Ambassador Award

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure
Manhasset Bay Cat aka “King”
Adopted by Margot

The Owner/Rider:
I have owned different types of equids almost continuously for 45 years. For many of those years I have been fortunate to be able to care for them myself at home. Doing this creates a bond where the animal becomes a member of the family. When you go out one morning to feed breakfast and the usual whinny does not greet you, dread overtakes your senses. When your equine companion is taken away from you by noon of of the same day by an injection of the vet's needle, you swear you will never get another animal and have to experience such a loss again. But, horses are a part of you and life without them is even more unbearable than the prospect of losing yet another. So, after several months of misery I started to explore my options. My first thought was to buy a Hanoverian yearling, similar to the 17 year old Hanoverian I had just lost. But reason overtook me and with all the unwanted horses needing homes, I decided to pursue the rescue route. I myself needed rescue and thought a rescued horse could help me. However, there was going to be a problem. I was only going to have one horse at home and the rescues I started contacting all required a “pal” for the horse. As much as I would have liked two, the fact remained that I was only going to have one. I myself had always subscribed to the “at least two theory” until I was unexpectedly left with one and her life went on just fine as always. So,
I knew that the right horse, being kept at my home, with constant personal attention, could do just fine. Enter MidAtlantic Horse Rescue (MAHR).

The Rescue:
A tall, skinny chestnut Thoroughbred with a too small halter, that has to be cut, off arrives at the sales. MAHR is there and sees his potential and rescues him before the one way trip to Hell. They care for him and get him back in shape. He lives the life of luxury at their beautiful farm, but he does not have a person to call his own. He is adopted out not once, but twice, only to be returned for various reasons. MAHR willingly takes him back, because their goal is to find the right lifetime placement. When I contacted MAHR regarding their rules on adoption I was told that most horses can recalibrate to living in a single horse home, especially in the situation I described. In fact, sometimes two is more of a problem than one, as they become overly bonded, so that necessitates three. Wouldn't it be better to be in a single horse home than perhaps have to face the alternative?

The Meeting:
I travel to MAHR in Maryland to see a few of their rescues. The chestnut TB mentioned above was not one I had gone to see, but there he was, lying down curled up by the run in shed in the sun on a freezing January day, doing “O”. For those of you who do not know what “O” is, it is when a horse is relaxed and his lower lip hangs down from the upper lip creating a void in the shape of an “O.” It is a most endearing expression that several of my previous horses displayed with great expertise. I was getting hooked, but I was still emotionally incapable of committing to another horse. I kept watching MAHR's web pages for available horses, but kept coming back to the chestnut. I traveled to MAHR again in February to spend some one on one time with him. He was a bit pushy and I used this as an excuse to
not commit. But, he was always on my mind. I had a life changing event occurring April 1 (retirement – Hallelujah!!!) and I decided that if he was still available April 1 I would adopt him. He is adopted out before then (for the second time) and I decided that he was not meant to be for me. But, he is quickly returned. An omen...

The Adoption:
The first week of April I notify MAHR that I would like to have the chestnut known as Manhasset Bay Cat. On April 7 he arrives at my home, looks around, marches into his stall and promptly starts eating hay. No separation anxiety here. Later on that day he rolls, starts to graze, and patiently waits for his dinner. He has moved in. It takes a few days for him to stand quietly while I groom him, but it quickly becomes apparent that he knows he is a handsome fellow and he loves looking his best. He even learns to like being vacuumed. We start riding and as I am not looking to win the Kentucky Derby, we take everything slow. He and I both need to get in shape and we can take all the time in the world. Thanks to a wonderful friend I met as a result of the loss of my Hanoverian, I am introduced to the Parelli method of natural horsemanship and we embark upon their program. Now, if I was only smarter than
Cat, we would be all set. He gets grain four times a day, all the hay he can eat, clean water, has two fans to keep him cool in the summer, his own pear tree, and a servant (me) to wait on him hand and foot. It doesn't take long for him to come galloping across the field to greet me as soon as I lift the chain on the gate. I know he likes it here and he seems to like me. Although one horse never replaces another, the empty stall and emptiness in my heart is once again filled by a beautiful horse who always greets me with a whinny. The “King” who was unceremoniously dumped at the sales has found a life long home and is a treasure to me.

The Moral of the Story:
Due to the economic times and other reasons there are many very nice horses going to the sales. A majority of them will ship to slaughter in Canada and Mexico. If, like me, you cannot bring yourself to go to the sales directly, explore the rescue groups and find your next horse there. You will save a life and make room for the rescue to take in another. What one person viewed as trash will become a treasure to you.
I think that like MAHR, rescues should be more open to adopting to single horse homes, given the right living conditions. Of course you don't want a horse to live all by himself with attention only once or twice a day for feeding and an occasional ride. But, if a horse is going to live at a person's home with lots of personal attention, I have seen first hand that the horse can be very happy.

PO Box 407
Chesapeake City, MD 21915

For information call: 302-376-7297
or Email: Bev@MidAtlanticHorseRescue.org
MidAtlantic Horse Rescue is
a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
©2002-2012 MidAtlantic Horse Rescue

MidAtlantic Horse Rescue is a Federal 501(c)3 organization, that buys slaughter
bound ex-racehorses and adopts them into good homes as pleasure and sport horses.