Bright Futures

  Beau's fate was sealed when he lost his last hope of placing in a race at a nearby track.    Most, if not all, tracks have a policy which is similar to this:  If your horse runs in eight consecutive races and doesn't  place at least fifth in one of them, then you, the trainer, have to "move" him.  Most trainers don't have a farm to move the horse to, and if the horse has lost that many races, the trainer has lost a great deal of money and  can't afford to keep him.  For many trainers (and let me emphasize this is not the case with all trainers) the cash garnered from a quick sale with no questions asked (about use-ability after racing)  is attractive.  Money exchanges hands, and the horse is loaded onto a trailer for  his next to last ride within minutes.  This is what happened to Beau.  He was literally hours away from being shipped to a slaughter facility when he was rescued.  He was literally on the meat scale at an auction in Sugarcreek, Ohio - an auction which is frequented by individuals (nicknamed "killer buyers")  who buy horses and re-sell them to slaughterhouses.  Beau's guarding angel was Susan Wagner, who outbid a known "killer buyer" for Beau and two other Thoroughbreds that day. Paul VanOsdol, an investigative reporter for WTAE-TV was there too, and aired an informative, and emotional account of what happens at a typical horse auction to the majority of horses that are taken there.

After the sound of the gavel finalized the sale, Beau was herded back into a small enclosure about 60 feet in diameter with approximately twenty-five other horses and it was now Susan's job to locate her horses by their hip number, pull them from a crowded pen of frightened animals and take them home.  My role in this undercover investigation was transitional caregiver.  I had no idea what to expect upon their arrival, and fully expected to see lame, lean and injured horses from the racetrack (as this was my first experience with an auction).  At the time, I had no idea of the track policy that sent Beau to his expected fate. 

When he and the others came off the trailer at my farm I was overwhelmed.  What I saw were three magnificent athletes.  Sound, breathtakingly beautiful and somewhat traumatized.  They had just been through the worst ordeal that they would ever face, but they were safe now.  Beau was adopted by a wonderful woman in New York and has found his "niche".  He loves to jump.  In the two years that he's been with Allene, he's won dozens of ribbons, and shortly after being invited to the National Finals in Wooster, MA in October (only forty horses from across the United Stated were invited), he  placed in the National Horse Show Thanksgiving weekend, 2003.  Not bad for a track "throwaway".

  Ellie was a lanky yearling, and didn't appear to have the attitude and exaggerated gait  that a show horse should possess.  Two sisters who were at an auction one day crossed paths with Ellie quite by accident.    She had no name, and no papers.  It was obvious to them from the low bidding that if they didn't buy her, she'd soon meet a cruel demise, and they couldn't walk away knowing they didn't intervene.  She went home with them that day, and soon became one of the favorites in their barn.  She had an unending curiosity, and a fabulous personality.  She had all the makings of an oversized lap dog (most likely the reason her owner didn't want her (no spark, no fire means no ribbons at the horse show). 

She grew into almost her second year with them, but space became an issue, and although they had been trying to find her the right home, the right person hadn't come along  yet . Wendy called me  and explained their situation, asking if I could assist them by taking her.  Ellie arrived shortly after I agreed to find her a new home.  She was a tall yearling  and she was a quick study.  She soon won my heart too, and quickly became the resident prima donna.  She was the queen and her subjects knew it.   Ellie stayed with me one more year and shortly before I was ready to start schooling her under saddle, a wonderful couple found her, and she made her way to their farm to be a family pet.  Ellie quickly made herself at home with Sandy, Joe and her pasture mate, Lass.  A happy ending for a lady who has so much to give and almost didn't have the opportunity to do so.

  Doodles owner should have been cited for cruelty to animals.  A friend of Bright Futures Farm rescued Doodles from a local auction.  She overheard a group of men chortling between themselves "...wouldn't pay more than fifty for that one.  Won't bring much for meat."   Nancy bought her for $25 (yes, twenty-five dollars) and donated her to our organization so that she could have a safe home the rest of her life.  Doodles was blind in both eyes, and her left eye was swollen and seeping with a large tumor protruding from it.  The pain had to be excruciating, yet the brave girl we soon found out she was, she showed no outward signs of discomfort .  It appeared that her former owner hadn't bothered to treat her eye.  The veterinarian who examined and subsequently treated her,  also removed a small tissue sample for biopsy.   Doodles, who was in her early thirties, and was most likely a Pony of the Americas,  braved the daily treatments that were needed to help her heal and ease the pain like a trooper.    She quickly adjusted to her new surroundings, and shortly after her arrival, won a young woman's heart.  Doodles looked like the pony she'd had when she was a young girl.  Julie adopted Doodles, not knowing what the future held for her but more than willing to provide the time and medical attention she would need to recover.  Unfortunately the biopsy came back positive for a cancerous tumor.  There were several that had metastasized and attached to bone, so surgery was not an option.  Doodles stay with Julie was short, but she had a brighter last year than I'm sure she ever could have imagined possible because of the kindness and generosity of Nancy and Julie.

