RICHMOND, Ky. -- Hundreds of horses are roaming free in a rural Kentucky county.
Researchers at Eastern Kentucky University estimate 400 horses are roaming a mine reclamation site in Breathitt County. They include quarter horses, saddlebreds, mules and donkeys.
EKU Professor Ed Fredrickson believes many of the horses were abandoned during the 2008 economic downturn and have increased in numbers.
On Saturday, EKU faculty and students will perform an aerial inventory of the horses as part of a project to help the county form management plans for the horses and land.
Photo: EKU