Horse held years in dark Florida barn has joyous reaction when freed. See video

A young stallion that spent much of its life in a stall has been freed as part of an animal cruelty investigation, and video of his joyous reaction is getting hundreds of thousands of views on social media.

The clip, just 20 seconds long, shows 2-year-old Thunder reacting to wide open spaces with a burst of energy, running in circles, bucking and kicking up his hooves.

“He was kept in a very small stall in a dark barn and never turned out to pasture,” the Polk County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a June 3 Facebook post.

“This is his first time ever experiencing a pasture and being able to run free (well somewhat free) and he is loving it.”

Thunder, a Paso Fino, was rescued Sunday, June 1, when the Polk County Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit followed up on a tip about two horses looking malnourished at a Lake Wales farm, about a 60-mile drive east from Tampa.

Deputies arrived to find seven live horses and one dead one, along with 11 goats and two sheep. Three of the live horses appeared “neglected and in poor condition,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

When questioned, the homeowner “told detectives that he was taking care of the animals for a friend but that it was too expensive to feed them, and that he told the friend to come get the animals three months ago,” the sheriff’s office said.

All the animals, including Thunder, were seized and the homeowner was charged with felony animal cruelty and three counts of confining animals without proper food, care, and sustenance, officials said.

The video of Thunder kicking up his heels was posted June 3 and had racked up more than 530,000 views and 1,700 comments as of June 5, many noting the ordeal had clearly not broken the horse’s spirit.

“Seeing him run brings tears to my eyes,” Debbie Hendrix posted on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.

“You can watch him and just see how spirited, free and how happy he is now,” Mary Jane Favell Scalzo wrote.

Thunder’s temporary home is the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Stockade, which is “Horsey Heaven” compared to his past accommodations, the sheriff’s office said.

His future remains uncertain. In a “best case scenario” all the confiscated animals will be surrendered to the sheriff’s office, officials said.

However, the homeowner says some of the animals are owned by other people.

“So the owner(s) could come forward and surrender them, or the PCSO may have to get a court order to take custody,” the sheriff’s office said. “Once we get custody, we typically turn the horses over to a nearby horse rescue that cares for them and finds them a loving home.”

This story was originally published June 5, 2025 at 4:36 AM with the headline "Horse held years in dark Florida barn has joyous reaction when freed. See video."