I am going to do a series of posts introducing our “core four” horses. Most horses that come on our property, spend some quality time with us, and end up leaving us with a job to do, or renewed purpose. However, we do have our own personal horses, on top of all the horses we work with.

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This is Spark. In September 2019, we went to the Kalona sale barn in search of a pony for our kids. Initially they wanted a flashy paint pony that was in the loose pen, but Spark caught my attention, and Hezekiah’s. She kept coming close to the door in the pen for attention and he stood and petted her for a long time. She had just had shoes pulled off, and had a bridle path. And was super friendly. She wasn’t flashy and paint like but she was pretty cute.

When the ponies were ran down to a different area of the barn, Destini and Elijah checked them out to see which ones were seemingly broke with their Dad’s help. The paint pony and both black ponies were seemingly broke. There was another pony who looked very similar to Spark there

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During the bidding, the paint pony sold for way too high for what we had budgeted . The disappointment on the boy’s faces was very evident, but when Spark came through the ring, they all gave a nod of agreement that maybe this was the one. We bought Spark along with Wednesday, a very emaciated palomino mare from the loose pen auction and brought them home with us.

From day one, it was well known that Spark is a very special pony. She is surrounded by kids who LOVE her. She picks up her feet, stands to be bathed, stands to be tacked up , she will ride independently or on a lead line, will follow any horse, or pony off of them. She will follow any child endlessly giving pony rides. Spark has ridden double tacked up and bareback. She has carried children flopping around, and even put up with my six year old jumping off of her randomly while riding. (BOYS…)

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Spark is a pony…So she is technically possibly a spawn of Satan. Occasionally the does show through. Like the times she decides to be ornery and run off to the barn with the kids. Or the occasional naughty buck in the pasture if she wants to continue on eating her grass instead of being caught. But hey, everyone has their off days, right?

Yesterday Spark went for a two hour trail ride with us and rode double for two of my boys. She walked and trotted along, and let them get off and stretch and get right back on with no issue. She didn’t run them off the path, or take off with them, or throw her head down to eat grass. She acted like an old pro, and this was her first official trail ride.

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If you’re wondering…buy the kids a pony? I joke that, yeah ponies are devil spawns, buy a big horse… But seriously! Some ponies are golden! Spark was thrown away in a loose pen, destined most likely for a slaughter rig…Now she’s my children’s best friend. Buy the kids a pony. They build character, teach responsibility, build confidence, give them something to ride their own size, and give them a life time of fun memories! Nothing can replace the memories our kids have made with Spark. Their time spending quality family time riding their pony with Mom or Dad watching and cheering them on, can’t be replaced. Inspire them to spend less screen time and more family time. Give them an outlet for their stress. Horses are therapeutic all around and for all ages.

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Every month we see good ponies like Spark go through the kill pen. The majority of them leave on a semi truck unfortunately instead of on a nice family friendly trailer like ours. If you’re considering getting your kids a pony..Consider rescuing one. We can find you a good pony there, and we do what’s called “Pony boot camp.”

We have seven children ranging from 2 year old to 15 years old. Every pony we bring home gets vetted, dewormed, their hooves trimmed, and every day handling while in quarantine. We spend the time getting them Kid ready while they are here because we know a small child is likely in their future. Our kids get involved and desensitize, work on any riding quirks, and spend time riding them while they are on our property. We work hard to ensure these will be good kid friendly ponies. Some times, there’s a pony who ends up with a health issue down the road. Knowing that they come from the kill pen, there could always be a health issue pop up which could have been the reason they are there, but in our primary vet check he will look for any major health concerns that need addressed.

In short…Buy the kids a pony. Rescue a pony, and that pony will forever be grateful. A rescue almost always has the best attitude because they know what you did for them, and that they are given a better future, so they will return the favor with kindness.

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This trip we came home with something new…We have never before brought home a mule. We have never owned a mule, and honestly, I haven’t had the desire to have one, but they are fascinating creatures! Ok, in technicality we brought home two. One mini mule (which we think is more than likely a hinny), and one bigger mule. This post, however is about Molly….

Let me start by saying, Molly (Yes I know..not a very original name) is barely three years old. She is 13.1 hh right now, and SO strong. But if you were a toddler, and strong as Hercules…You probably wouldn’t know your own strength, right? She has some learning to do still. When we saw Molly at the sale, we had someone in our group chat looking for a mule, and she just seemed to speak to her, so she said bring her home with you. So we did. We brought home this sweet spunky little mule, and got her home and turns out Ms. Molly is very broke to ride under saddle. She has more than likely has been started driving as well.

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Sweet Molly has definitely been worked and started. She will walk, trot, and lope under saddle, is respectful and soft in her mouth, and she will walk over obstacles for you with a little encouragement. Molly, on the ground however is a little different. We have been working with her to gain human trust. I think Molly has only ever been worked, and her interaction with people was either only working, or negative. So she knows when she does her job well, she’s treated right, but on the ground she doesn’t quite know what to expect. She could use a round pen, and lots of petting and brushing and lead rope work.

