Part 2 - Slaughter bound plow horse saved, a heartwarming story about Hope

Authors:  Holly Taggart, Flourishing Tree Farms and Amber Doster, STH Volunteer

“The day we decided to go for it all and bail her out of the kill pen, I was told she was safe.” My heart skipped a beat but jumped for joy to know Meatball was safe. Little did I know, my journey with Meatball had just begun.

I had been watching the slaughter pipeline now for some time.  My husband and I now had the means and a facility to be able to go in and rescue those who needed to be saved.  We have watched these horses come and go and helped donate a little along the way to save some. Then came Meatball, the big, beautiful Belgium draft mare, which was a different story.  She really stood out to us.  We watched her video and watched her ride and she seemed so sweet but so defeated. The day we decided to go for it and bail her out, I was told she was safe.  

 

Meatball was one of two Belgium drafts that was saved from a kill pen, on a cold January morning in 2022.  She came to Save The Horses (STH) with Punkin Pie (now Beshert), scared and tired from the long journey. Beshert severely malnourished and had horrible hooves. Their uncertain destiny became certain that January morning and their journey toward rehabilitation and rehoming started that very day.

 

I LOVE drafts!! Their size and beauty to me is unmatched by any others. Living so close to Amish country and watching them at the Pennsylvania farm shows just fueled my passion for these beautiful animals. I would love to own a hitch someday however, seeing all the drafts used up by the Amish then shipped to the auction when their working days were done is absolutely heartbreaking.   I wanted to start somewhere so I decided I would rescue out of the slaughter pipeline and give one or 2 a chance at a better life. 

 

I inquired with STH, a local rescue, about adopting a horse.  Much to my surprise, the Belgium draft I had been patiently watching and hoping to save from the kill pen was at STH, literally a stone’s throw from our farm. Call it fate, luck, or destiny, it was meant to be. We started the adoption process immediately. 

After the adoption was approved, we set out to bring her home. We have a large round pen, which is where she was going to stay until the vet had the chance to check her over. When we arrived home, I pulled right up to the round pen not knowing how she would react. When I opened the trailer door to go in and get her out, she was shaking like a leaf. I felt so bad!!!  All I could think of was, oh my goodness she’s probably thinking now where am I going? Whose hands am I going to be in now?  My heart sank, but even though she was nervous she never made a wrong move, she was kind and as gentle as she could be. I walked her into the round pen and let her go and she took a deep sigh and was completely calm and peaceful. From that moment forward, it has been like she has been here for years. I am completely amazed at how well she has handled herself with all that she has been through, most of which we will never know. She is so calm and sweet to be around. My daughters and I were leaning on the panels watching her amazed at her size and gentleness. I said to them “After all she’s been through, I don’t think she ever gave up hope. Her eyes tell the story and if you look deep enough you can see it.”  My youngest daughter says, “mommy I think you just found her name, Hope.” So that is what we have named her.  We now have the honor of calling Meatball, now Hope, the newest, and largest member of our family. 

I firmly believe for every person out there with the passion and fire in their blood for horses there is a specific horse created for that person.  In time, I do believe that horse and person will cross paths and become a match made in heaven. When I was a little girl my first pony was my match. That pony meant the world to me and taught me so many life lessons as a little girl that I still carry and use today. Over the years I have had many horses, but none was like that pony. For years I have prayed and prayed for the chance to own another one that was created for me and to teach me as he did. I have 4 horses here on our farm and one I am very close with but there is still something missing. Then Hope entered in. I don’t really know how to describe it.  From the moment she stepped off that trailer with me something clicked. I knew immediately she was meant to be here for some reason or some person I just didn’t know who. It took some time as usual for her to trust us, but she loves apples, and my husband won her heart with those. 

 

After a few days here I moved her to our paddock by the barn so she could get out of the rain some until her shelter is built. I blew my knee out and I have a hard time walking now. Going downhill is much better than going uphill for me. To get from where she was to the barn is quite the hill. Walking her down was ok but when it was time to walk her back up the hill I was struggling. I whispered to her “I need your help could you pull me up this hill.”  In a split second she walked slightly ahead of me, gently and slowly which takes effort for a big horse like that and pulled me up the hill. I knew that moment she was here for me. Since then, she has been my shadow, literally, she follows so closely behind me when I clean up the paddock that I can feel her breathing on my neck. She stays like that the whole time. Then when I leave her eyes plead with you to stay.  

