In the News: ‘Mystery horse impregnates five mares on Bourbon farm’

The most absurd story we could dig up for you today is this one, from the Lexington Herald-Reader.

Apparently, someone dumped their unwanted 3-year-old colt into a field full of mares in Bourbon County, Kentucky, hoping the horse would go unnoticed in the herd.

The stud, which farm owner Marilyn Montavon has since nicknamed Mystery Man, knocked up six of Montavon’s thoroughbred mares. Five foals were born, and the sixth died in its mother’s womb (the mare had to be euthanized).

How did Montavon not notice Mystery Man in the pasture, or her mares’ expanding girths, for 11 whole months?

According to the story:

‘I know it sounds crazy,’ Montavon said. But she said she doesn’t go out onto her 50 acres every day to personally check on her herd of more than 20 Thoroughbreds. A helper on the farm tends daily to the herd of mares and a few geldings, but he didn’t notice Mystery Man until Montavon pointed him out.

In addition, Montavon is often away from her farm because she owns lead ponies that escort horses onto the tracks at Keeneland, Churchill Downs and Ellis Park.”

Since no horses of Mystery Man’s likeness had been reported missing, Montavon sent the horse to a friend’s farm in Illinois. But first, she pulled some hairs from his mane to have DNA tested at the Veterinary Genetics Lab at the University of California-Davis. She hopes that if they can determine the parentage of Mystery Man, she can figure out who owned him and subsequently abandoned him.