Rescued! The horse sale

Beauty was rescued from a horse sale in September 2009. This is the blog of her story and recovery.

Rescued! The horse sale

September 4, 2009

I’d like to introduce my new family member. Her name is Beauty – anyone who saw the film and sees the first pic below will know why!

I woke up yesterday knowing I had to go to Beaulieu Road Pony sales. I went armed with camera and notebook, intending to document anything I didn’t like the look of. I called my horse trainer/whisperer friend Shari and asked her to come with me. She pointed out that we had agreed we wouldn’t go the night before – but didn’t take much convincing…lol

I had been there less than 5 minutes – and not even made it to the main show ring – when I spotted my girl. There she was – tied to the side of a truck, looking like she was about to drop dead. She was such a pitiful sight – so thin, covered in open wounds and some hideous scars of varying ages. She even had bird muck all over her. People were wandering up, tutting at her condition and walking away again.

My feet glued to the spot. “I can’t walk away” I said. “I can’t leave her here.” I was so upset by what I was seeing, I just wanted to burst into tears. I knew I wouldn’t do very well in negotiations up against a tough London gypsy dealer, but Shari was great – pointing out various things to him and forcing him to be more reasonable. There was much tooing and froing whilst we played the game of negotiation and rounding up the cash to do the deal. I put most of the cash up, and am now the legal owner, but Becky and Shari both put a bit in to help me make the price we needed to get together to liberate her (bless them!).

A pair of RSPCA officers did me a favour. They might not have done anything about the horse, but by walking by when they did, the dealer started to panic and closed the deal in our favour quite quickly!

Meanwhile, our friend Becky (who had arrived quite unexpectedly and gravitated to the same place and same horse) pretty much clamped herself onto Beauty’s neck and didn’t let go til the moment she went back in the truck. The dealer kept telling us he had her booked in to the abertoire tomorrow and she was worth a certain amount to have her throat cut. (I swear it was the biggest exercise in self control of my life – restraining the urge to punch his lights out whilst he kept on using the phrase “have her throat cut”!)

He agreed to drive her over to my field, 6 miles away.When we got there, he wouldn’t even stay to sign a receipt. Whilst I was getting my pen and pad out, he got the ramp down, hauled her out, gave the rope to Becky, jumped in and sped off. Can’t say I was very happy about that, but what the heck – I got the horse.

Whilst in the van, Becky actually saw the papers with her name on it for the abertoire. She was due to die at 10 a.m. today. Chilling.

So she spent the night in a small paddock at the farm where my horses live, and today we boxed her over to Shari’s place. Shari is a lot more experienced than I am and is very good at healing horses. Whilst I would have loved to keep her with me, I am worried by how much care her wounds will need – so she has gone to Shari to get better.

I spent the rest of the day and night there with her, watching her settle in. Shari put a nice warm rug on her before dark, after dressing all her wounds with her marigold balm.

It’s amazing how much better she looked today. She has been rolling a lot – pretty much every half hour. She’s extremely sweet natured and gentle. I think she has known love at some point, because she recognised it when she got it from us.

I’m sure I will have loads more to say in time, but for now…here are some pics 🙂

Beauty – tied up to dealers truck. The moment that changed fates.