I tell people I never would have imagined a broken-down plow horse bound for the slaughterhouse would have been created for me but here she is, and I absolutely love her. I am beyond excited to see where this journey goes. There is so much to learn from her, and her eyes speak volumes. I just need to listen. Whatever Cheryl said to the two drafts that fateful January night, they both must have taken it to heart. 
 
Hope will be very, very loved and will live a very easy life just loved on and being her. She resides on our goat farm, Flourishingtreefarms.com where we raise ADGA and MDGA Registered Nigerian and Nubian dwarf dairy goats.
 
Our next blog will feature more on kill pen auctions and how to help prevent horses from hitting the slaughter pipeline. If you enjoyed this blog and would like to help contribute to the ongoing care and rescue efforts, please click here to donate or visit our website at www.savethehorses.org and click on ‘Ways to Give’. 
 
If you are interested in volunteering at STH, sponsoring one of our animals, or considering adoption or our foster program, please visit www.savethehorses.org for more information.
 
We are rescue and cannot do it without your support!

Beshert

Author: Annabelle Carr 

“Beshert”, what does that mean?   Beshert is Jewish for “Meant To Be”, so I have learned.  This Belgian Draft's name was Punkin Pie when she came in from the kill pen, but her name was eventually changed by the Save The Horses' volunteer Friday evening crew. 

 

When I met this Belgian Draft horse, it was 3:10 am on a morning in January 2022.  I heard from Cheryl Flanagan that two drafts from the kill pen were coming into our quarantine facility, where I had been helping with feedings, with an arrival time of 2 am.  I asked if she needed help unloading the transport truck, and Cheryl graciously accepted my offer.  When I arrived at the main rescue barn to pick up Cheryl, to take her to quarantine, I learned that 2 am had been moved to 3 am, her phone was dead, and she couldn't reach me.  She had messaged my FB page, but I wasn't checking that.  Gosh, I could have slept a little longer!  We ended up heading out and waited in my truck for almost an hour for the transporter to arrive.  We chatted, and in that hour, I learned so many things from Cheryl, what an amazing life she leads.  Each day is about helping a person or animals in need.  We should all give so much each day and live each day to the fullest like that. 

When the transport truck arrived at 3:10 am, one horse was pulled off the trailer with the description of a well-mannered draft, probably Amish, calm, and trained.  Cheryl was handed that one.  The next was said to be much bigger, stronger and a bit harder to handle.  I was handed that one.  Surely, I thought to myself, the transporter will help us walk these large drafts to the gate in the paddock, down the long dark lane, considering we have no flashlights, and we don't know these horses as well as she seems to, especially since the one I am holding is harder to handle, as she had said.  But I was mistaken. Transport ended when the horses were delivered, in this case, at the mailbox on an unlit country road.  The nice lady said goodbye, she still had a long road back to North Carolina, I couldn't blame her for heading out.  Here we were, Cheryl and I, in the dark at 3:10 am, holding two very large Belgian Draft horses we had never met before, with just the light of the moon to guide us down a long dark lane to the paddock.  After a seven-hour trailer ride, my horse was walking fast, and yes, she was strong.  As I circled my horse about five times in an effort to slow her down, one of which she circled me, I thought to myself; I will be found tomorrow with a very large hoof print on my face, or we will be looking for a runaway Belgian Draft horse around town tomorrow morning, or “I can do this”.  This horse was so strong and moving so fast, I thought the horse Cheryl was walking in front of me might kick mine.  However, as I walked, I watched this lovely lady in front of me with her big calm horse, and she seemed to be telling her horse something, and the horse seemed to be listening, her head bent down to Cheryl's.  They definitely had some conversation going on, seemed really sweet.  I was telling mine to slow down, but the conversation in front of me looked much different.  I thought to myself, if it wasn't for Cheryl this horse, and mine, would be on a truck headed for the slaughterhouse across the border.  This is meant to be for this horse and mine.  If wasn't for a very kind donator and Cheryl, that is exactly where they were headed, that was their reality.  Someone stepped in and paid the bail if Cheryl said yes, and so here we were, the 'yes' had arrived.  The absolute last chance for these two horses.

