ABC11 investigates reports of neglected horses

RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Despite social media posts that horses on a farm raided this week by the FBI are being deprived of food and water, Wake County Animal Control told ABC11 on Friday that the horses remaining at the stables are just fine.

It appears the FBI raid had nothing to do with the horse farm and everything to do with the owner's investment business Vision Quest.

Its downtown Raleigh offices were also searched, and agents could be seen carrying off records from both locations.

Apparently a delivery of horse feed was turned away during the raid, but may have been re-delivered later.

One Wake County woman who boards her Palomino at Whispering Hope Stables said she was there Friday morning and that her horse was fine.

"His stall had a big pile of hay in the corner. He had a big bowl of food that was waiting for him that staff had prepared, his water, he had shavings," Molli Bot told ABC11.

She added that other horses are doing well too. "I checked every one of the horses in that barn and every one of those horses was fine," Bot said.

ABC11 went to the door of the owner's home to find out what the future holds for Whispering Hope, but although people were inside, no one answered when we knocked.

A few hours later, though, home and business owner Stephen Peters quickly came to the door when an animal control officer showed up.

The director of Wake County Animal Control says the officer found 12 horses and all were in a clean environment with plenty of fresh food and water.

Apparently there were many more horses being boarded at the stables prior to the raid, and many owners have moved their animals to other farms in the past two days.