Sold for $130.

A horse auction is a hard place to go for people who really love horses. It can be entertaining to see all the horses but seeing the treatment of some of the horses is heartbreaking if your eyes are opened. It can be a good place to save a horse from harm. People know as kill buyers, who send horses to slaughter, frequent auction looking for cheap ways to profit from horses...meat. Horses are slaughtered for human consumption despite all the harmful cancer causing chemicals in they systems. No horse is safe from slaughter.


Jason, who runs the Chickamauga SaveTheHorses Farm, was at the auction on Monday night. I wanted to know if a few certain horses were gong to be run through the sale. He sat there watching but didn't see the horses I was talking about. What he did see was an extremely pregnant mare ready to drop her foal. The people at the auction ran her out to the small arena where people were sitting in bleachers watching. I assume to keep the crowd entertained, they were forcing her to run. They had cattle type sticks and she was very afraid. She didn't know what they wanted from her. She also had milk ready to feed her unborn foal. Jason couldn't let it happen any longer and won the bid on her at $130. 

This morning, 2 days after he bought her from the sale, she gave birth to a sweet little black foal. 

Foal born this morning June 6, 2012

This is a picture of an older mare Jason bought at the auction for $10. She could have easily been killed for profit at a per pound price. 

Though it is illegal to send a heavy (late pregnancy) mare to slaughter, it happens more often than we want to know. Slaughter is an ugly business but it is highly profitable. Horse owners not willing to be responsible for their horses fill the market for slaughter. Horses trained to obey, depend on the owner for feed and care are victimized and betrayed. 

In Honor of The Fallen!

As I reflect on Memorial Day, it have memories of getting a red poppy and wearing it on Memorial Day ever year. I don't know how my parents got these red poppies but I remember wearing them proudly. 


Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, originated to honor fallen Civil War soldiers. In the 20th century, it was extended to honor all fallen Americans of wars. Right along side of these fallen soldiers were their faithful fallen horses. There were over 1 million horses that died during the Civil war and probably a million more in World War 1 beside many American soldiers fighting abroad. 

Pack horses carrying ammunition in Flanders, from 'The Horse and the War' by Captain Lionel Edwards, published by Country Life in 1918.

In 1915, inspired by the poem, "In Flanders Fields', 

Moina Michael replied to her own poem.

We cherish too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies. I appreciate living in America, my free country and I appreciate all those who have given their lives, They should be honored this Memorial Day. I want to honor all the horses and mules who fought and died during these wars. This Memorial day, I am going to Chickamauga Battlefield. http://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/chickamauga-chattanooga-national-military-park Though I don't know the number of horses and mules that were killed or injured at the Chickamauga Battlefield, the number is too many. I am going to bring some red poppy seeds and some red poppies and scatter them around the battlefield's 5,500 acres. This is in memory of all who served. It is my small way of honoring them. When I get back home, I will honor the horses in another way. I am going to start working on stopping horse slaughter from starting again in this United States and banning horse slaughter for human consumption. Please join me at the Battlefield or if you have some memorial Day plans of you own, join me next week by helping stop horse slaughter. It is another Battlefield for horse lovers. We need to win this war and fight each battle diligently so all horses can again be free in America. Have a great holiday. Get your head clear because the battle against horse slaughter is starting next week, please enlist!

Halter Your Horses!

Leather halter - safest halter

Spring is everywhere, horses are out in beautiful pastures of green grass. It is a beautiful sight but sometimes, it makes me cringe. There are horses in these pastures and they have halters on. That screams danger to me. People who know and have been around horses know the  disastrous consequences of leaving a horse in a pasture with a halter on can be. Leaving a halter on a stall or round pen, or leaving a horse unattended with a halter on can cause the death of your beloved horse. 

Break away Halter - leather top

How? Have you ever seen a horse scratch his face with his hoof? It can easily get caught in the halter. It is even more common on young horses and babies. I see improperly fitted halters on these horses, too. They are an accident waiting to happen. Too many horses are injured or die from strangulation because their horse gets caught on a fence post, a tree limb or hooked on a loose nail. 