 

Being one of the quarantine feeders, I fed Punkin Pie for several days, along with the other one, and four lucky other horses in quarantine, all from the kill pens.  In the few days I had been feeding Punkin Pie, I fell in love with her.  She would stand by the fence while I talked to her, and she would listen.  She seemed to like the closeness of a person near her.  I told her what a great horse she is, and she seemed to believe me, no matter how neglected she had been before she arrived here.  Punkin Pie ended up having medical issues while in quarantine and was transported to UGA Vet School for further care.  Most would have euthanized her after all her issues, and I felt heartbroken at the thought of her not making it.  I just wanted to be with her, and she isn't even my horse.

 

Following her stay at UGA, Punkin Pie was brought to the Save The Horses main rescue barn on Newt Green Road, so that a constant team of volunteers would have their eye on her, and she was even renamed Beshert by the Friday evening team.  Beshert was having trouble getting up in the mornings following her extensive vet visit, and Alex Williamson our farrier, the Forsyth County large animal rescue team, and many volunteers had to be on hand daily to help her get back up again.  Now, following more vet checkups, Beshert has special feed instructions and an exercise routine to strengthen her hind legs.  She roams around the farm grounds, she even runs on occasion, and she is happy.  She is your shadow.  Where you go, she goes, like an oversized puppy.  She is a people lover, and everyone that meets her falls in love with her.  

Beshert is “Meant To Be”, just as her new name says she is.  The new name, Beshert, is a beautiful renaming of a retired Belgian Draft horse that has been given a new chance in life, a chance to be valued for the magnificent animal that she is, and not be cast aside at only eighteen years of age, after working so hard.  Nice job Beshert!  This lovely horse won't let a hardship keep her down, she will get back up and show all of us how to get back up again.  She is in every way “Meant To Be”.  

 

Stay tuned for more about the journey of Beshert and Hope (aka Meatball) in our next post. Beshert’s medical expenses are currently over $5000. If you would like to help contribute to her medical expenses, please click here to donate or visit our website at www.savethehorses.org and click on ‘Ways to Give’.  

 

If you are interested in volunteering at STH, sponsoring one of our animals, or considering adoption or foster options, please visit www.savethehorses.org for more information.

 

We are rescue and cannot do it without your support!

 

 

Photo credits: Lorrie Poling-Magersupp, Annabelle Carr, Eve Khademi, Cheryl Flanagan

 

The Knee High Gang

So many horses, so many breeds, so many beautiful colors, so many sizes then there are the dwarfs. 

Are they horses? Yes, dwarf horses. 

We didn't know either until 20+ years ago when we got a call from a lady in Southern Alabama. She had two dwarf miniature horses that were brothers and no veterinarian or farrier would work on them. They told her to euthanize them. She called SaveTheHorses and asked if we could help. We had never seen a dwarf horse either but we knew we wanted to help. Since we had more equine veterinarians in the area, we were sure we would all learn something about dwarfism, while saving their lives. When we saw them, our hearts melted. We fell in love. Their deformities were an issue but we knew we could find a way to help them and not give up. To think of euthanizing them because of they were not 'normal' would be immoral. They only knew life as a dwarf. It was normal to them. We had a few different opinions from different veterinarians and farriers. We tried many things to correct their feet, some with success, some not.

That is how SaveTheHorses dwarf herd began.  There are four types of dwarfism; achondroplasia, brachiocephalic, dystrophic and hypochondrogenesis. Small stature, crooked limbs, large head, mouth too small for all the teeth of a normal sized miniature horse. These are just some of the few hundred characteristics of dwarfism. Because of their tiny size, many were used as breeding stock to downsize their offspring. Now these poor dwarfs have a myriad of health concerns due to their genetic disorder bred into them by unscrupulous breeders and uneducated owners.

Our Knee-High Gang; Gidget, Saucy, Willow, Gizmo, Cowboy, Blaze, Duke and Samson. Every one of them precious and fragile.

People Problems For Horses

Every day horses have people problems. 

People don't feed them, people neglect them, people abuse them and sometimes the people have to pay the price because animal abuse is a crime. Sadly, a crime not reported because animals have no voice but ours. Always speak up for animals. They depend on us, the good people who care. 

