I admire what these Thoroughbred rescues do. The horse racing industry spits out thousands of unwanted horses as they are injured or lose their competitive edge. Given the chance to heal and calm down, these horses known as Off Track Thoroughbreds can go on to have full lives as pasture pets, pleasure and trail horses, and competitive dressage/ jumper/ eventing athletes. Thoroughbred rescues take these amazing horses in and set them up for new careers by providing veterinary care, rehabilitation, and retraining.
Best Husband Ever and I were ready to add a horse to our little family of three - the two of us and Moose, our fifteen pound Yorkie-poo. Suddenly, my hopeful browsing of Thoroughbred rescues became a serious endeavor. I lined up an equine vet, a farrier, and a boarding stable for my future horse. All of these rescues specify (understandably) that they will not adopt horses to first-time horse owners. This worried me, because technically this would be my first horse. I filled out applications to a few rescues in New York state and included a three page essay outlining my years of horse experience and tugged at their heartstrings with a much longer version of my first post on this blog.
My applications were accepted by all of the rescues. I was beyond thrilled! I resisted the urge to drive to the closest rescue barn and load up the first horse I saw. I knew exactly what I wanted in a Thoroughbred and I wanted to keep this horse for the rest of his life, so I was going to be choosy. I scrolled through hundreds of pictures and bios, waiting for "the one".
I saw his picture in mid-April and my heart flip flopped. The description only gave his name, age, color, and height. Evenings End, 2005, dark bay, 16.2 hands. He checked off all of my superficial preferences - tall, dark, and handsome - but I knew nothing about his physical condition or even where he was. This website was for a sort of "stop over" at the Philadelphia race track for horses immediately coming off the track; a place they stayed temporarily until a Thoroughbred rescue could take them in. I searched for him at other rescue sites in neighboring states, but I couldn't find him. I tried to forget about him and focus on finding a horse at one of the local rescues.
Two weeks later, I found him. Evenings End was at the South Jersey Thoroughbred Rescue and Adoption. His description said that he was in "rehab" and would be available soon. I emailed the rescue immediately and inquired about Evenings End. What was he being rehabbed for? How was his temperament? Would he be able to jump after his injury healed? The answers came back in a few short hours. Erin, the organization's wonderful director, told me that Evenings End came off the track last November with a broken coffin bone. His personality was as great as he was gorgeous. With enough time to heal, his prognosis was excellent and, yes, he would make an elegant hunter/jumper.
I had to see him. Erin and I settled on Memorial Day weekend for a meet and greet.
A friend joked that I had a blind date with a horse.
My best friend Linds agreed to accompany me on the twelve hour round trip drive to the farm in New Jersey. The second I saw Evenings End he was mine. I tried to stay impartial. I reminded myself to keep a level head and wait to see if we connected. I wanted to see him move and spend some time with him.
Evenings End walked with a bit of a limp and he was little mouthy - nipping at the hem of my shirt, nuzzling my pockets looking for treats, and trying to eat Linds' cell phone. He was stunningly beautiful. His foster mom had clearly taken excellent care of him. His dark chocolate brown coat glistened and his black mane and tail were thick and soft. He stuck his tongue out and loved having it rubbed - just like a horse I had known as a kid. I stroked his neck, fed him carrots, and played with him. We connected.
I gleefully handed over the adoption fee and made arrangements to have him trailered to my boarding stable up north. I reluctantly left Evenings End at the farm and headed back home. Linds drove so I could call my family and we all laughed and cried and celebrated.
A lifelong dream had just come true.
I adopted a horse.
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