Regular nylon halter

Nylon and rope halters are the real culprits since they are designed not to break away. There are now figure 8 leather halters for foals which look like it would be harder to get a foot stuck in it. If you know young horses, you know they can find trouble. If you feel  you have to have a halter on your horse, then buy a break away halter. It has a leather piece on the top which is made to break under pressure. If you can afford it, buy a full leather halter. It can still cause a problem and not break like you would expect.

Rope Halters

I had a BLM wild Mustang in a round pen. She had a full leather halter so I assumed it was going to be safe.  She was scratching her neck against the panels and the halter caught onto the hook that holds the panels together. She panicked and pulled. The halter torn at the leather but left about a 1/2 inch of leather still attached. She pulled the round pen over herself. She was not a tame horse to begin with. She flailed on the ground kicking and trying to escape the panels over her. Lucky there were several people at the rescue farm that day. It took many of us to fix that situation. I took a knife and had to carefully cut that small piece of leather that didn't break. She was trembling, I was trembling, too. I didn't want to cut her face and didn't want her injured. Once we got all the panels off and adjusted, she seemed fine physically but I am sure that left some emotional scars on that poor horse.

My experience could have turned out much worse. If you go to a farm or see horses in a pasture with halters on, maybe you could drop a hint or leave a nice note saying it could be dangerous. You may offend someone but you may be saving a horses life. I am sure the owners don't want anything bad to happen to their horses but many just don't have the knowledge about horses to realize the danger. You do, so pass on your knowledge. Be the voice for the voiceless. Save the horses!

By the way, we have all these types of halters at the rescue farm. They all have a purpose and I use them all when I would with the horses. I am not anti-halter, I am anti-halter on an unattended horse. 


Thank you for your continued support. Together we all make the difference in horses lives. 

Join our SaveTheHorses.org FaceBook Groups. 
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Speaking About Animals, Speaking To Animals

Raccoon kind to me though in pain 

Some animals speak to me. I love all animals, I rescue all animals. I don't eat animals. I am crazy about animals. I have rescued turtles to wild boars to horses. I care and love each one but some speak louder than others. I don't think there is any deliberate reason but some are just deeper in my heart. Did I know them in another life? Do they just give me a special look that melts my heart? I don't have an answer. Some just stay closer to my heart. I feel their soul. I will never forget a raccoon that was hit by a car. He was gentle even though is pain.  He had several breaks in his jaw and couldn't move it without horrible pain. It was shattered. I soaked food and gently placed it in his open mouth. His little paws held onto my hand and his eyes said 'Thank you'. He was humanely euthanized after the vet examined him and declared him inoperable. I still see his face and feel his little hands on mine. 

Lump A Wonderful Ole Boy

I will never forget a 44 year old horse who died in my arms. Lump lived at the rescue farm for over 10 years. Two veterinarians, Dr. Duvall and Dr Marcella,  many volunteers and many prayers couldn't help him any longer and he was euthanized here at the farm, surrounded by love. It isn't just the ones who have passed on. It is animals I have been lucky enough to share a breath on earth with. It seems to take a part of me when they leave me, through death or through just finding a good home. At the same time they seem to give me the strength I need to do it all over again and offer another animal a better life. I know I can't keep them all, even the very special ones. I can offer them wonderful homes with loving humans who will cherish them as I do. 


I will never forget a horse I first met at Tampa Bay Downs a few years ago. He wasn't a race horse. He was a 'pony' horse. He walked the jockey and race horse to the starting gate. His owner wanted him to retire soon so I went to take a few pictures of him so I would have them when he finally came to the rescue farm. As I walked toward Sparky's stall, he backed away and turned around. I spoke gently to him but he kept he back to me. I went in the stall and adjusted my camera for a close up but Sparky kept moving away from me, head down, not wanting to make eye contact. Then my heart said to me, he does not want to be a 'rescue' horse. His owner loves him. I told him she did love him but soon he will have a new life. He was mad and wanted me to leave his stall.  I knew Sparky had incredible intuition. I respected his wishes and left his stall without any photos. He made me laugh because he spoke so loudly to me. He did come to the rescue and I recently found him a home. When he first came, we had a nice talk and I explained he was going to be happy and safe. I promised. My adoption contract states the horse can not be traded, sold or given away. It must be returned here. It is for the safety of the horses. Sparky found a new home with a great lady, Nancy,  who appreciates him. I told Nancy I didn't want to let him go. She said, 'I knew that.'
It is about Sparky, not me or what I want. I knew that too. 