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Our vet expects Molly to grow maybe two or three more inches, and just continue to fill out and be stocky. She will not be a huge mule, she will be a good mule to put kids on and teach them the ropes. Honestly, at this point any of my kids could ride her, if I didn’t worry about her spooking on the ground. She just needs more time to settle. You can see the intelligence in her eyes. She studies you, and it radiates from her. She is improving…She will now accept treats and some grain from my hand when before she would always pull away, and she will also now let me briefly pet her without holding on to her. I believe that with time and effort, Molly will come to trust people again.

Interestingly enough, the average lifespan of a mule is between 35 to 40 years, although some mules have been known to live until 50 years old if well looked after. Molly, being three years old has a looooooong life left ahead of her to make some family very happy! Would you be that family?

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Molly needs a family…Someone who is strong enough to handle her, hopefully with a small area to get to know her in, and patient enough to work through her quirks. Someone who has faith in her that knowing she does so well under saddle, that she will come around on the ground too. There is not a mean bone in Molly’s body. She needs compassion, patience and love. If you’re willing to provide that, please reach out to us.

You can find us on Facebook, under Aldrich Equine Adventures.

“Sorry…Too much for a rescue.” Is a response we often get. I get it…people see rescue horses as a “second hand” type deal…Or, think there must be some reason why they landed in a kill pen, or on a kill truck. There’s some reason why they are being sold at auction…Or there must be something wrong with them for someone to be selling them. The truth is…People buy and sell horses on a daily basis. I have found perfect, broke, well mannered horses in the loose pen and bid against kill buyers for them. My own children’ pony, Spark, was a kill pen rescue. She is broke for any kiddo to ride, and will ride triple for my kids.

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There is a LOT of time, money and effort that goes into rescuing horses from the kill pen. Maybe we find an amazing horse…a diamond in the rough in the pens, and write its number down..Kill buyers will send out scouts into the pens to write down what is remotely broke and they will pay higher amounts for those horses to be able to put them on their bail out sites. If you have ever wondered where they get there horses for bail out, now you know…They go to auctions that have large amounts of loose horses and large amounts of catalogued horses. They buy from both sides…catalogued and loose.

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So yes…It may be too much for a “rescue horse”. But how much would you pay for a pony to teach your kid the ropes of riding, and build confidence on…that you know won’t run buck or rear on them, and do anything crazy…How much would you pay for a sweet draft mare that will let anyone ride her, including a 7 year old beginner rider boy and do everything he asks her to do? If you knew she wasn’t a “rescue”, would you pay more?

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How about a paint mare who was blind…And reared up multiple times when spooked? But, in the right hands, and quite a bit of rehab and patience, has blossomed into a fabulous horse and is in turn instilling in a little boy a love for horses and confidence in the saddle?

What would you pay for the life experiences that come along with showing compassion and helping an animal who had no hope…Teaching all of us lessons in what love can do for a creature, both animal and human. They know…They know when you care about them and when you have given everything you can so they can have a better life. The ones who are the worst off, are often the most grateful, and in turn will be more likely to give you all they can in return.

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This month we set a record…For the most we have ever spent on a horse. It wasn’t a fancy, well trained show horse, or a well broke amazing trail horse…It was a chestnut mare in foal. There were four pregnant mares on the kill truck…And we wanted to at least make the difference for one of them. This Mama was too old, and would inevitably be shipped after foaling. We had already spent every dime we raised fundraising in the loose auction…And we pooled cash together with our friends, and we bought this beautiful Mama horse directly off the kill truck. We paid more for her, than we raised in our fundraiser. For ONE horse… But you know what…We are the difference for that one horse, and her foal. And the family who adopts her, they will have one amazing grateful mare.

You know what’s crazy…Mama came from the catalogued sale. She was not in the loose pen with all kinds of horses with no background info…She has papers, and papers to register the foal. She has awesome breeding, and so does her baby. A kill buyer bought her from the catalogued sale. Some people think it’s safe to sell their hose in a catalogued auction, and they will be more likely to go to an individual there. But at big sales like this one, kill buyers buy horses on both sides, and pull them all together at the end, and they all leave on the same truck.

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So, let me ask you..What would you pay for a horse that will forever impact your life? Who may be the horse you cry on when your day isn’t going so great, or who may one day look at you, and you just know they love you back like you love them? Or the horse that your kids can grow up loving on who babysits them in the pasture..Or the pony the kids drag around to their playhouse with them and follows them everywhere? Don’t write off the rescue horse because they are too expensive…In that expense is a labor of love, and care and compassion, and that horse is no less an exceptional horse than the one you see on Craigslist.

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“Horse trader” tends to be a bit of a nasty phrase in the horse world. Some people say, “I can’t stand horse traders… They rip people off and are never honest.” or..They’re only in it for the money. While I do believe there is some truth to that with some people…It’s the same as any thing. There are honest traders, and shady traders, and some in-between. You would see the same in any form of sales..Cars, real estate, products, vacuums. Anything that involves the buying and selling of things in general, there is the potential for someone to be dishonest or greedy.