Lass came to Bright Futures Farm at age 25.  I had traveled to pick up a gelding that had been donated, and while I was there, the donor said, "...there's an old mare out there you can have...  she's barren...I was going to call someone to come and get her so if you want her, take her with you..."  The "someone" that the owner was going to call was understood to be a killer dealer.  I think the owner was banking on the thought that I'd take her, and of course, I did.  Lass possessed a great spirit and love of life and in the months immediately following her arrival, if I didn't know she was twenty-five, I would have guessed she was much younger.  Lass was with us approximately six months when she started to lose weight.  I looked into everything I could think of as a cause, and during a routine check, found a tumor under her tail the size of a golf ball.  My vet shortly confirmed my fear, and told me that the cancer had most likely started internally first, as she was full of tumors at the time of his examination.  She had become listless and apathetic. 

Upon careful thought and reconstructing what I knew to that point, I can surmise that when she had an ultrasound performed earlier in the year to see if she was pregnant, they not only found out that she was barren, but also found out that she had cancer.  She was no longer of use to her owner, and the owner chose to get rid of her. If it could be done without the guilt of sending her to slaughter, then so be it.  What the owner didn't do was give me the benefit of the doubt and realize, based upon what it is we do for horses,  that  if I had been told the truth up front, I'd have still taken her rather than leave her to an untimely death at the hands of a stranger.   And had the owner provided me with that information up front, perhaps more could have been done for Lass during her last months with us. 

Postcript... For those of you who may not be aware of this, light colored horses are more prone to melanomas than darker colored horses.  Frequently you will find a lump on the inside of the tail or under it near the rectum.  Please check your horse regularly (daily is certainly recommended) and when you find something that is not normal, consult  your vet.  Many small tumors if caught early can be removed, and as long as the cancer has not metastasized, the horse can live many more years and be healthy and productive.

Gunner truly had an angel on his shoulder the day we met.  I had gone to a local track one day in the summer of  2001 to introduce myself to as many trainers as I could.  Most were gracious and welcomed the opportunity to have us available to locate a home for their horses when they could no longer race.  I had taken the trailer along - just in case there was a horse that needed to be moved that day.  Shortly before we were ready to leave, someone approached me and told me that there was a horse in the receiving barn that was waiting for "the truck".  The horse had flipped over on his jockey the night before and was now destined for one final ride  and the horse  was now labeled a rogue.  I immediately went to the receiving barn, not quite knowing what I'd find.  What I did find was a beautiful chestnut with a kind eye, some scrapes and scratches and a sense of confusion and fear about him.  I reached for him and stroked his forehead and muzzle.  It softened his demeanor and helped him relax.  After spending a short while with him, I was convinced he was a horse with a good heart.  He wasn't a rogue, but rather a kind and gentle horse that had an issue about something.  No one had yet determined what the issue was.  I made numerous inquiries about the owner and was finally directed to the racing office almost half a mile away.  The steward was more than happy to provide me with the information I needed.  No one wanted that horse there any longer than necessary. 

I called his owner who reluctantly, after almost an hour of conversation, sold the horse to me.  His reluctance was sincere.  He didn't want anyone else to be injured.  He had purchased the horse knowing up front he had a history of flipping, and thought he had the situation under control.  However, a combination of circumstances led to the incident the night before.  Gunner came home with me that day and we bonded almost immediately.  Within two weeks, I was on his back, and he was the perfect gentleman every time.  I told my friend Allene about him, and she knew, as did I, that his issue could be overcome.   Within four weeks of his arrival, Gunner was on his way to his new home with Allene and Beau (from our second story).  Gunner has also found his niche.  He has won numerous ribbons as a hunter, and in Dressage, but like Beau, he loves to jump, and will be moving into class A competition in 2004. 

These are happy endings that almost didn't happen.  Even Lass and Doodles, although their days were numbered when they arrived, had a much happier and content end to their lives than they would have had otherwise.

Every horse that comes here has a story to tell.  Some of them make us laugh, and some of them make us cry, but all of them pull at our heart strings and give us the warm gratification that we were able to help one more each time we look into their eyes.

Please help us continue our work to provide a safe and loving home for horses that have nowhere else to go.  Every dollar you contribute helps us care for these amazing creatures while we search for  new, permanent homes for them.  And, each new home we find makes room for one more horse here, where they can find peace and love and a second chance.

The warmth you'll feel knowing you've helped make a difference for one of these horses is  gratification that will last a lifetime.  Your tax-deductible gift will help us write many more happy endings like these ones.  Please remember the horses that have enriched your life and give generously so that one of these special creatures can provide that same camaraderie and joy to their new adopter.

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