She had seven horses on the property of her own, and two of them were in very, very poor condition,” Robb said. “I waited a full day, and she had not come out to give any of the horses feed, water, anything. And at that point, I told her that I was going to give her horses water and her horses my food.”
Robb said Birkmire didn’t have any hay or grain available. Not long after, Robb said Birkmire asked her if she could continue caring for all of the horses, promising to lower the next month’s lease payment in return.
Robb said she spent her own money on feed and supplies, preparing for new boarders and an open house planned for Nov. 1. But everything fell apart on Oct. 26, when her farrier opened the round pen door Birkmire had told them to avoid. That’s when they found the remains of the four horses.
Robb called the authorities and a veterinarian.
“The stalls were awful,” she continued. “It looks like the stalls had been eaten down. We are assuming starvation.”
The story might not end there. Robb said more remains were found in the woods after deputies arrived that night.
“We found more remains in the woods when the officer showed up that night to take a report and take pictures,” she said. “And then, the next morning is when the Humane Society got involved, and we were told not to go onto the property anymore without an officer.”
Robb said she is no longer leasing or purchasing the farm. How the property appears today is a far cry from how she remembers it, when she worked at Pure Gold years ago, before Birkmire purchased it.
“It was just a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful facility,” she said. “I had hoped to bring it back to that.”
After Birkmire took over, Robb said she worked for her for a few months before Birkmire told her she couldn’t afford to pay her anymore. They stayed loosely in touch. Later, Robb sold a retired racehorse to Birkmire.
“I’m really hoping that he’s not one of the horses on the property,” she said, “but I haven’t been able to figure out where he is yet.”
‘Heartbreaking and horrific’
According to the sheriff’s report, the day after the remains were found, a deputy returned to Pure Gold to assist a Humane Society investigator with a follow-up visit. Authorities were met at the front gate by a “very nervous” Birkmire, who consented to let them onto the grounds, saying she needed to retrieve keys to access the area where the dead horses were. But after a search, Birkmire said she couldn’t find them.
According to the report, the deputy later discovered that while a padlock and chain were on the gate, they weren’t actually secured — the chain was simply clipped over a bolt to keep the gate closed.
The report notes that Birkmire confirmed Robb had gained access to the round pen and discovered the dead horses there, and that she “did not allow Robb to have access” to that building.
Birkmire told authorities she believed the horses “were poisoned and all died around the same time.” She mentioned a former employee as someone who “may have had an issue” with her, but provided no specific reason or evidence.
In an online statement, the Columbiana County Humane Society called the situation “heartbreaking and horrific,” adding that CCHS is unable to release any specific information regarding the investigation.
“Sharing details prematurely could compromise the integrity of the investigation and the efforts of all agencies involved,” the statement reads.
Vito Abruzzino, Columbiana County prosecutor, also released a statement on social media acknowledging his office was aware of the incident and noted his administration’s recognition of the gravity of animal abuse cases.
‘One good thing’
The police report noted Birkmire has received previous complaints for not feeding and taking care of horses in the past from employees. A Change.org petition calling upon the Columbiana County Humane Society to release its file on any cruelty or neglect of horses at the Pure Gold facility to the Columbiana County Prosecutor’s Office currently has nearly 12,000 signatures.
“It’s absolutely horrific,” Robb said. “Walking into the round pen was something that is going to give me nightmares for a very long time. You don’t even have to love an animal to walk into something like that and just be sickened and horrified.”
All of the horses found dead so far on the property, she said, have been identified as thoroughbreds. Robb believes work has to be done to protect them.
“There needs to be more, you know, something else in place so that at least we know that these horses are going to good homes,” Robb said. “Pretty much anybody can go to the track and buy a thoroughbred that’s finished racing. I think that there needs to be something that, you know, you can’t just show up with money and take these horses to awful situations like this.”
Despite the trauma, Robb said she’s found comfort in how the local horse community has responded.
“As horrific as it is, just the outcry from the horse community and everybody who just cares so much — it’s really one good thing to see out of everything awful that’s happening,” she said. “It’s wonderful that so many people care this much to really want to make a change and get justice for these horses.”