Sparky and Nancy offering a bowl of carrots and apples.

Cisco with new friends in pasture

Then yesterday I took Cisco the Appaloosa mule who came from a local farm to Tennessee. He belonged to an older gentleman who had too many horses. We were told Cisco was hard to catch, possibly mean and needed a special home. He broke through a fence at his temporary home before I picked him up. So he had a reputation already. Of course, that's my kind of horse to rescue. Someone who needed rescue. Sure we will take perfect horse but the needy are what call loudest to me. That is why we rescue. Cisco spoke to me when I first met him. The rescuer who helped me get him said, she wasn't sure he'd get into the horse trailer when I was there picking him up. I knew he would and he did. He did anything I asked him to do during the month he was here. He was so wonderful. I didn't want him to go but I know the Tedders family so well and knew they understand horses like I do. They adopted several blind horses and ride and have even competed with some. Cisco would be happy there. He was good in the over 2 hour trailer ride to our meeting place. He had to load onto to their trailer for the rest of the trip to his new home. I stopped for a minute, then I told him it was the right place to go and he walked in the trailer.




Yes, having mental conversations with animals may make some people think I am crazy. I am crazy, crazy about animals. They are fellow earthlings. Not to dominate, to share our planet with. 

Trudy's Day Has Come

Everyone was anxious to see Trudy enter her new pasture. I don't know what we all expected. 

Trudy is blind, severely abused by humans and so many things in the world that surrounds her still make her tremble. I think we all dreamed it would be wonderful to put her in the safe board fenced pasture. We hoped to see her run free and kick up her heels. We brought along an Appaloosa gelding, Pepperoni, she knew from the front pasture so she'd have a familiar friend and be more comfortable. They sort of 'hung around' together many times. He was our choice to help Trudy. He's an Appaloosa like Trudy and they were buddies.

Trudy was quite nervous trying to walk in her new pasture but Roger was there to comfort her. He kept the lead rope on her and walked the fence line, walked to the water trough, up and down the hills. He stayed with her for a long time telling her it was a safe place for her. When he felt she was ready, he took off the lead and let her walk around on her own. She was free to walk, free to kick up her heels but she stood still trying to hear where she was. Being blind, she has to rely on all her other senses. She carefully tried to find her way around. Pepperoni was good with her but wasn't as concerned as we hoped he'd be. We wanted him to stand shoulder to shoulder to her and lead her around. Another human dream the was just that, only a dream. 


After a hour or so, Trudy was getting very tense. She looked so panicked, Roger brought her back to the stall she felt so safe in. She can enjoy a quiet night and we will walk her out to her new pasture again tomorrow. 




All our planning, all our hopes...we had to adjust to Trudy's needs. That is what we do. 


We are RESCUE (to free from confinement, danger, or evil ) in the real sense of the word. We will adjust continually until we get it right for Trudy. 

