Georgia farm gives wild horses and people a 2nd chance: "It just brings healing to my heart and theirs"
Rumor arrived at War Angel Farms in Canton pregnant and severely malnourished, after landing in a horse "kill pen," where some horses bought by dealers may be sent across the border for slaughter.
Casey Montana learned she had once been a racing quarter horse after tracing the tattoo on her lip.
"It just shows you that any kind of horse can end up at a kill pen," Montana said.
Another foal, Birdie, was born the night her mother was dropped off at a kill pen. Montana's rescue took in both. Birdie was about five days old when she arrived at the farm, and Montana said the foal spent three months on medication as she recovered from respiratory and immune-system problems.
It's all part of the day-to-day work at War Angel Farms, a 100-acre family farm that rescues horses mostly from kill pens in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Images of wild horses being rounded up in the West earlier this year have renewed questions about what happens to them after they leave the range. The Bureau of Land Management's fiscal 2026 schedule called for gathering more than 14,500 wild horses and burros. The agency says it gathers and removes animals to protect the herds' health and public rangelands.
Wild-horse advocates have raised concerns that some horses sold by the government could later be resold and exported for slaughter. The BLM says it does not sell or send horses to slaughter.
Montana's rescue work began with one horse she could not save. About 10 years ago, she bought Mr. Bojangles from a kill pen. He died three months later.
"Couldn't save him. Tried really hard. He was such a big part of my heart," she said. His death became the reason she kept going.
The farm's rescues extend beyond horses. There are goats, pigs, and donkeys, as well as Ringo, an 80-pound African spurred tortoise who came to Georgia from a rescue in New York.
"He's so smart. He walks around with me," Montana said. "I do put him in a wheelbarrow to bring him back because he's like 80 pounds, so heavy."
The farm also serves people. Montana says War Angel Farms works with people battling addiction, mental health challenges, veterans, even people convicted of DUI offenses, giving them a chance to do community service and connect with animals.
"It just brings healing to my heart and theirs," she said.
The farm is closely tied to Montana's family. Her father, a Vietnam Marine, helped build its roads, fences, and pastures. Montana said he made her tough, but also taught her that farm life requires a big heart.
When she talks about what the farm meant to him, her voice breaks.
"Because this was his heaven on earth," she said, pausing before continuing. "And I think he'd be proud to see how it's grown."
