A Selle Francais stallion reported missing from Cherokee County, Ga., last month had fallen in a well on the property where he lived. Venus Du Vey’s owner, Anne DuPard, has thanked the horse community for its support and a fund has been set up in the horse’s memory to benefit Stolen Horse International (SHI), the organization DuPard turned to when it appeared the horse had been stolen.

Venus went missing sometime during the night of Sept. 30. DuPard was in France assisting a family member in poor health, and a caretaker was watching DuPard’s horses. Stolen Horse International and its NetPosse volunteer network began working to locate the horse as soon as the caretaker discovered Venus’ absence.

“Just wanted to let you know the sad news that we found Venus on our property,” reported DuPard on the SHI web site on Oct. 18. “He actually never left the property and fell in an old well that was covered and the person who took care of the horses did not see it. He broke his neck in his fall and seems to not have suffered.

“We are grieving him at the moment,” she continued. “We need to fill the well with dirt and I guess Venus chose his grave. Thank you for your help and support