Changing Things For Trudy

Roger comforting Trudy after recent surgery                                                                                       Though we are not a sanctuary, sometimes horses need to stay forever. If does take up space for another horse to come in, but this is the way we have to do it until we get our dream, a sanctuary where horses can live out their lives under our care. You know the story of  Trudy, our most abused horse, now blind. She's been with us since 1996. She is a special horse who needs to always be surrounded by special people. .Trudy is moving to her new forever pasture tomorrow. Her devoted human friend, Roger, will come out and lead the way.  I am sure it will be like a parade of people following happily because it has finally happened. Trudy has lived in our large pasture for 16 years. She was sighted when she came to us but so abused emotionally, she trusted horses, not people. Now that she is blind, introducing a new horse out in that pasture was not happening. New horse introductions cause all the horses to run and carry on to establish the herd pecking order.   Though she was familiar with every inch of the 22 acres, I couldn't take the chance of her getting hurt. Trudy is 28 years old. In fairness to her, she now needs a quiet smaller pasture with a buddy. With $5.00 donations here and $20.00 donations there, we soon had enough money to put up her nice board fenced pasture. It took several volunteers to do the dirty work of digging the holes and putting up safe fencing but now, it is ready for Trudy.

Though she has the most serious trust issues of any horse ever entering the rescue program, she has the God given intuition to know who to trust. She knows real love. She trusts the uncomplicated honesty of a little volunteer named John Michael. She will willingly stand for an hour and listen to his words. I don't know what he is saying to Trudy but she listens carefully to every word. Horse are different things to different people. To everyone here at the rescue, to all of you who volunteer your time, those of you who donate financially and those of you who take the time to read about our horses and help us spread the word, you are all part of our fragile circle of Save The Horses. Thank you all for your compassion and love. You help us every day so we can save the horses.

Through Trudy's Eyes

This is Trudy. This is the better eye. She does have tumors on the third eyelid which will be removed in the scheduled April surgery.

Making the best choice for a horse is one of the most gut-wrenching things about being a horse rescuer. After receiving a call, Trudy entered my life in the summer of 1996. Having the mission of a horse rescuer, my phone is constantly ringing, but this call was markedly different. The phone rang on that day with a call like no other call I had received before. I solemnly listened as the caller recounted the story of the Appaloosa mare she was looking to re-home; Trudy. Trudy, the 12 year old mare, must be placed in a special and safe home. As the caller continued, she told how Trudy’s legs were cruelly bound in barbed wire and she was unmercifully drug behind a tractor. I sat there bewildered. How could a person do this? Why? To punish her? Is there any logical reason a horse should be tied with barbed wire or drug by a tractor or any other vehicle? What could Trudy have possibly done to 'deserve' such a wicked punishment? This sinister deed happened in North Georgia. Miraculously, a veterinarian helped Trudy heal from her painful, external wounds. However, the numerous mental wounds that were inflicted upon Trudy would take great knowledge and time to heal. Thankful that someone trusted me enough to attempt to bring healing to this fragile horse, I unequivocally exclaimed that I would take Trudy. Our mission for Trudy is the same mission for all of our horses, to give love and comfort. This obviously would be a much more difficult crusade to attain for Trudy.






When I first viewed poor Trudy I noted that her abuse was worn like virtual chains. She downheartedly held her neck close to her body. She was so hysterical and frightened that she tightened every muscle on her body. She blew her breath so hard through her nostrils that it sounded like a freight train passing through a busy crossing. Though petrified, Trudy had made the decision that she would never hurt anyone. Trudy’s unwillingness to strike back surprised us all as I have seen horses with severe abuse issues that, finally in desperation, would retaliate and strike out. Trudy was remarkably different. Trudy was the opposite of what we expected. Make no mistake; she held all her fears against humans deep in her own heart. Yet, as she trembled in fear, the only release of her relentless fright was the blowing through her nose.


As time went on, we were discouraged to see the abuse had caused her some vision problems. Her vision was there, but you could tell it was likely muddy. Perhaps this shadowy vision added to her fear by not being sure who or what was approaching her. Honestly, to gaze at Trudy was to have your heartbreak for her.


Despite all of her fears, she fared surprisingly well in the pasture here, as she knew the other rescued horses wouldn't harm her. Still, she perceived humans as the bad guys in her life. As a way to try to acquire her trust, I would go out and gently speak to her. I whispered promises to her, that no one would every hurt her again. I repeated that I would never let that happen, ever! She hesitantly listened to my words, but it seemed she didn't believe me. I felt dejected, enraged at her perpetrator, and hopeless. How could I help her understand that the humans in her life would only care for her? Being in Trudy’s presence and seeing the damage done to her made me cry. So to avoid my own heartache, I deliberately stayed away from Trudy. I had to find the human that could encourage both of us.


