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Equine Health-A Happy End

Here are some success stories of rehabilitated horses that have been sold at previous GDA sales or are still at one of the impound barns and will be available at one of the upcoming sales.

If you have a story to add please e-mail us.

My Story, It Made a Difference

When I saw her picture I fell in love. The beautiful, leggy, red mare with her curious brown eyes. I had to have her! It was love that brought me to my first impound auction. No, this isn't a sappy little romance, it really was love..... 1100 pounds of it to be exact, and her name was Cupid (that's where love came in). I woke that Saturday about five a.m., and made the five hour trip to north Georgia. I had just one objective, and that was to come home with Cupid on my trailer. When I arrived at the barn that morning I was excited and nervous at the same time. I didn't know anything about her except what I had seen of her on the web. My mind raced with what if's ..... what if she doesn't handle, what if she's just plain mean, this was an " impound" auction. "Everyone knows those horses are crazy," that's what I had heard from several "horse people" I had talked to about coming with me. Despite the questions and lack of support I had to meet her. I had to find out more. Call it fate, or luck, whatever you like, I call her a blessing. I brought her home with me that day and she has become a treasured friend. She is curious, playful and so ready and willing to learn. Cupid shot her arrow and stole my heart.
I never knew that one trip, that one horse, or one impound rehabilitation program would have such a blessed impact on my life. I have since adopted several more horses from the impound auctions and each one has brought something special to our family. Knowing that the financial support of my purchase continues to help more horses has made it even better.

I recently had the opportunity to volunteer and help with an auction and have founded some friendships which I hope will continue to grow.  I want to commend all of the inspectors, volunteers, inmates, etc. who have dedicated themselves to helping these horses. It's not just the physical care you give to heal their broken bodies, but much more it is the love and affection you give to heal their broken hearts and spirits, to revitalize and rebuild the trust that had been so cruelly stolen from them. Thank you for all you do to continue to fight for them.

I would also like to encourage others who may be hesitant to help. This program has a direct visual lasting affect on the future lives of many horses. The only way the program, will continue to be able to help more is through our support. So I implore you to get involved, financially by purchasing or through donations, with supplies, with prayers, with whatever means you may be able.
You..... can help..... make a difference.
Thank you,
  The Hughes family, along with
    Cupid, Lariat, and Spaid

Story of Sierra

I own a very unusual colored Palomino Appoloosa mare so when we are at a show or a trail ride or at the CSEA Horse Fair we seem to attract attention. People are very interested in her markings and color which then turns into how I came to have such an unusual color horse. My name is Melissa and this is our story.

It all began on March 19, 2005 at the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture Equine Auction in Decatur, GA. My mom, sister and I went up to find a lesson horse. As we walked through the barn we saw many prospects, but when we approached the back fence we spotted "Golden Crème" (that was her name then). She was a most unusual looking little horse. How many Palomino appaloosas do you see? Her feet were very misshapen from founder. Would she remain sound? The volunteers wouldn't let me ride for legality reasons but allowed me to play some Parelli games with her to see what her demeanor was. My daughter Hailey (4 months at the time) was with us as well. I grabbed her burp cloth and started waving it at Golden Crème. To my surprise she took it from me- as if to say "o yeah? I can do that too."   I continued rubbing on her and putting my fingers in her mouth to see if she accepted a bit- I knew she did when she opened up ready to accept. So far two pluses, but how do I trust she will be okay for me, my daughter and a good lesson horse? The volunteer decided to let me lay across her back and she didn't seem cold backed either, another plus. I walked her around and we decided that we were going to rescue her. Keep in mind the horses go through an auction and with all the work I was doing with her I was beginning to showcase her excellent qualities and we were attracting a good crowd! When the auction began I was so nervous, not having a lot to spend, but thanks to my mom and encouragement from my sister- we kept bidding and WON!! Golden Crème was mine! We didn't have a trailer that Saturday, so we brought her home on Sunday. Once home I jumped on her bareback with her halter and she responded beautifully!

Since that day, she has proven to become a beautiful horse! I since changed her name to Sierra. She has transformed into a true golden palomino appaloosa. Thanks to my farrier, her only problem is she is tender over rocks. She is just as sound as when we adopted her. Her spots are so prominent now, even in the winter. She is so intelligent, neverminding her stubborn side. I have taken her in shows and pleasure rode her on trails.   I have given lessons to a child with special needs, a 6 year old, and 8 year old- who placed in a show with her, and my daughter Hailey (4 yrs now) rides her. My 2 year old son is learning to ride on her now also. She does most anything you ask of her.

Through Parelli Natural Horsemanship I have discovered her left brained horsenality which has helped in further training and understanding of her. Sierra is very food orientated. She seems lazy, but quite frankly she is thinking I showed you I could do it, so why keep on?    She gets bored so she challenges me to come up with new games. She will put up just enough of an argument to keep training interesting. I couldn't have asked for a better horse for my children to grow up around! Adoption was the absolute best choice for me and Sierra! She is a definite success story!

I hope that my successful adoption story inspires others to go and rescue a horse-even for just pasture mates. With the right tools, know-how, your newly adopted horse will teach you about horses. So many times we think that we are the ones teaching these horses, but I have to tell you that owning a million dollar horse or rescuing a horse, it's the horse that teaches us! I am glad to have Sierra as my teacher!