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Let me start by saying, we are ‘horse traders.’ If you look up the definition of horse trading, it is literally, the buying and selling of horses. We do this every. single. month. We are not a 501.c3 NFP, although we are considering looking into it for the rescue side of things, and we have never claimed to be a licensed or registered rescue. We do, however, rescue 4-5 horses per month from a kill pen auction…Work with them while we quarantine them, and feed them and vet them, and have the farrier out to see them….We DO give them medications when needed and check on them multiple times a day. We do treat them with love and compassion like we would our own.

We know when we bring these horses home that they will not be with us permanently. In turn, that does make us horse traders. I have met a lot of horse traders over this past year. I’ve met some really good honest people. Are we all the same? Or have the same views on how to run business? No. But in general, most that I have met have agreed on a love for horses and an appreciation for all that they do.

I see some horse traders, like my friend Aaliyah Sytsma who I have ran into at the sale barn a time or two, who do trading…Ride those horses, and sell them but also take in the skinniest, most bad off neglected horses that a lot of people DON’T want to take on and try and nurse them back to health. She has put down two horses in the past couple of months that were just too far gone. And, at first glance…yes that’s what responsible horse owners would do…But how about the ones who don’t raise any funds, and put all of their own personal finances on the line, and have immense expenses when it comes to the vet bills and care of those bad off horses? She takes in these guys knowing there’s going to be immense expenses, and will possibly lose them anyway.

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One time we took in a sweet, appaloosa mare named Precious. My husband drove four hours to get her, and upon getting there we found out she had a very bad injury to her back leg. It was a gaping wound, and very swollen and tender. She could hardly put weight on it. He called me and we decided to bring her home. Precious went down in her stall the next day and I coaxed her back up. She had no fight. My little boy, who you can see above hugging her, went into her stall and nudged her head with his foot and asked me if the horse was dead. She certainly looked it. It took a few months to get Precious completely on the mend. Several times she was down and just trying to get relief from that back leg. We washed it, soaked it, wrapped it, applied antibiotic creams. She had anti inflammatories…This horse was smothered in love. Every day she was the first one to whinny to me. And when she was finally able to move well enough to be turned out, when my own horse snubbed me…Precious would limp her way straight to me. When she started feeling better and the vet approved her for light riding, my boys started going for the occasional short ride on her. She would ride bareback or saddled. They could ride her without a bridle or a lead rope and she would just walk along happy as she could be to return the favor we had given her. A lady reached out about Precious who had a horse that had suffered a similar injury, and it worked out they would be able to take her home with them for the amount of $ we had into her. She is now healthy and thriving. I get updates here and there about her and they named her Diva. I cried the day she left us. Sometimes you just pour your heart into a horse. And even though you know they won’t be with you forever…It doesn’t matter…You made the difference in that one horse.

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So…There’s the topic of the dreaded subject “Profit”. Sometimes we make a profit, and sometimes we do not. When we do…it is not a huge sizable profit. We are not in the business to make thousands of dollars a month on horses, although it sounds appealing some days. (just to be honest! haha) I wish I could just do it all the time, because it’s what I love!

First off, let me explain the expense side of things…When we go to the sale we raise some money. That money goes toward the pull price of the horses we bring home. Most times it does not even touch their feed, transportation, vet bills, farrier bill, medications, emergency visits, or training time. And yes, we count our time when we determine a price set for a horse. My daughter, my husband, sometimes our kids, and I spend an immense amount of time working with our rescue horses we bring home…Let me put it this way…Every horse that ever goes through auction has a reason for being there. Week one, we figure out their kinks and figure out what we need to work on with them to get them into shape to be a good horse for a family home so they don’t end up being bounced around in sale barns, or leave on a kill truck in the future. We have a standing appointment with our vet, Mark Hall, our of Kirkwood Stronghurst Veterinary Clinic for the first Wednesday after the sale every month for a new horse check and looking for any major soundness issues, or major health concerns that need addressed. Sometimes we have one or two who get sick following the sale barn, or have an abscess show up that needs treated. One time, on one of our rescues, after she went home, delivered a very premature surprise foal, and had some other health issues going on with her and we ended up helping try and offset the expenses of the emergency vet visit. These guys are not cheap. There is a lot more that goes into them than just buying them and bringing them home from auction. We want to ensure that they end up with the best life they can when they leave us and do our best to maintain a good relationship with every one who has bought a horse from us.

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Sometimes, we buy a horse because we have someone looking for something specific. So we watch for a good deal, and will find horse for them…Or maybe we see an outstanding deal, and buy a horse just because we know we constantly have people looking and we would be able to sell it. This is a non rescue purchase. This is a purchase that we spend money out of pocket on, hoping it will work out to be a good deal so if it doesn’t we can at least get our expenses back out of it. We have bought a couple of ponies before and found them an awesome home…We have bought several horses to keep them out of a sale barn, and a donkey. Some of them we didn’t make a profit on, and some we did.

