This is Amanda Stanton’s second time having animals seized. Her first charges were filed in 2018 with a conviction coming in 2019. She was banned from owning horses for one year, as per the statute of Virginia. Shortly after that expiration, she created Bay Ridge Equestrian, leased a property and started a riding program in Nokesville, Virginia. 
   
    Over the last few years, the local community watched the number of horses on the property grow with low grumblings of concern. Many posts started to appear of the facility looking for horses to lease as school horses, horses for sale and others for lease. 

     Those same locals also recognized one of her boarders as a deputy and hoped that she would have mentioned abuse/neglect at the farm. Those hopes proved to be pure optimism.  In the early hours of March 17th, 2023, the equines, sheep, goats and cats were seized by the county. Several boarders ended up being caught in the mix, including the deputy.  All of the boarders had their seizures dismissed with judge making special exception of the deputy that she didn’t believe she was as innocent as she claimed. 
  The commonwealth attorney (attorney representing the county here in Virginia) handled the seizure hearing, but we have a special task force designed specifically for prosecuting animals laws in this state. That assistant to the Attorney General has prosecuted MANY cases of this nature. 
It is a direct conflict of interest for the county to be dealing with a deputy. Add in the other county involved for another seizure of Ms. Stanton’s animals, and we have the perfect reasoning for the county to turn this over to the state. 
please support the horses and the horse community of Virginia and Fauquier County as we ask for justice and for the horses to be fairly and unbiasedly represented in court.