# Rescue horses? :)



## Levade (Apr 13, 2011)

Yes, I have a rescue horse 

This is his before and after:























​ 
Rescuing him was very satisfying, I would do it again in a heartbeat if I ever had the money. HOWEVER, do no underestimate the costs of rescuing a horse. ​ 
Firstly, it depends where you decide to get this horse from. If from a reputable charity, you are taking a much smaller risk, and they often cover veterinary costs. ​ 
If you decide to do as I did, and buy a horse that was being sold as meat, you will, to be honest, have to shell out a fortune in vets bills for an animal that may not even be ride-able at the end. You must be prepared to either make the decision to have it euthanised, or keep it as a field companion, should this happen. A rescue horse usually winds up where it does for a reason, either it has mental or physical issues. If you want to choose this path, your best bet is to go for an unbroken youngster.​ 
Bear in mind that you will have to keep a rescue horse in an isolation paddock (put a goat in there with it for companionship) for a month before it can be introduced to the other horses, as it will not have been vaccinated, and could be carrying minor things like lice or ringworm, or something much more serious, like strangles. Make sure you get this horse thoroughly checked out by a vet before doing anything with it. ​ 
An abused/neglected horse takes years to come right, so if you are prepared to put in the time, money and energy, it is a very rewarding thing to do.​ 
If you are wanting a training project that has the basics established, and you would like to rehome/sell on when it is ready, you would be much better going for an ex racehorse. They have their ground work and manners established, but have had a hard start in life and really respond to individual treatment.​ 
In the UK this year, 4000 Thoroughbreds went to slaughter. And we are just a tiny island, quarter of the size of one of your states! 80% of these horses had nothing physically or mentally wrong with them, apart from the ability to run as fast as the other racers. 10% had minor injuries, so either couldn't race to their full potential, or the owners were unwilling to invest the time and money. 9% were poorly bred unbroken youngsters that couldn't be sold due to the recession. 1% were horses so old or damaged that slaughter was the only option. 1% of horses that could not have gone on to live brilliant and useful lives. ​ 
You could get a sound, sane, stunning thoroughbred that would otherwise go to slaughter, that has been backed, or even lightly raced, for meat money. So I would say go for an ex racer! Here is mine:​ 






 








 
Good luck, I really hope you do decide to get a rescue horse or ex racer! It is such a fun, rewarding process and you build such an amazing bond with a horse when you regain it's trust ​


----------



## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

I have a rescue i dont have before pictures and dont have much in terms of history but she is awsome. She does have quite a few issues but she is slowly working through them and is showing a love for barrel racing and speed haha something that when you first met her would have thought impossible as she refused to go forward without a major fit. She is a paint around 11-13 as far as we know and hopefully never bred doesnt have perfect confo but still is my little demonic angel haha 
this is jubee


----------



## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

oh background that i do know is she had no tail or main and she had sores all over her they would punish her for every little thing and she was a ticking time bomb the second you tried to put your foot in the stirrup. She now is soft and her main issue right now is bucking going into the canter except when we play on barrels she is more then willing then haha


----------



## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

I have two rescues, Brandon and Tyler.
I just got them in January, so I don't have proper 'after' pictures yet.
I will post them when I do.   The bay is Brandon, grey is Tyler. The other bay in the pics is my mom's rescue guy, Firecracker. He's 30. The winter pictures are when we just got them, the other ones from a week or two ago.


----------



## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

i agree 100% with levade!

i have a lot of rescues - almost none were what they were said to be/expected to be when they went through auction.... all of them i wouldn't trade for the world!


----------



## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

I think we lucked out. Ours came from a fantastic rescue though...they really are one of a kind. 
AGES Adoption Horses


----------



## McuesHiSierra (Apr 10, 2011)

I LOVE hearing rescue stories! I have 3 rescued horses who are now 5, 6, and 7. They are wonderful! I also just rescued 2 lovely mares. I recommend rescuing to anyone out there if your willing to put in the work! I will definitely post pictures...(Once i figure out how!)


----------



## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

We have two. 

Apache is a draft cross that we adopted from a rescue. He was a nurse mare orphan foal. The farm breeds mares so that they can raise other mare's (more valuable mare's) foals. Their own foals are removed in the first week - usually a good farm will let them get the colostrum before removing them. 

Lots of hard work raising them on formula and always questioning if we were doing okay. Almost lost him to foal pneumonia too. Here he is shortly after we got him:









He is now 6. This is last summer.









Then there is Rascal, the yearling we obtained last year. Not adopted from an actual rescue, but a private sale. He was originally going to be a project but he is now staying. 

May 2010:









Oct 2010:


----------



## Shiavo (Mar 23, 2011)

Ooooh! GREAT thread!
Subscribing.


----------



## RedTree (Jan 20, 2010)

Levade you TB is gorgeous 

Cat did he change colour completely??


----------



## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

My girl wasn't a rescue, but she looked like she could have been. Hadn't been touched in two years, that includes no feet trimming, no worming, no shots, no riding, no vet attention and not fed anything other than the crappy rubbish laden pasture she was turned out in.

I wasn't even at that stable to see her, I was there to see other horses but she caught my eye. When I enquired about her the trainer told me she would never make a riding horse (c-r-a-z-y) so of course I HAD to have her.

May last year:








December last year:








January year:








She has actually made quite a nice riding horse after the initial horrific few months. Kid probably could do to shave off a few pounds now ha ha.


----------



## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

RedTree said:


> Levade you TB is gorgeous
> 
> Cat did he change colour completely??


Apache? Yeah - that gray gene took over. You can still see some of his white markings but each year they are harder and harder to make out as he lightens up.


----------



## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

sarahver: WOW!!! Great job getting weight on her.


----------



## SAsamone (Nov 5, 2009)

This is my OTTB in my blog. The after pics are from yesterday...he is still a work in progress, but i only got him in Febuary...lemme know what you think??? (sorry if the pics are too big) The first pic is my mom and I and then the rest are Texas. His winter coat is hiding ALOT in the first pictures...worms out the wazoo, (I think I only just got rid of them last week, but I'm going to deworm him again on Friday) rain rot, terrible hooves and terrible movement, he was in pain you could tell. He had no butt, poor thing, and you could pull out the fur in clumps. He was on "auto pilot" for so long, no personality, and now he's a big ol' hambone...CUTE horse. I love him so much! 

BEFORE:

















AFTER:


----------



## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

spookychick13 said:


> sarahver: WOW!!! Great job getting weight on her.


Thank you!


----------



## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

I love this thread.

Rescues FTW.


----------