There are some months, where things just don’t work out as well with the sale we rescue from and we end up with horses that may not end up being good riding horses. One example is Precious…and in the case of Lucky Lola. And Dolly, we ended up rehoming for less than the expenses than we had in here. Lucky Lola, we transported down to Florida and she is really living a horse’s dream life. Her vision is improving and she has had an 8 year old boy riding her. So it worked out well. But we had her for two months, paid a large amount for her not realizing she was blind at the sale, and had feed, farrier, vet expenses, etc for her. We also had Precious, a buckskin mare, who’s long ago former owner recognized her. Precious would have never been able to be more than a light riding horse, and was not kid broke…So we were able to give her to her old owner because we had raised funds to help offset our costs.

So, just call me a horse trader…If that offends you, that’s ok. We try our best to find good horses for good people, and it is an adventure that we have loved all the way along. When we started our page, I didn’t imagine the following we have now. And I appreciate the fact that people support us, and follow us. I appreciate the people who have bought horses and ponies from us, and keep in contact with us. I appreciate the time and effort my husband and daughter put into our rescue horses. You know a man loves you, when he spends time putting hours of work into something you love. Or drives four hours to pick up an injured, malnourished horse for you.

I just want to give a shout out to all you horse traders out there with a good, kind, honest heart! We appreciate you. We appreciate our rescues who put countless hours into rehabbing horses, and put up with the long process of court surrendering issues when the state has to get involved, such as Carrie Aldrich with Lucky Star in Alden, IA. We appreciate rescue people like Savannah Simo, and Eowyn Brewer, who help us out as needed at the sale, or when we need some encouragement or advice, and compare notes with us so we don’t bid against each other and in turn save more horses because it’s not a competition. We appreciate the people who donate to our fundraiser to help save the lives of horses in the slaughter pipeline. It takes people like you to make a difference. We appreciate you who have adopted horses from us! You have made the difference in that horse and gave them a future of hope.

Thank you for following us, and supporting us in what we do. I hope you continue to follow us at Aldrich Equine Adventures!

Usually when we go to the sale, I try my best to look for horses who we think we can work with…Ones who are seemingly sound, and have a lot of life left to them. There are horses young and old there, all breeds, all shapes and sizes. We try to handle them and see who we could potentially bring home and put some training and rehab on and find a good home for. There are literally hundreds of horses there, I feel like if the majority of them are going to leave on a kill truck, I at least want to save a few that have a good life ahead of them and will potentially make someone a life long riding partner. There have times that there has been a few that we have brought home that have not fit that bill, and we have found them homes as well…But as a whole, we usually try and stay healthy, and not on their last leg.

The very first time I saw Andre…Was at the end of the sale. I was one of the few people left in the auction barn, along with my friends. There were only two horses left, and then the door opened and this poor, sweet old Belgian was gentle led in by a worker. He had a lead rope around his neck, and that was all. One eye was closed, and he carried his head down low. I looked at my friend, Cheredith, and said what do you think the likelihood is that he is completely blind? She turned to say something to her husband and before I knew it, my hand was in the air.

Sometimes your heart just makes decisions before logic will sound its alarm. This horse was OLD. He was very gentle and sweet, and in horrible condition. I kept bidding on him until I had the winning bid. It was a small amount for such a big guy, but he was in rough shape.

Initially I had a sinking feeling that maybe I bought a stud and I would not be able to transport him home with our others. But, he was a gelding. He was just an old, bad off gelding. Andre’s one eye was completely swollen shut…He could not move his lips. They were dry, swollen, and cracked. He was dehydrated and needing some hay… My husband suggested that it was not the best choice because he would likely go down in our trailer on the way home.

Sure enough, within the two hour drive home, Andre went down in the trailer. Destini and Nathaniel were out until 5:45 am trying to get him up and out of the trailer. The poor guy just didn’t have a lot of strength left in him. He would attempt to get up, and moan and groan, but just couldn’t make it. He inched his way toward the door of the trailer. he must have known he wouldn’t be able to stand up in the trailer.

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After they got him up, they set up a small temporary pen for him outside and blanketed him. Just in case he were to go down again, that way he didn’t get stuck in the barn. On Tuesday, I was so relieved to see him still standing. He made it the entire day on Tuesday. Nathaniel hand fed him…He had to put the soaked alfalfa cubes directly to his teeth in order for him to lick it or attempt to chew it. And he guzzled water and gatorade like it was the best thing he had ever been given.

Tuesday afternoon, I spent time with Andre. I told him how handsome and sweet he was…I meticulously removed the burs from his mane and detangled it. I brushed him and hugged on him. My nine year old boy also brushed him and petted him and talked to him. We loved Andre, but it was apparent he was suffering. We have a standing appointment with our vet for the first Wednesday out of the month. I was trying to prepare myself for any bad news for Andre. I was concerned about his lips and limited mouth movement. It seemed his jaw may have been dislocated or broken. His eye was still swollen and watery. He just seemed so sad and broken.

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I mentally prepared myself for the worst. I felt bad already for making a rash decision bringing this guy home. It wasn’t me who was out for four and a half hours trying to get him up, or helping him up with a tractor in the middle of the night. And it wasn’t only me who would suffer heartache if he had to be put down or didn’t make it.