Someone spoke up to the authorities in North East Georgia and when the officer arrived, one horse was down and 2 others were in bad condition. The officer called a veterinarian and the downed horse was euthanized. The officer wanted the horses removed ASAP. They are very malnourished. One died because of the owners neglect. How horrible is that to starve to death? I'm sorry no one reported it sooner, the horse may have had a chance to survive. These two surviving horses need to be fed slowly and carefully. I hope they can totally be returned to good health.

I posted for foster homes and Ann Green called immediately and offered to foster and even pick up the horses. (Others also offered to foster so we will be calling you. We have many who need fostering. Thank you!)

It was a 3 hour drive each way but Ann saved the day and brought them to her farm where they are settling in nicely. 

Rescue is costly. We are paying for their daily care which adds up to about $350. a month.  We are hoping the owner gets fined and jail time would be good as well and possibly some restitution but since he gave up the horses, that may not happen.

It's what rescue is about. It is a not profiting, it is saving lives. It is making loving, safe futures for these beautiful horses. 

What we need now is a few sponsors to help with their costs until they find adoptive homes. We already have an order of food from WildHorse Tack and Feed, Hiram GA.

You can donate to them directly or go to our website and hit the donate button and Save The Horses! 

Yes $5.00 will make a difference. No amount is too small. Your compassion is astounding! Your love is astounding! Thank you.
#SaveTheHorsesOrg
#WeAreRescue

REST IN PEACE Casper aka Sweet Pea aka Gentle Ben

Rest In Peace

Though your life really just begun, we are now saying good bye. 

A few months ago, we met you and your herd of 12 miniature horses and donkeys, 8 females and 4 intact males. We took the 3 hour drive to meet the veterinarian, rounded up the wild herd and had some unplanned rodeo action because of being unhandled. We had everyone's coggins done and planned on getting you 

and your herd mates to great homes. 

You were pre-adopted to a very loving home. They chose the name Gentle Ben for you to start your new loving life.

The first 3 gelding procedures, done in the field, went well but when you were sedated, the vet said there was only one testicle. This meant you needed to have surgery to be gelded correctly and safely. It may cost 3 times a normal gelding but worth the cost to be safe. We have an abundance of experience with donkeys and realize how delicate they can be. Their vascular system can cause excessive bleeding, and like any surgery, anesthesia can be hazardous, in this case deadly. We scheduled the procedure with an experienced surgeon, Dr Elliott and assisted by Dr Gabriel

at Piedmont Equine Associates in Madison, GA. 

I have total confidence in these doctors and we have

 had many successful surgeries.  

You were a little trooper walking onto the trailer. I was so proud of your progress. Your first trip in a trailer was more of a wrestling match but we patiently coaxed you in so you only had good experience from the day we took over your care. 

I dropped you off for surgery and said good-bye not realizing it was our last good-bye. I anxiously waited for Dr Elliott to call when surgery was over and you would be in recovery. When I heard Dr Elliott's voice, I intuitively knew something was very wrong. 

It was the anesthesia. They just couldn't bring you back. He apologized over and over and I knew his heart was 

as broken as mine. It happens. 

Surgery is always a risk and donkeys are a higher risk. 

Now I have to share the terrible news with all the volunteers and supporters who loved and cared about you. You are now running free in greener pastures but our loss is still with us. It hurts. All the justification of how we brought you to a safe haven, showed you love and kindness doesn't take away the emptiness and sorrow we feel in our hearts. We wanted to give you a long, happy life full of love and kindness, instead we say good-bye. 

www.SaveTheHorses,org

#WeAreRescue

#RIPSweetDonkey

Welcome To 2020 and Our Missing Blog For 2 Years!

Let's celebrate our 2020 vision. We may not have 2020 vision in our eyes but we can have 2020 vision in our hearts. 💕Let this be the year we see the good in Nature, the good in Animals and the good in one another. 

Being a rescuer for decades, I have seen the worst abuses and inhumane treatment that it haunts me and never really leaves my soul. I carry it quietly because before I can even take the time to mourn, another animal calls me to help. They call me through the caring humans who feel like I do about animals. They are humanity in the best form. These humans care. These humans do not turn away and hope someone does something. They are the ones who do something. They are the ones who give me strength to carry on every day. 