Elf - The Christmas Miracle?

It is an unseasonably warm December day in the 70's just before Christmas. My day has gone well so far, most of my cases had improved. I pull into the driveway on a farm in Hancock County where I have been checking on a group of horses quite frequently during the last year. The owner of the property is standing outside her house chatting with a neighbor. While approaching them I see a horse in the pasture on the ground out of the corner of my eye. After all it's warm and sunny so at this point I'm not concerned. As soon as I greet them, the owner tells me that the horse that is down is not hers and that this horse and another horse wandered into her yard about 10 days ago and that their owner is working on fixing the fence and she agreed to keep them until then. Now I am concerned! She continues to tell me that the horse has been down since the previous late afternoon and that she had contacted the owner but that he was in Atlanta. She had unsuccessfully tried to get her up the previous night. And no, a vet has not yet been contacted.

I'm heading over into the pasture. My first impression is that I'm looking at a skinny aged horse but as I get close enough to check her teeth I discover that this horse is only about 2 years old. She's extremely lethargic and I can't motivate her to move at all. As I'm trying to get her up the owner of the property and the neighbor offer to help. The 3 of us manage to get her into a sitting position and she attempts to get to get up on her own but even with our support she crashes back down - flipping over on her other side. On top of the massive rain rot and bite marks on her back that I already observed, I can now see multiple abrasions and pressure sores all over that side of her body and her eye has dirt in it and is swollen. She looks pathetic. I ask the owner of the property to call the horse owner to ask him to call a vet out. He just states that he can't remember his vet's name and then we lose the connection.

By now the filly, who is a body score of 1, is so lethargic that she doesn't object to me cleaning her eye out with water. I'm determined to get her back on her feet and ask the property owner if she would help me with her tractor to pick her up. She agrees and I rig up some type of sling with some western girths and ropes. The filly lets us slide it underneath her without any protest. It works! Once she has all 4 feet on the ground she manages to stand. She's very wobbly but she's up. I offer her some water and she immediately starts drinking. I stay a while longer to make sure she's not going down again. The owner will have until tonight to get a vet out. I'm thankful that the weather is still going to be warm for another day. I don't think she would have made it this far during typical December weather.

The owner does not comply with the violation notice left and we return the next morning with a veterinarian called by GDA to examine her. The vet recommends that she'd be impounded. I'm relieved to see that she is still standing. While loading her she goes down again but the 4 of us are able to get her back up.

Once at the impound barn we had to keep her in a sling for almost a month. She has since been released by her owner and has gained weight rapidly despite being in a sling for so long. Some people working with her during her recovery didn't think she was going to make it, but I knew she was a fighter and afterall - what is a better time for miracles than Christmas?

Elf in April 2009

Judy and Panda

Attached are some pictures of Panda and me at the Ashland Farm 2009 Valentines Day show, where we were awarded 2nd place ribbon in Dressage Introductory A Test and 4th place in Dressage Introductory B Test. I was surprised that it was a lot of fun and Panda seemed to have fun, too. That was my first real horse show. Talk about being a late bloomer!

I bought Panda in June 2007 at the auction at the Mansfield impound. She was one of the Pike County horses that were impounded. She is a sweet, willing, and very smart horse. My riding instructor says rescue horses have a way of paying you back, and Panda is paying me back and then some. When I first got her, she didn't know what a carrot was, but it didn't take her long to learn what carrots are and to ask for them every day!

Flying J

We believe that every horse has a purpose in life –
and not just their life but ours too.

The horse we know as Doc came to us named “Flying J” back in March at one of the first auctions held at the Mansfield facility in Georgia. We weren’t looking for a show horse but something much more special – a horse to heal the broken hearts of children. What more could you ask for than a medicine hat paint! A horse once held sacred and reserved only for the spiritual healers of the Indian tribes. The name “Doc” came from that meaning. Almost as if from birth, he was marked to be used a doctor or healer of hearts.

When Doc was loaded onto the trailer we looked into his glassy blue eyes wanting somehow to convey to him that not only was his meaning about to be realized but he would also lead others to find their meaning as well. Who better to help abuse and neglected children in the foster care system than an equine friend who came from “horse foster care.” I cant even begin to tell you how the children feel an instant kinship to Doc when I tell them of his history which is so parallel to their own. Their little faces light up with hope when I explain to them that Doc has a foster care worker too who comes to see how he is doing at his new home with us! Meaning has a magical way of taking the broken history of a neglect horse and making it the very thing that enables him to connect to children still living that same broken history.

After witnessing the incredible impact on children by including an “equine helper” in counseling sessions, Ita Dore’ was compelled to make these services available to her clients. In addition to having two horses of her own, Ita is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has owned an operated a counseling center, Cherokee Center for Change, Inc., in Woodstock for almost 15 years. The majority of her clients were children referred by the Department of Family and Children’s Services, the court system and the school system where the need for a new approach to reaching children was desperately needed. With tremendous support and help from her husband, Kirk Dore’, the couple began to build a facility which could house the counseling center along with equine facilities at Towne Lake Equestrian Club. The facility offers not only therapeutic services (both physical and emotional) but also offers riding lessons, boarding with a focus on children and their families. Most importantly, it is the home of Doc and the other horses in our “vagabond herd of equine healers” and a place where they can continue on their mission of healing hearts and making people smile.

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