At some point throughout the night, Andre went down again. This time he just couldn’t get back up. He had no strength…And he had no fight. Our vet rushed to him when he saw him and was preparing to put him down immediately. Andre closed his eyes after having his injection, and just rested. He finally rested. I got there after he was already gone…He looked peaceful with a bit of a smile when he died. Andre died with dignity.

I don’t know where he came from, or how he ended up there. But I do know he was our horse for two days. Two days of love, and compassion, and spoiling. I wish I could have given him more. He certainly deserved it. It was an emotional roller coaster for a few days for myself, and my children. My husband is the calm, and collected one, and even he continues to be reminded of Andre when he walks in the trailer.

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I cried. I went in to our beautiful percheron rescue who is full of life, and such an amazing girl, and she put her head down and just let me cry and love on her. They can’t all be saved. I wish they could. When I thought I had myself all pulled together, I walked back out of the barn and around the corner to see my seven year old son standing over Andre’s body weeping silent tears. I rushed to him and hugged him and we cried together…He said Mom…if I would have known he was going to die when we brought him home…I would have brought him home anyway.

Andre taught us a lesson in compassion. They do so much for us. big magnificent creatures, who allow us to ride them, and train them to do things our way. They work for us…and they give us joy. Please don’t discard your old horse in an auction house. Let them die with dignity. Give them the respect they deserve for all they do for us.

Two days he was my horse. In two days, I loved him fierce. Andre will forever hold a special place in my family’s heart.

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When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of owning a horse..My grandad owned two horses. Monte and Jackie. Monte was a palomino, and Jackie was a bay. I still remember riding Monte as a tiny little girl. Jackie was reserved for only the ornery grandkids (like my brother) as she liked to act up. Grandad used to cart race, and my Dad would take me to races at the fair. I loved every minute of it. At home, my bicycle was a wild horse, running through wooded trails and jumping over obstacles. My notebook was full of drawings of horses and my bedroom full of grand champion toy horses instead of dolls… I was a horse crazed girl with no horse of my own!

That dream became a reality for me in 2018. I’ve always been one to research before I do something. I extensively researched how to maintain a fish tank as a teenager. I studied about what fish went together, and the correct temperature to keep the tank, and how to go about introducing new fish, about fish diseases and how to address them. I studied about birds, when we had pet birds…And now, I had a horse. There was studying to do. It was a learning process. Some days it still is.

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Making a long story short, it took a couple tries to find the right horse for us. But we ended up with our sweet girl Lightning. And then we were on a mission to find our kids a good, broke pony. Let me tell you, good broke ponies are worth their weight in gold.

This lead me to do some more digging..and more research led us to a sale barn. We went with the intention of bringing home a pony, and maybe one horse. We came home with both. Spark, our kids’ best buddy, and a poor skinny palomino mare that Jonathan nick named Bomb. (Her name is now Wednesday, and she is back to health completely and doing wonderful with her home!)

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The very first sale we went to, we saw the pens full outside, and then ventured into the barn and found out there were SO many MORE. I thought the outside pens were full, but the inside ones were so packed that a person could literally walk across the backs of the horses across three or four pens. How could so many horses possibly fit in one place? How could you even get to some of them to see what they were like? Some were so packed into the middle of the pens, there was no hope of any people being able to handle them. People stood on the fences looking over the crowd of horses to get a glimpse of what was there. There were horses of every color, most every breed… Beautiful paint horses, old, weathered standardbreds, OTTBs with racing plates still on, palominos, sorrels, blacks, buckskins…You could think it up, unless it was something truly rare and spectacular, it was likely there.

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Chaos filled the atmosphere of the sale barn. If you’ve never been to a sale that has loose horses, it can be quite the emotional experience. Injured horses, healthy horses, beat up horses, emaciated horses, foundered horses, babies, mamas separated, ponies, donkeys, mules…There’s some of everything. The majority of these horses are not broken down, and ready to be thrown away. Some may need cleaned up (Ok, MOST), and need some simple farrier work, maybe a round of antibiotics and a vet exam. But they are full of LIFE.

When I was young and dreamed of owning a horse, this is not exactly what I dreamed of… But the day that we walked into the sale barn and experienced the kill pen auction…and experienced being in the back when the big beautiful black draft horse, and young horses, old horses, and ponies were all herded down a cattle shute into a semi truck headed for slaughter, my dream of ‘owning’ a horse, shifted to a dream of saving them. It was eye opening and heart shattering, to see them dumped off and so easily discarded.

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We don’t have a big fancy ranch…We were not the most informed people in the horse industry…But we had a dream. When you dream of doing big things, all you have to do is put it to action. So we did…We started with a baby trailer that got made fun of..And then we saved up and worked out a deal and got a bigger trailer and fixed it up…Pretty soon, with the help of some fundraising, we were bringing home more with us each time. We started this amazing journey in September of 2019. Since then we have rescued, rehabbed, and rehomed (mostly!) a grand total of 19 directly from the sale. Plus another 8 that we have bought to keep OUT of the sale. That makes a grand total of 27 and counting…

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A dream doesn’t come without sacrifice….We do our best to do this right. Each month we bring home 4-5 horses/ponies. Last month we brought home several mini donkeys mostly due to the fact we had a pony that had not been rehomed yet and a horse we had bought to keep out of the sale that we still had. When we bring these guys home with us, we have a standing appointment with out vet for the Wednesday after the sale. He comes out and evaluates them all and checks to make there there are no major health concerns we need to address right away, and makes note of what we bring home in case anything comes up and we need emergency treatment. A few days later, our wonderful faithful farrier comes out and treats them all too pedicures.

