Standing by the Horses the come through your rescue year in and out is the only way you can actually say,
As much as we wish it were otherwise, a horse may need rescued or may need you to step in over and over again in their livetime.
Good adopters lose jobs, become ill, suddenly die, change course or just flatly fail the horses.
It isn’t enough to remove a horse from a bad situation and let him go out the door to whoever shows up. It isn’t enough to properly vet and train the horse, then not be there when things shift a few years later.
You MUST stand behind the horses you rescue, breed or sell, however long they or you or the organization exists. It is a moral obligation you have to the horse(s).
There will be things happen you can’t prevent, and there is some risk, no matter how hard we try, but once you are aware a horse that depended on you needs your help, then you GO and You Help.
The truth is, very few welfare organizations do this, and I wish it were otherwise, and maybe someday, it will be.
We have had over 1,500 horses come through over the years, and there have been more than a handful of times, we have dropped everything and driven as far as needed to retrieve our horses when things shifted for them.
It is a deep hope I have that we never see a day we cannot go for them.
Let’s go back to 2014. We attended a low end auction in Jackson County, WV. We purchased an Appaloosa gelding for $50. He received the name Jake Fiddy, as a result.
He was thin, kind of cantakerous and 10 years old.
We found a home for him over a year later, in the fall of 2015.
It was a good home for a long time, but things went the wrong direction. As soon as we confirmed things had gone awry, we made plans to head for him the next day. That was Tuesday this week.
We were able to help the other 3 equines on site, as well. So the whole herd is now in our care, and we are glad to have been able to get here.
What if we hadn’t made it all these years? What if I had walked away when it got hard? What if our donors didn’t come through, as they have time and again?
WHAT if Heart of Phoenix didn’t last 10 full years after his adoption to be here for him?
What chance would he have? Not much. What chance would the whole herd have had, but especially Jake Fiddy?
We pulled him away from a grizzly end once, and I promised him then, we’d be there.
When he was deathly ill from enteritis and spent a week at Rood and Riddle Hospital to the tune of $5,000, I promised him, we’d be there.
And when he found himself in need, not getting the care he should, I meant it when I said, we will go get you and will be there until the end.
There is only a finite amount of funding in equine welfare. There isn’t enough. but there IS ENOUGH for the good groups out there. If you’re giving money, ask yourself some hard questions.
Make sure the money is being used to sustain the Good Groups out there. The lives of horses depend on it. . .not just for the “high” of an initial save, but time and again for years and years and years.
Jake is back with us, and it is gonna be okay, weird white fella.
Picking him up Tuesday this week
The auction in 2014
Oh dear Jake, we are so sorry to hear that all didn’t work out. So thankful you are back in the Safety Zone. I wish I could help with $$$ but unfortunately, I can only send my prayers for you and your Buddies.