Satin is something special. She raced for two years and had 18 starts. After her racing career was over, she was bought by a woman who wanted to flip her in 30 days and sell her. Unfortunately she couldn’t sell her in those 30 days, so instead of waiting and working with her more she sent her to slaughter. Poor Satin was the only one standing at Sugar Creek Auction. All the other horses looked sick and skinny, while Satin stood there all filled out and just looking for love. When they called her in all she wanted to do was rub on the people, but instead they beat her with a whip all over her face to the point she reared up on the stands where people sat. My trainer saw her and outbid a known kill buyer in order to save her.

My trainer worked with Satin for around six months. When I met her, I fell in love. She was terrified of being pet and having her face touched, but with time she grew to love and trust me. She only comes to me and will follow me all around the field. I work every day to gain her trust whether it is a bath time, cuddling or pampering her. We do an hour of flat work 6x a week in order to build her stamina and muscle; she is getting more fit every day.

Satin started to get thin so I did everything in my power to help keep her weight up (as ottbs are hard to put weight on) and she gained it beautifully and filled out so nicely. She loves having her faced rubbed and is always curious about what I am doing. She aims to please me! Satin loves her Teddy Grahams and animal crackers. I buy her granola from the cereal aisle (no sugar added) all the time. She has become so attached to me that she literally runs around the field with me ignoring the other horses – and even food – in order to run after me. She is my baby.

If I could save many more, I would. I have another mare I saved from an abusive previous leaser. It takes time, patience and tons of treats to achieve the smallest progress. She knows I am her mom and that I would do anything in the world to help her. I have gained her trust completely. She knows when my car pulls up in the driveway and she runs to the gate looking for me. I love what I do and I love working with horses that have abusive pasts because when they learn to trust and love…that is the greatest gift I could ever ask for.

#RightHorse is a symbol of bonding. It shows the hard work, dedication, trust, patience, and love that both the horse and rider put forth in their relationship with each other. It is the sweat, tears, smiles, frustration, and love that you go through for that one horse who is close to your heart. It is that horse that has taught you not only to be a better rider, but also to love yourself, to appreciate yourself, to learn from your mistakes and grow from them. It is that horse that challenges you and makes you try to be a better person. It is that horse that, when you see improvement, you could cry and jump with joy. It is that right horse that makes you run to the barn in a heartbeat and makes you never want to leave. It’s that right horse that, even if they couldn’t be ridden, you’d still spend all your time caring for and loving to no end. It is that right horse that you know is right for you.