horse rescue

There's not a day that goes by when we don't get several emails about horses needing homes. Their owners have gone belly-up and can't afford to keep their farms or horse rescues are overburdened and desperate to place horses they've taken in.

One message we received was especially short. It said something to the effect that "Nice mare at racetrack has two days left or goes for meat." Reading between the lines, it meant that the horse was a loser on the racetrack, the trainer wanted to make room for a better prospect and if the mare didn't find a home fast, she'd be sold directly for slaughter or would likely end up at slaughter via a horse auction. This goes on all the time and I don't know why this message in particular really got to me, but it did.

With several horses of my own to feed, there was no way I could independently support another. I impulsively contacted six women who board their horses at our barn and, without hesitation, each agreed that we could make a joint effort to rescue this horse. I contacted the trainer and negotiated a price. It was just a few hundred dollars and about $50 more than he'd have gotten from the kill-buyer.

Two days later, three of us drove to the racetrack with trailer in tow. We had no idea what the horse looked like or if she was sane or insane. We hoped it was a horse we could handle, retrain and place. To our delight, she was absolutely gorgeous and gracious in appearance with a gentle personality. She was about 15.2-hands high, not a 17-hand, fire-breathing dragon.

We learned that she was four years old and had spent the last year or more living in a concrete stall. The only break she had was the one hour a day she was exercised on the track or the times she ran in a race. She'd only won one of 15 races.

After we got the mare settled here at the farm, we started organizing. We arranged to have monthly meetings to discuss the mare's care. We each agreed to pay a flat amount monthly and build a fund to pay her expenses. We had the veterinarian come and provide essential vaccinations she hadn't had. We put her on a good worming program. We took turns grooming and nursing an old tendon injury.

Our resident trainer, who uses natural horsemanship techniques, donated her services and spent a year slowly and patiently retraining the horse. She was also our accountant and provided routine reports on our expenditures and the health of our finances.

ENLIST ADDITIONAL HELP

We had outside help too. One of the farriers donated or discounted services. We negotiated with the veterinarian for a discount on vaccines and other routine care, pointing out that if each of us involved with horses contributes a little, a lot can be accomplished.

The mare was a willing student and other than a rearing problem at the mounting block, which the trainer resolved, the time came to find a home for a horse that we'd all come to love. We were sick at the thought of her leaving. Luckily, one of the ladies who rides at our barn, and a person we knew would make a fantastic owner, was interested. For a modest amount, we sold her the mare, who continues to live here.

The money from the sale and the money left over from our fund was divided among the group. We have a contract that ensures a safe future: the mare will come back to us if anything ever happens to her owner.

This joint effort is great way to rescue a horse that one person alone cannot. It wasn't always a completely smooth process though. Our group occasionally had disagreements; whether or not to change the mare's name was one, but overall, it was an amiable endeavor.

If you put together a rescue group such as ours, make sure each person you include is the responsible, committed and cooperative type. Try to rescue a horse that you know your group can help. We were lucky to have a wonderful trainer amongst us who can handle just about any horse, but be realistic about the training limits your group has.