The love and compassion of humans is amazing. No one has to help an animal or a human or a tree or a beetle but we do. What is our drive? What makes us do it when other turn away? Maybe we won't understand it but we feel it and our hearts are 2020. It's going to be a great year. Thank you all. 

The Buzz Is Gone

 New Year's Day 2017 started with a call about a pony that had been attacked by dogs. When I went to pick him up and opened the truck door, the smell of dead tissue filled the air. It was horrible.

It turned out that this little pony had squamous cell carcinoma. It smelled like rotten tissue and he wasn't in good condition. I don't know if the cancer made him not gain weight or if he wasn't fed  enough but either way we knew we had to get him in better condition before we schedule him for surgery. Surgery was scheduled for January 11 and we gave him high-quality food and hay.  No dog did this, it was left neglected because the owners didn't call a veterinarian.

We took him to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  As soon as we arrived we were greeted with helpful students and doctors wanted to do everything they could to make Buzz  healthy again.

The original plan was to take the squamous cell carcinoma from his penis and some of the lymph nodes to make sure all the cancer margins were gone. We left him overnight and he was ready for surgery the next morning. They decided after doing bloodwork at his condition was still too weak to anesthetize him so they had to do the surgery standing up which meant they weren't able to get the lymph nodes. It was still a very successful surgery.

 Buzz continued to improve and by March was adopted to a loving family in Lafayette Georgia.

He even found a cute little two old girl to love. They renamed him Shaggy but for this story I will continue to refer to him as Buzz. Look at how much weight he gained and was so healthy.


Buzz  remained in excellent health until the end of November when he started having problem with his leg.

It look like a stifle injury. The family had the vet out  and she couldn't identify anything is the problem. By Christmas, Buzz was getting worse but never seem to be in pain. They called another equine vet who examined him and x-rayed his leg but could find no answer either. So we made an appointment to take him back to UT in Knoxville after the Holidays. They saved him once, we prayed they cold save him again.

January 10, we arrived at Buzz' home and he was really having a hard time walking. There appeared to be no pain but he rear leg was not touching the ground. If you are a horse person, you know what a pulled stifle looks like. Both vets ruled that out so we needed more testing. It took 4 of us to get this 600 pound little man into the trailer and the last step, he fell gently onto the floor of the trailer. As we drove the 2 hour drive, we stopped and checked on him and he was laying comfortably munching on hay.

Jill, Buzz's human Mom, Tom Scott and I arrived at UT.  I went in and asked for help because we have to get him up and off the trailer. When I returned to the trailer and the doors opened, he stood up himself. It really gave a us a glimmer of hope. Dr Schumacher, the original surgeon, was there as well as many qualified veterinarians and students. They all greeted Buzz with kindness and love. He is such a willing servant! Even though he was up, he still was not using that back leg.

We got him inside the building and someone had the brilliant idea of putting him on the glide. A glide is for horses is what a stretcher is to a human. Instead of lying down, Buzz stood as he was balance by caring hands and slid about 100 feet to the x-ray room.

They did test after test for 4 1/2 hours without finding anything to really give and answer. They did find a mass in his rectum but it was unsafe to biopsy it with all the germs in that area. It was late so we agreed to let him stay and do more test the following day. He was in good hands.

Everyone was so caring. They loved Buzz, how could you not love this little peaceful soul?

They even braided his beautiful mane. 


We all said good-bye to Buzz and headed back to Georgia. 

In the morning they called and asked permission to do more tests, more x-rays and we waited. By the end of the day, they had found a mass in his chest. They couldn't say exactly what it was. It seemed the cancer has spread. The pain medications and anti-inflammatory medication didn't help. He's been at the hospital 3 days, 3 days of searching for an answer and a cure. Sadly, the only choice was to let him go. No miracle happened for Buzz. 

When we said good-bye, he turned and looked at us.

We never thought it would be our last good-bye. He knew and he left with dignity. Thanks to everyone at the University of TN. 

We wish the owners would have called us sooner. We wish we could have helped him sooner but it happened the way it did. We did our best. We did everything we could.


                                     www.SaveTheHorses.org 
This is what rescue is. We raise donations to help horses. Whether is is cancer, old age, starvation, wounds, injuries or diseases. We help horses. Thank you for your continued support and compassion.
                
                    #WeAreRescue  #SaveTheHorsesOrg