These rescues get treated like family. We keep their hay bags full, give them fresh water and clean stalls, and work with them daily. Training time includes ground work, as well as riding time. We work with them on loading in trailers and desensitizing. With ponies, I jokingly refer to training time during quarantine as “pony boot camp.” Knowing that most ponies are going to homes with children, we do our very best to expose them to as much as we can and get them ready for their kids! Our boys and our oldest daughter Destini do their best to work with the ponies. We have seen some AMAZING ponies come home with us from the kill pen.

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We have monthly vet fees, usually running us about $300-400/month. We have the cost of the farrier at $30-40/horse depending on what shape their hooves are in. We have the cost of feeding these guys, and the occasional rounds of antibiotics. We have the cost of emergency vet visits, or a shot for a horse with colic. We have maintenance to keep up our barn, when horses decided to rearrange their stalls and make them their own. It’s not cheap to do this trip every month…but it is worth it.

It’s worth it to me to see my kids learn valuable life lessons. This year, they have grown in compassion, and love horses about like I loved them when I was a kid. We have seen our kids grow immensely. Their screen time has gone down significantly, and they are trying things that they have never done before. Elijah asked me one day, if the horses were really at risk of dying and going to slaughter, why we couldn’t just take TWO trailers and bring home as many as we could. Dreams are being born…

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We raise money every month to be able to do this. On our own, we could probably bring home one or two each month. All our donations, usually do not reach the amount of money we spend on the horses and ponies we bring home. But it does help offset the expenses, save some horses’ lives from the slaughter pipeline, and help us be able to keep their adoption fees pretty low. If you haven’t checked out our page on Facebook, please like and follow our page and keep an eye on Aldrich Equine Adventures.

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It was December 6th, 2019…And we were sitting in the stuffy, hot, auction house, watching ponies and horses go through the ring. They sell for as quick as 1-2 minutes. The ponies aren’t in the ring long. Just long enough to move around and grab someone’s attention. A little sorrel pony went through and someone yelled out “BROKE TO RIDE! 6 YRS old!” Nathaniel looked at me and I shrugged…eh, why not? He was going cheap… We were the winning bid.

After a while, we had two horses, and two ponies written down on our card and Nathaniel said…”Ok, we are DONE…” We were officially full in our trailer, and we were supposed to pick up another horse we bought to keep out of auction on our way home. He said, “We have two ponies and two horses. We are full.” Come to find out, we actually had THREE ponies and two horses because I bid on Rusty and forgot to write him down… OOPS

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We got everyone loaded, and ended up deciding to pick the horse up a different day instead of on our way home. Somehow, they all fit. We took a divider out for the ponies and everyone seemed to get along on the way home.

After the first couple days of settling, Rusty was still very wary of us. He cowered away in fear when we tried to pet him, and would be very quick to turn his hind end toward us when we tried to get near him. On a lead rope, he was a very skittish and jumpy. His flight instinct was VERY sensitive. The first day we had him tacked up to ride, this guy did pretty decently, but then, after a while, he spooked and bolted. Destini bailed off of him, and Rusty just kept on running.

This pony was HARD to catch! He jumped over a roll of fencing, jumped over a stack of siding, jumped over a fence in with the other horses, and then attempted to jump back over a fence to get back out and got stuck and was afraid to move. We all moved slowly and talked soothingly to him and untacked him. And got Rusty up on his feet and walking calmly with us… It was safe to say Rusty did not trust people in one bit. We were certain at that point that he had definitely suffered abuse at some point of his pony life.

Every day, we walk into the barn and Rusty was the first pony in the first stall. At first he cowered and shook…Then, little by little, he became friendlier. We would pet him and talk to him. One day, he stuck his head out of his stall and tried to steal my sandwich. This pony LOVES bread.

Rusty started to trust again. Our typical quarantine time came and went and Rusty was still with us before our January trip to the sale barn despite us rehoming him for a very low fee. The terms “green broke” and “pony” in the same sentence seem to scare most people off. Rusty had multiple things going against him…His age (16 years old), his size (13 hh is too large for a pasture pet), and the fact that he is green broke.

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Since quarantine was up, and this guy was in good health, Rusty was turned out with the other horses. He gets along with everyone, and surprisingly will come up to people for treats. Our nine year old boy, Hezekiah, will walk out every day and take Rusty a treat. Rusty will come right to him for a treat and for a good petting. He is usually easy to catch. *Knock on wood* I say that, but when I need to catch him quick, of course, he IS one hundred percent pony. Everything you do with Rusty, you have to take your time. If you are patient, he will work with you.

