We have great news!  We were able to purchase another horse from the auction, and have saved a total of 17 this month.  There was one that they had a paperwork mix on and we were able to buy it a couple days after the auction.

The auction was a typical auction, although there were more horses than normal, about 130.  The auctioneer said there were horses from Florida being sold that night, confirming that horses were going to be coming north out of the path of the hurricane as we suspected.  Most likely they came up from feedlots, and were sold at this auction trying to make a few extra dollars.  We had multiple people bidding to confuse the kill buyers at the auction and we are so thankful we were able to save as many horses as we did.  In the past kill buyers have figured out our bidder and will drive the price up out of spite.  Having multiple people in the audience bidding helps prevent that from happening.

Since the auction didn’t get over until midnight, our rescue team got a few hours of sleep then first thing in the morning headed back to the auction to load them up.

One of the horses, Admiral, is extremely emaciated.  It’s hard to even imagine how he is still standing, but his spirit is very strong and he is full of life, and it’s easy to see he is a fighter.  It’s interesting with this horse is his mane has been trimmed in an English style, and his coat is shiny, but his body is emaciated, almost leading us to believe he was a hunter show horse, and then locked in a stall or dry pasture with no food and starved rather quickly.  We don’t think this guy has been neglected over the course of years, but rather just deprived of all food.  We wish he could tell us his story!  This poor boy has definitely suffered a lot recently.

We separated the horses into different groups that would ride best together in.  The first group was a mini horse, mini donkey, a pony and a yearling horse.  We knew they’d ride great together.

When it was Admiral’s turn to load in the trailer he headed to the open door and hopped in, he knew that the waiting trailer backed up to the loading chute was his ride to safety.  We put a nice quiet mare, Raven, in the compartment with him as his traveling companion so he wouldn’t be alone, but she wouldn’t push him around.

Finally, all the horses were loaded up in the different trailers for the ride to the shelter.

The trip back to the shelter was wet and rainy.  The rescue rigs followed each other.

It was nice to be able to pull up beside the trailers to make sure the horses were traveling safely, especially Admiral.  He traveled great the whole time.

At the shelter, the horses were unloaded into the waiting intake pen.

First thing Admiral wanted to do was eat grass.  He is so hungry!

It’s hard to show in pictures how skinny he truly is.  His body simply doesn’t have any fat.  It’s hide, some muscle, and bones.

After settling down in the intake pen the horses all came through the barn through the padded chute where we could examine them closer and do the intake process.

All the horses were scanned for microchips just in case they were someone’s horse who ended up at the auction and they were looking for them.  None of the horses rescued had microchips, so they were all microchipped.

Eeyore the donkey was quite the little guy in the big chute.  He could barely stick his head up high enough to look out.  Kristen went in the chute with him to keep him company, and he liked that.

We take down the horses information while they are in the chute, and note any injuries.  We also get their height and weight data using a weight tape.  They are also vaccinated and dewormed during their chute time.

When Admiral came into the chute, he was a very good boy, and was very curious.  He really is a big horse, nearly 16 hands, and we can’t wait to see him all filled out.  He only weight 883 lbs, and is about 400 lbs underweight!  He is only 15 years old.

Admiral will be enjoying food once again, and we expect that unless complications come up, he will be filling out rapidly.  The biggest problem we run into with horses like Admiral is their body will use everything possible to stay alive, causing organ failure that isn’t immediately apparent.  We are really hoping that since it seems he was recently starved hopefully damage has not been done and he will bounce out.  He has a great appetite and is not listless.

Below you can see photos and read the intake notes for them. Intake notes done by Kristen.

Picasso, 2-year-old, colt – Don’t get angry that I put rideable as a 2yr old. We have not and will not ride this young horse. He, however, has already been trained to ride by his previous owner. I watched a 6yr old boy ride this young stallion all over the auction grounds. He was soft in the bridle and quiet in the eyes although the noise and commotion were enough to upset any horse. He is easy to catch and easy to lead. He pays no attention to the females and seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He can use some rehab though some of his weight problems probably come from growth spurts. He is 13.2 hands right now. He will be gelded soon.

Misty, 20-year-old, mare – Sweetheart should be her name for that’s what she is. This old mare has probably seen her fair share of pony parties. If you have a young one who you would like to share the love of horses with, she is a good place to start. She wasn’t hard to catch or lead. She is calm when being handled and even accepts a rider. She has a super long mane and tail that can use some TLC and may need a little rehab for weight. She will be available for adoption once quarantine is complete. We are accepting holds in the meantime.  She is only 9 hands tall.

Eyore 2-year-old, jack- This little thing is a gem. He is young and full of potential. He is friendly and smart and obedient. He would make a great agility donkey. We saw today through our intake process that he climbs, jumps, and crawls through anything you ask him to. He has handled a pretty stressful situation like a champ. He is small coming in at 9 hands. He will be gelded soon.

Captain, 16-year-old, gelding –  I fell in love with this guy the moment I saw him. I was not expecting something this gorgeous to need saving. Not only is this guy in great shape and a golden palomino, he also has a dun stripe. Then I saw he has a bad eye. He is fully blind out of it, however, he seems very well adjusted and very adaptable. They said he is broke to ride and we will see in the evaluation. He will need to complete his quarantine before he is available for adoption but until then we are accepting holds. He is easy to catch and easy to lead. He is 14.2 hands.

Admiral, 15-year-old, gelding – This fella is still full of life through his body is empty of nutrients. We have high hopes for this guy in rehab. He never acted dull even in the sale ring. He still has shine in his coat and a gorgeous tail. He moves so nice. He has a ton of potential even though he has a long road before we can discover it. He is 15.3 hands of humor. He has a personality for sure. All he wants to do is eat right now and that appetite is what will save him. He will be available for adoption after quarantine and rehab.