Soon after, in 2000, Monty Roberts came to the Georgia International Horse Park. I was encouraged to bring some horses for him to work with. Being extremely skeptical about participating, I called to inquire what they were looking for in the horses. They suggested that he wanted problem horses. I lamented, "Oh, I said I have a problem horse, the most abused horse I had ever come across". Having rescued about 100 horses by then and having some great life experiences, and unfortunately, seeing more than a few abuse cases, I knew I needed expert help to assist Trudy. I recounted Trudy’s story to the lady on the phone as she patiently listened. She remarked, "No'. She rapidly turned Trudy down! I was even more frustrated and skeptical now. These 'natural trainers', resistance free trainers, turned down and refused a horse that truly needed them. The lady on the phone scoffed, "Please, bring a horse, one that the whole audience could relate to. One that doesn't halter, doesn't load, doesn't clip, never been saddled, that bites, kicks or strikes. These are more common problems.” I sullenly agreed to bring two horses with these types of problems. But, what about Trudy? What was the next step for her?






The night before we had to be in Conyers, I brought Trudy inside the barn and put her in a stall. She was terrified and I was discouraged to the point of further tears. The last thing I ever wanted to do was cause her any more pain or fright. I brought 3 of her pasture buddies to stay with her, hoping she would relax, but she continued to hysterically cry and whinny in panic. My mind raced; maybe her abuse started in a stall or some confined space where she had no option to get away. Why did I bring Trudy in? Firm resolution set in; I was going to take her to Conyers anyway. She needed help so badly. I thought a real horse lover and accomplished horse trainer, like Monty Roberts, will at least look at her, right? That is all I wanted, just look at her, give me some guidance. Help me so I can help Trudy. The next morning I brought the trailer right next to the barn and opened the trailer door. Some of the volunteers were at the rescue to help and to travel with me to watch Monty Roberts in Conyers, too. I hesitantly took a deep breath and walked towards Trudy's stall. I slowly and quietly put her halter on and walked her towards the trailer. I took my food and tapped on the trailer floor and asked her to step up. To my surprise, she entered without hesitation. I took one of her pasture mates along for the ride. After the astonishingly quiet ride, we arrived to the Horse Park and I unloaded both horses and placed them in stalls. Abruptly the quiet ended, as I now heard two screaming horses. The gelding’s neighs were understandable as he was in a new place. I grieved as I heard Trudy’s frightened screeches. 'Whinnieeeeeee'. Now, instead of consoling her, the gelding pasture-mate screamed along with Trudy.






I ambled to check in and was greeted by Monty's son. He inquired who I brought, as he searched through his list of horses on his documents. I consequently confessed that Trudy was not on his list. I immediately repeated her story and told him that I acknowledge that I was told not to bring her. He asked me to wait here a few minutes. Now I figured they were calling security, kicking me out, removing me and my horses, and I wouldn’t even be able to see the show. Instead, Monty himself came up to me. He was intrigued by what he had heard of Trudy and wanted to learn more. His compassionate eyes welled up with tears, as he lowered his head and shook it as if to say, “Now how can a human do this?” He instructed his son to take my lead rope and put Trudy in the round pen. As he watched Trudy’s trepidation and anxiety mount, he confidently announced that would put her in the show. My skepticism slowly slithered into my mind. All I wanted was him to see her and give me advice. Questions poured into my apprehensive brain, “Now, to put her in the show, in front of a few thousand people? How is this going to turn out?” My stomach flipped and flopped, as my anxiety grew to Trudy’s size.






