“In their eyes, we find solace and our troubles melt away; in their presence, we find sanctuary and our spirits soar.”

The last couple that came here to adopt a pup asked about horses and what we do for them.  It’s been a while since I explained when and how I started rescuing equines.  The most important thing to know is that we aren’t horse dealers.  We are a sanctuary for old and/or abused horses.  There is a possibility I might adopt out Lennox, our most recent rescue, because she is young and healthy, which is completely appropriate for a 501(c)3.  None of the other horses will ever be available.  

Paloma, a senior registered QH, was the first mare I rescued from a killpen in Texas.  The story behind her is especially tragic because she had the same owner for 21 years (since birth).  The prior owner had health issues and thought she sold Paloma to a loving family. Killbuyers often deceive people and pretend to be great people when they see a free or low cost horse for sale.  (TIP: Always ask AT LEAST $800 for your horse IF you sell to discourage killbuyers).  Anyway, Paloma has multiple melanomas all over her body. She is hospice but is holding on very well.  She’ll be given the final act of kindness *if* a tumor spreads to a major organ or severely reduces the quality of her life.  It often spreads to the stomach, causing recurrent colic. She’s sweet and beautiful.  

Juniper, an OTTB, is NOT a rescue.  She was purchased 8 years ago off track at 6 years old.  She had a long and successful career and is my favorite riding partner.  She loves to be worked with.  Juniper (JC name Yellow Tadpole) was my first experience restarting an off track Thoroughbred.

Romeo was also not a rescue.  He was sold to us locally ten years ago as a colt to keep my late mare, Maisey, company when we moved here.  He is a registered 15.2 hh “sport pony.” (Dales × Percheron.) He is part of the reason we rescue only mares – he is a ridgling and has stud-like tendencies.  He will attack another gelding.  His embedded testicle is basically inoperable and surgery probably wouldn’t change his behavior at this point.  He guards his mares.  He loves them. 

 

Halldora is an ex-trotting racehorse who was rescued about a year ago from the pipeline.  She is 22 and had almost been worked to death by the Amish.  She has some complex partial paralysis of nerves in her face and neck that make swallowing difficult.  Her feed has to be soaked.  She is blind in her right eye and has numerous scars all over the right side of her body.  When I rescued her from a Canadian killbuyer, she had a body score of 1-2.  I didn’t know if her injuries were survivable.  Luckily, they were.  

Ravina was rescued from an intermediary kill broker in Michigan.  Ravina is young -only 11.  She was an Amish buggy horse and was probably sold because she can be incredibly difficult to handle.  It’s been a year and she still doesn’t trust me 100 percent.  Someone did her wrong and I am determined to make things right.  She is a stunning Friesian cross.  I do have an affinity for Friesians and light drafts. She is started under saddle.  

Ceridwen was rescued from the same place as Halldora.  She is allegedly a Morgan/Friesian cross.  I’m not sure about the Friesian part – I believe she has Morgan and Standardbred.   I will eventually have her DNA tested.  She is another buggy horse that was worked into the ground.  She is now incredibly sweet and a little wild and playful.  She enjoys her new life for sure. 

Lennox (JC name Fast Fantasy) is a 16 year-old OTTB that had really bad luck later in life.  Her owner died and she didn’t do very well in the months following.  I have experience with re-feeding horses and took her on without hesitation.  I’ve had her about 6 weeks and she’s gained roughly 80 lbs (horses should  only gain a pound a day so it can take forever to see results.) Lennox is the first horse that I rescued since I became a 501(c)3.  I have not decided if I will adopt her out or not.  Her feet were in such horrible shape that she has been intermittently unsound.  It will take 6 months to get a handle on what her potential may be.  She was not restarted after racing, so I will begin riding evaluations after she is a body score of 5.  She is stunningly beautiful with amazing bloodlines.  If I adopt her, it will be imperative that she not be bred.  There are too many OTTBs out there without homes.  The first pic is the day she arrived in early June of 2024. The second is July 10th.

About the slaughter pipeline:

The only way to end the export of American horses to Canada and Mexico is through the Safe Act.  It is important to research the history of the Safe Act and why it keeps getting stalled in the Senate (the house has passed a couple of versions of it.   We’re so close!)

The slaughter pipeline is complicated.  Some killbuyers quietly buy horses at auction and ship them directly to slaughter.  That’s the end for them.  They get no second chance.  The slaughter industry has created fertile ground for other bad players who often try to sell horses to the public for a profit before sending the horse to another killbuyer or sending them to another auction crawling with other killbuyers. Never sell a horse at an auction.  In fact, don’t buy or adopt a horse unless you are ready to make a commitment for a lifetime. Killbuyers are everywhere and exploit rescues and people with big hearts. Horse meat prices are also surprisingly high.  

A lot of people argue that you shouldn’t rescue from killbuyers because you are feeding the system.  The truth is that every killbuyer has a contract with kill pens in Mexico and Canada. They have quotas to fill and they meet them. You can pull a FOIA request to obtain this information. I am fully aware that another horse took the place of the horses I saved and it destroys me inside. However, I felt like the horses I saved still had a strong urge to fight and years of quality life left in them.  It’s a conundrum and there is no right answer except to advocate for the SAFE Act. 

I will not apologize for the horses I saved.  Ever.  I will, however, continue educating the public and pestering senators about banning horses for meat export.  I’m quite passionate about this issue and will be posting more about it.