It is said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. When we arrive at auction day and head around back to the loose pens, we see chaos, and horses that are crammed in with no information about them. A lot of people would look at that mess and just write them off as problems horses, or “junk” horses that no one wanted.
It is true, that there is always a reason that a horse ends up at auction. It may be a health issue, or it may be a riding quirk, or bad behavior standing tied, or maybe bad ground manners. They may not like the farrier, or may paw at the ground.. They may buck or rear, or randomly bite, or snatch your sandwich from your hand when you’re not paying attention. They may think fly spray is the spray of death, or be afraid of the hose. They may not trust people because people have always failed them.
We have found that the majority of the problems that land horses in the auction barn in the kill pen can be fixed with time and consistency. Health problems, a lot of time can be mended. A Chiropractor adjustment will do wonders for a horse’s back…The dentist can file down those sharp teeth when needed…The vet can recommend rehabilitation suggestions, and help set an action plan to get their health on track.
So they may look like junk at a quick glance, but in reality, what horse ever started off as perfect? Horses need training, and time and consistency. Why not take a “problem horse” and turn them into an AMAZING horse? Perhaps a horse that could potentially be your new best friend or life long riding partner? Why not look a little past the initial “junk” view and see the hope and possibilities these horses are capable of? So many horses get thrown away and SO many end up either bounced through auction after auction, or shipped off to slaughter, when someone could have invested a little time into them and helped shape them into something amazing.
Cane, one of our rescues from the June 2020 sale
We make it our goal to help good horses find good people. Horses like Cane, pictured above, are thrown away in sales like these. A lot of drafts leave on kill trucks packed in with all other sized horses and ponies headed for the same destination. Cane is a gentle, sweet soul. He loves kids and came to life any time the kids wanted to talk to him or pet him.
A rescue horse develops the most wonderful bond with the people who rescue them. They know they truly care about them and will go to great lengths to get them into the shape they know they should be in. They know that when someone else threw them away, their rescuer stepped in and saw potential when they looked them in the eye. A rescue horse, may have issues along the way that need worked through, but their bond is priceless.
We have been very busy with horses outside of the sale barn over the past few months. We LOVE our trips to the auction and bringing them home with us. It is a very exciting time and we all have trouble sleeping the night before with anticipation. We have also come to realize that the best way to impact the horse slaughter business, is to keep horses out of the sale barns to begin with. We have taken on a lot of project horses lately, and have been working on training and working out kinks and rehoming to individuals with whom we maintain contact with. We have had a couple of rehabilitation horses in progress this month, and it has been so rewarding to see the life just come back into their eyes as their body condition improves with good care and feed.
Tomorrow, we have an adventure again…I am stuck in hospital land with my sweet baby girl while she is recovering from her heart surgery, but Nathaniel and Destini will be at Kalona looking for the lucky few to be able to bring home with us and give them the experience of HOPE. The potential is there. It just needs a person to help turn the potential into reality. Make sure you continue to follow along with all of our crazy adventures! 🙂