I was engrossed as I surveyed Monty work with the first three horses. Each horse joined up under 30 minutes of gentle work. Each horse serenely became Monty's best friend. At last it was Trudy's turn to go in the round pen. Cautiously, she trudged just a few steps into the pen, violently trembling. Blowing so hard , the people in the back bleachers could hear her. She was petrified. It was totally different from the other 3 previous horses’ reactions in the pen. Since the round pen fencing doesn't come down to the ground, Trudy put her nose almost to the ground as she slowly blundered around the panels looking for a way out, even if it was under the fencing. Monty somberly shared with the audience Trudy's story. He acknowledged that he didn't know if she would even 'Join-Up' with him. Trudy simply was not the normal kind of horse that he'd worked with in previous experiences.


The audience was glued to Trudy and Monty. There wasn't a sound from anywhere, as everyone watched Monty speak 'equine' to Trudy. Getting a horse with Trudy's abusive background to trust you is an enormous challenge in itself. Monty explained the problem in this way: Take a piece of paper, and fold. Then create a crease in it by rubbing your thumb over the crease. Now open the paper and you can easily spot the crease. Take your thumb now and rub the crease. It is still there, no matter how many times you rub the crease. It is deep into the paper, just like Trudy's abuse. It is deep in her soul, forever. Being guarded and wary has kept her safe from her human predators.


I am certain that Monty looked like a predator but after a mere 26 minutes of 'negotiating' with Trudy, she 'Joined-Up'. There was a loud sigh from the audience. Many held their breath, like I did. Tears streamed down the faces of men and woman alike. It was such a touching moment in my life, in Trudy's life, in Monty Roberts life, in the audience’s lives. I was overjoyed because Trudy had such a breakthrough to overcome her fear.


Monty made a big difference in Trudy's fear factor. She was able to be more relaxed in the pasture when humans approached. She has been in the same pasture since 1996 but new challenges lurked: in the past few years, she has been losing her eyesight. Now beside humans, horses would appear like predators because they would run past her and around her causing her terror to rise further. She was often not sure what direction to run in, but would attempt to keep up. Today, to avoid the other horses from eating Trudy's food, volunteers stay with her while holding her feed bucket, keeping her safe and quiet.


One of the volunteers, Roger, has been coming out for a few years and is totally in love with Trudy. We have talked about moving her to his farm when his fencing is complete. I know Roger would never hurt or scare her. He has gained her trust, as well as mine, over the many Sundays he spends with Trudy. He was the first to notice her eye was getting very irritated. After thoroughly examining the eye, Dr Leah, our veterinarian, decided it needed to be removed to relieve the pressure on Trudy's face, as the last thing we want was for Trudy to be in pain. Therefore, a few days ago, Trudy's eye was surgically removed, which required her to have some time in a stall as she healed. The last time Trudy was housed in a stall was 10 years ago. It wasn't a good experience, so I dreaded her needed 'stall rest'. While she was still under slight sedation, Roger walked her into a stall after the surgery. She sniffed the shavings beneath her feet. It was a good sign. I believe at that point she knew she was in a stall. Roger walked her around showing her the wooden walls and feed buckets by tapping on them. After the sedation was totally warn off, she was astonishingly content and quiet. I think she understands the safety of her confinement and that no horse can sneak up on her.



Trudy and Roger




We have discussed the possibility of building a new, smaller pasture for Trudy. The new paddock would allow her to stay out with one of her friends she lives with. A nice run in, wood fencing, and the serenity of being near the horse herd on the 22 acre field she has called home for many years will help her live longer and calmly enjoy life. That is all I ever wanted for her; to enjoy being a horse. Roger would love to bring her to his farm. He is working on fencing and is planning on adopting another gelding to take home when he is finished and horse ready. I will go to Roger’s and walk around the pasture. As her main protector, I have to maneuver through all the possible options; it was my promise to her all those years ago. At 28 years old, Trudy is more fragile than most. Making the decision that is best for Trudy is what is most important. I don't want to take her away from all the volunteers that love and care so much about her. Also, I don't want to hurt Roger since he has dedicated his time and trust to Trudy. Whatever my decision, I unapologetically will do what is best, not for me, but for my friend, Trudy.



Trudy having her eye removed