I began volunteering for Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue (HOP), based around the Huntington, WV area by circumstance. An emaciated black mare wandered into my neighborhood and no one claimed her. After almost hitting her on the road one night with my truck, I put a halter on her and took her to my farm. I contacted Tinia, President of HOP and she agreed to take the mare.

Tinia asked me if I could keep her for a week or two until they could move some horses around and explained the best feeding protocol for an emaciated horse. Needless to say, we communicated a lot that first week. I was impressed with HOP’s mission and the work they were doing. I became a foster for this mare and began volunteering in many other capacities. Once her rehabilitation was complete, I evaluated her training under saddle. It was evident that she really didn’t know much. While, I really liked this mare, I knew she just wasn’t the right horse for me and she would be better off with someone else, so she could eventually find her “right person”. She went into training with a fellow volunteer and was later adopted.

I really enjoy working with weanlings and yearlings, so I began to foster several. They were all very nice babies. One weanling, a gangly Tennessee Walking Horse, palomino filly really caught my eye even though I was never partial to the palomino color. Rose came to me once she was weaned from her dam. Rose’s story is incredible and demonstrates the will these horses have to live. She came into the rescue on her dam’s side when she was about three or four months old. Both had been neglected and were very emaciated. Rose was in very bad shape. She was very weak, anemic and had a huge load of parasites. Volunteers were skeptical that she would even survive. After several days of fluids and intense veterinary care, she began to turn around.

I began fostering Rose once she was weaned from her dam and she quickly wormed her way into my heart. I loved everything about her from her sassiness to her willing attitude to learn new things. All the while, I kept telling myself, “I don’t need another horse. I don’t need another horse.”

I just knew deep down she was the right horse for me.

I lasted about six months before I became a foster fail. I adopted her in January of 2018. While she will not be old enough to start under saddle until the Fall of 2019, she has been busy competing in various halter classes at fun shows as well as arena trail obstacle classes. I am sure that once under saddle, she will make an excellent western trail horse through hills, mountains, creeks, etc. You will also be able to see us in local fun shows and competitive trail competitions in the future.

What #RightHorse means to me

The Right Horse Is a horse that you make a positive connection with and is the right fit for the rider. Horses and riders have their own personalities that need to complement each other.