Tucked away in Camden is All American Farm; a special place for horses, but not the ones you may think of in this part of the state. Camden is known as horse country. The Kershaw County city is home to the Carolina Cup, and a nearly century old race course. The city boasts having the highest density of horses in all of South Carolina. But at all American Farm, the equines are not thoroughbreds or show horses, but rather rescues animals.
Owner, Alicia Allmond said all but one of her horses have been in bad situations. "Somehow I found out about them and was able to bring them here to my farm, rehabilitate them, which means getting them back up to a healthy state, get them to trust humans again."
Allmond and her husband Sam are both veterans and have focused on horses that don't fit the traditional ideals, like those lacking perfect confirmation, competitive physiques or flashy appearances. Allmond said, these are the horses that are often discarded, left to starve or even sent to kill pens.
"I always say we're all rescued from something. It just so happens that I have equines that are rescued."
One of those equines is a retired military horse called Trooper. Allmond said the 29-year-old draft horse was with the old guard and served at Arlington National Cemetery, carrying the caskets of fallen service members. In 2022, Allmond said she learned Trooper could be adopted and said it felt like the right thing to do.
"Being able to bring another service member to our family; knowing that he's gonna be in our care, it felt, and still does feel really good."
Allmond said Trooper is battling cancer and moves a little slower at times.
"He stumbles a little bit and he's starting to lose a little bit of weight, but his energy is still up there; he's an amazing horse. He's definitely a leader."
She said she knows the end is near, but takes pleasure in knowing "he's done some amazing things, just like human service members.