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Destini began to do some more work with him, since we have had trouble finding him a home. And now that Rusty is beginning to trust, he is doing well with groundwork, and with riding. On day one, he stopped moving around to be mounted, and now stands to be mounted bareback, or saddled. He will stand to be tacked up. He has respectful ground manners, and will pick up all of his feet. And now rides in a halter, as well as having a bit in his mouth.

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Rusty is still up for adoption…Looking for his forever family. He is big enough a small adult can continue to work with him. If he sticks around our place much longer, who knows what’s in his future! Maybe we will take him off for a while and turn him into an English pony…He sure has the jumping capabilities! Or maybe just continue turning into a good western pony and hopefully get him riding well enough for a kiddo to learn the ropes on. If you want a good companion pony, and a cool little project to work with though, consider Rusty! He may just be the guy for you!

Sometimes, in life, an amazing experience will happen to you, and you just need to share it with the world. Before the December sale, we were loading up the trailer with halters and lead ropes, and filling up hay nets and hanging them in the trailer in preparation for bringing home the lucky few who we could manage to bring home with us. As Nathaniel pulled the trailer out, I remember looking at him pulling out and praying a quick prayer of “Lord, please help us find the right horses this trip. Ones that we can help and find the perfect homes for. Help us make the right choices…” Some people don’t believe in the power of prayer, or don’t believe God would care about something so small and “unimportant” as making a choice of which horse to try and save. But God pays attention to the little things.

The next day Nathaniel and Destini loaded up and headed out before me, and I followed soon behind with some of our kiddos in tow. I did not get a lot of time to spend in the loose pens with the horses, but Destini and Nathaniel had noted some that they thought were friendly and were workable. The sale was packed full of horses…When it comes to making the choice as to who gets to come home with us, and who stays it can be HARD.

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My very first glimpse of Lucky Lola, was when I first got to the sale and walked back to the loose pens. There were all kinds of grumpy mares kicking at each other in the pen. It was over full and chaotic without much room to move. I took a picture of the rubbed off mane of a beautiful horse standing right by me, and unbeknownst to me, the beautiful horse that would forever leave a mark on my heart was standing right next to her.

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My first picture of Lucky Lola

By the time I had gotten back there, the auction worker were already yelling for everyone to clear out because they were moving the loose horses up front. The auction was getting ready to start. Destini pointed out the beautiful paint horse. She said, “THAT one is the one we need to get Mom…Write down her number.” I asked if she was broke..And she said, “Oh yeah! I saw people on her, and she handles real gentle on the lead rope.” I could not see her number so she snapped a picture to compare her to when she came through the ring.

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Bidding time was up…We didn’t have numbers written down, but had a general idea of which horses were semi broke or at least friendly. We bought three ponies. Two very broke, sweet ponies who would go on to be a child’s dream come true at Christmas time, and one not so broke, sweet but definitely abused pony. We bought a sweet buckskin mare, with bad ankles, and when the beautiful paint mare came through the ring, we paid more than our usual budget for her because Destini insisted this was the horse we needed. I was mentally calculating how on earth we would get them all in the trailer, and just how much money we had SPENT compared to how much we had raised…You know, every month we spend quite a bit more than the funds we raised. This month we had spent over $2600 before and during the sale, keeping horses out of the auction, and rescuing them from there. Having raised $1100..That was still a pretty big chunk of change sitting in the balance of hoping we would have some good horses to work with.

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Following the sale, Nathaniel and Destini went and gathered the horses from the back that we had bought, while I waited impatiently at the trailer. Destini ran out of the barn with our beautiful paint horse trotting behind her, and I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the joy of freedom this horse must be feeling. The relief! Destini was beyond excited about bringing her home. We tied her at the trailer, and while they were getting the rest of the horses and ponies, I was rubbing her down. I petted her head, and her neck, and her body, and when I rubbed on her belly she tried to kick me. And she was being pretty pushy with her head.

We got Lucky Lola home, and put in her stall for the evening. The next day, we brought her outside to brush her down and remove her auction tags, and when my father in law walked up, she randomly reared up. We calmed her, but this was the beginning of a notable habit. When she was spooked, usually by nothing major, or a sudden appearance of something, or someone…She would rear. Destini rode her. She tried to rear the first time mounted, and then settled, and she did ride pretty decently for Destini around the property but seemed very uncertain about her footing.

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Our vet came out and examined her after a few days of being home with us, like he always does..And it was determined that our beautiful paint horse was almost completely blind…We had also gotten the bad news that our buckskin mare would not be sound to ride, except for very light weight riders, and light riding. Lola reared five times during her examination. She seemed to be freshly blind, and quick to react.

I was heart broken. Lucky Lola was our most expensive purchase the sale, and she was worth every dime. But now, I was worried that she would be dangerous to have around children with her rearing habit, and she would not see them to avoid coming down on them should she spook. I also was concerned about being able to turn her out later on with an electric fence. I was concerned I would not be able to find a good home for her with an owner who would be willing to be patient with her and work with her. She was obviously a well broke horse, but how many people wanted a blind horse? Especially one who rears all the time… And then the news about the buckskin being lame…And we realized Rusty, our project pony was going to be a bigger project than we realized…I thought, man..I prayed about this sale..God, what’s going on?