Oreo, 6 years old, mare – This mare came in with several other mares that looked just like her. She seemed wild and unhandled until her owner walked into the sale ring and started loving on her. We believe her situation was due to a lack of knowledge. She is a little hard to catch right now but very easy to lead and handle. We won’t know if she is rideable until after an evaluation. She seems to be in good health but will not be available till after her quarantine.

Raven 15-year-old mare – This mare seems like she has been there done that. She was confident in the sale ring. She has done everything we have asked her to though not always with enthusiasm. She is very nicely gaited though we can’t really decide which gaited breed she is.  She’s 14 hands tall.

Mr. Ed 5-year-old gelding – This guy moves like a Thoroughbred but handles like a QH. He was loping and doing sliding stops in the sale ring. They said he was used for playday rodeos. He seems to be very gentle and sweet. He is 15.2 hands. He has a lump right above his left knee, the vet will be checking it out.

Romeo, 10-year-old, gelding – This guy has a great butt. That’s the first thing I noticed about him. He has a nice thick QH build. He moves nicely too. He was led through the auction so we don’t think he is trained to ride. He is recently gelded and needs a small attitude adjustment. He will be eligible for our training program after he completes his quarantine. You can place a hold on him in the meantime. He is 14.1 hands.

Giselle, 15-year-old, mare – This mare was ridden all over the sale grounds. It is said that anyone can ride her. She was very well behaved at the auction and seems very sweet. She does need a little weight but has nice muscle tone. She is 15 hands tall.

Jo, 7 years old, mare – We got this horse thinking she was a quarter horse. Then while checking her teeth for age we noticed a lip tattoo. This mare is Chopper’s Mark. She was born April 26, 2010 in Florida. She was rode through the auction bareback with just a halter and lead rope. She has nice movement and even a little collection. She was very relaxed. She is in great shape. She will be available for adoption after quarantine. You can place a hold on her if you are interested in adopting. She is 15.1 hands.

Valentine 15-year-old, mare – This mare looks like a spotted saddle moves like a Paso Fino and is only pony height. She is 13.3 hands tall. She was rode through the sale. She has not missed any meals for sure. She is a little hard to catch but enjoys the attention once caught.

Pearl, 5-year-old, mare – When I first saw this mare, she was lying down in a pen full of horses. I first thought something was wrong with her so I started to talk to her. She got right up and walked over to where I was. She was fine just relaxed even in a crazy setting. They rode her through the sale and she was just as relaxed and responsive. It was mentioned she might have some cow working experience.  We believe she is a Quarter horse mix, with possible Appaloosa in her as she has some light spots on her rump. I can’t wait to evaluate her.

Pepper Jack, 4-year-old, gelding – Pictures do not do this guy justice. He is a gorgeous silver and red roan Appaloosa. His mane and tail are long and fluffy. This guy was a stallion until recently. We don’t think he is trained to ride so he will probably be eligible for the training program. He is 14.1 hands.

Dewey, 5-year-old, gelding – This little guy will need some rehab on top of his quarantine. He was an Amish cart pony. He seems very sweet but very used. He is 12 hands tall. He seems to have a cribbing issue.  He will be available once quarantine is complete.

Duncan is a 10-year-old stud pony.  He is unhandled.  He is blind in his right eye and does not seem to be adjusted to it.  He is very flashy!  He is 12 hands high.

Star, 4-year-old, mare – This mare was rode through the sale. She didn’t like the bit and seemed to not have much forward motion and is young. We are thinking she is green. She is sweet when you catch her but needs some work on ground manners. She is 14.2 hands.

We would like to send a huge “Thank you!” out to each and every person who donated to make this rescue possible.  These horses are no longer in the slaughter pipeline and are SAFE!  They will be in quarantine at our shelter or in the foster/adopt program.  If you are interested in adopting any of these horses, please contact our trainer, Kristen: kristen.b@horsehumane.org.

I just wanted to update everyone and let you know that all the horses have made it safely to the shelter.  It has been a very long and busy 2 days!  The auction is over 150 miles one way from our shelter, and it was raining for most of the trip.  The rescue team didn’t get out of the auction until past midnight last night.  We only got a few hours of sleep before it was time to load the horses and head back to the shelter.  Once we arrived at our shelter the horses all went through the intake process: microchipping, vaccinating, worming, weight and height, and their initial information has been logged.  Again, I cannot thank everyone enough for your generosity that made this auction rescue possible!  16 animals were saved from the slaughter auction thanks to your donations.

We have posted all the horses on Facebook asking for name suggestions.  If you would like to participate and suggest a name, and vote on your favorite name, click here.  Comment on the horses photos and suggest a name.  The name suggestion with the most likes that is appropriate will be chosen.  Tell your friends to like your name suggestions!

There is one horse in particular that we are very concerned about.  He is literally skin and bones.  We are estimating his age to be about 12 years old.  He is literally starved almost to death.  It amazes us how much life he has in him, and his personality still shines through his emaciated body.  On the trip back to our shelter we put him in his own compartment with a very quiet mare.  They rode very nicely to the shelter.  It always breaks our hearts to see horses in this condition.  We are very concerned about him, not only for his current condition, but sickness and disease is so rampant at auctions, we are hoping against hope he doesn’t come down with something.  If he does, it could kill him, he just doesn’t have a reserve to fight illness.  We are doing everything we can to keep him healthy!  Scroll down to view more photos of him.  Again, thank you so much for your support, I cannot thank you enough for enabling us to save these horses from the slaughter pipeline, and our next blog will go into more details about each of them, but it’s been a very long 2 days and I’m exhausted.  ~ Tawnee Preisner