The journey to finding one’s RIGHT Horse can be a long one, and it may have many characters that play roles.
One of the first rescued horses at Heart of Phoenix was a younger mare dropped at Cattletburg, KY Stockyard, an auction that is now (thankfully) defunct.
The owner was licensed to haul horses over for slaughter, and truthfully, many horses never got the chance #0493 did, to end up in a home at all, as he frequently purchase “cheap” horses the moment owners unloaded. #0493’S owner opted to run her through the sale, instead.
I wasn’t there that night to purchase a horse. I was there to just observe there the industry at this point. However, when I saw the only bid on a relatively young, sensible grey mare was under $100, and I saw who bid, I knew I could rehab her and find her a home without a doubt.
So I bid. We went back and forth just few times, and I ultimately won her for $125 plus auction fees for a coggins. As you can see, I didn’t even go with enough cash for a purchase. This was a bit of kismet, to say the least.
This was 2011.
We rehabbed her fairly quickly, and we listed her with riding videos on Petfinder.com
The first adoption seemed to go well for a short while, but after about 6 months, the adopter said her son wasn’t a good fit for the mare we had named Kate. We drove 5 hours one way into Ohio to pick her up.
I feel this was the moment I knew, in rescue, even though Heart of Phoenix was not even a 501(c)3 organization, that this would be something I would be doing for many years to come, and it was when I knew we would stand behind our horses until they found their RIGHT person. This could mean several right people, honestly, depending on a person’s need, horsemanship growth and so forth, but I knew I could intend to be there to help the horse connect with a good person.
Kate quickly found her Right Home in just a few months once she arrived back, and she has been in that home for many years now.
Teresa has loved having HOP there to update on Kate. She loves her and her “cheer” team she has in Heart of Phoenix, as we are a bit like extended family that love updates, love successes, offer support through hard times and help whenever needed.
This is a spotlight adoption story from Heart of Phoenix that features a successful match we were fortunate enough to facilitate! As partners of the #RIGHTHORSE, we know sharing these stories helps spread the word about adoption!