So the owner of the buckskin mare, recognized her on our page…Upon matching up the markings AND scars, we determined it was the same horse who was born on her property about 11 year prior. And the woman still owned her dam, who also had the same issues going on with her ankles. We, having raised the funds to do so, were able to give her to her previous owner, to stay as a forever horse and not worry about a kill pen again. But I still had this beautiful paint mare that I was so worked up about needing a home. What to do with a blind horse….. I was afraid someone would take her and not keep her for a long time, then it would be stressful on her, and she would likely sooner than later end up back at the loose pens…

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Two of our sweet donors for the sale started sharing some info for me. Susan Cunningham of Galesburg, every single month donates to help us saves some lives, and her daughter, Kim Nugent, also helped raise quite a bit toward our December sale. These ladies have gotten to be very dear to me over the past couple of months! We have met some amazing people along the way… Kim Nugent passed on Lucky Lola’s information to a man in Florida named Brian…Brian contacted the vet, interested in Lola and scheduled a time for him to give her a thorough evaluation.

The vet came out on December the 23rd…You know what was amazing? Some of Lola’s eye sight seemed to be returning. I had noticed little changes in her behavior. I used to walk in her stall with an alfalfa cube, and I would tap it on the wood ledge in her stall window and she would come to it and barely let me pet her head. But one day, I was cleaning a stall next to her, and I noticed she was watching me. I thought…”Oh maybe she can hear me…”

It turned out, Brian did want her after all…And we had to figure out transportation. Brian sent us a donation to help with the transport and travel costs for our family to trailer her down to Labelle, FL to his place, Grassy Run Ranch. We were excited about Lola’s eyesight returning. Destini and I set up an obstacle course for her, and put her on a lead rope, and helped teach her to sniff things out and feel with her nose. She would go anywhere and was willing to work through obstacles slowly but surely for a grain bucket.

We had talked about the need to turn her out because we would not be delivering her until the end of January and it was around Christmas time. I did not know how she would do with the fence, but we took her out and introduced her to the pasture horses, and walked the perimeter with her, and introduced her to the electric fence. She seemed to be doing well, and that night we left her pastured. When Destini entered the barn the next morning, she was greeted at the door by two horses and Lola was in the hay room helping herself to all the hay bales and keeping everyone else out! It was really quite the site.

We tried again a couple of days later. I watched her nose around the property and she found any object that could be in her way of walking. After a while, she was on the other end of the pasture…I got a treat, walked to the fence, and whistled “Lola! Come here girl!” And she perked her head up and looked at me…And walked straight to me for her treat and let me pet on her! I think my heart melted that day. As the days went on, I noticed her vision slowly seeming to improve. Our vet also agreed that her vision appeared to be returning.

A couple more weeks went by and it came time to transport Lucky Lola to Florida…Let me tell you, it is a LONG haul from Galesburg, IL to LaBelle, FL. We spent roughly 25 hours in our van with our kiddos over a couple of days getting down there. We had adventures along the way!

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We stopped in Perry, GA at a beautiful facility called Malatchie Trails..If you’re ever in Georgia and want a cool place to stay with your horse, check them out! They are amazing, friendly people and really took good care of us and Lola. There are 15 miles of trails there and beautiful scenery and lakes and small cabins that are very affordable.

Our next stop after staying in Malatchie was Grassy Run Ranch. We arrived at Grassy Run Ranch in the evening, and Brian and Loretta were ever so kind as to let us stay in their Cracker Cabin! We were beyond excited to arrive there, and see Lucky Lola’s beautiful new home. I can’t even begin to describe to you the amount of impact this trip made on us and our children. We had some amazing adventures and fun memories made, and learned so many life lessons along the way with Miss Lucky Lola and Grassy Run Ranch.

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Grassy Run Ranch is AMAZING. There’s cattle, resident alligators, a few horses, rescue dogs…a beautiful mixture of wild life, and wonderful people! My emphasis really goes on wonderful people. Brian and Loretta are amazing people. I spent some time with Loretta and she treated me like a long lost friend. Brian really knows how to run a business, and is a very level headed man, with a kind heart. The world needs more people like the Dickerson family! Jane and John, Brian’s parents were so hospitable to us. And the family as a whole, will forever hold a special place in our hearts!

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The Ranch was amazing, the people were amazing, I guess that leaves the AMAZING horse that got involved with all of this when someone dumped her in the kill pen auction. Whoever you are, who previously owned this beautiful Lucky Lola….her outcome could have been SO much worse… As it is for hundreds of horses each month at this sale. But I hope you can rest easier, knowing that Lola was the luckiest horse in the entire sale barn that day….

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Lucky Lola is well loved and will live out her life at Grassy Run Ranch. Her vision is returning. She can SEE. She saw the cows, and the birds, she looked at me, and follows people along the fence. Maybe it really is true, what people say…Sometimes you just get Lucky.

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