Saving Horses, More Than One Rescue at a Time
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By Leonard Shapiro
he name of the racehorse is not especially relevant, but what happened to one Thoroughbred that had a decent career on the track speaks volumes about the ultimate fate of so many horses that have their lives ended in what are known as the “kill pen.” When the horse retired from racing, the family of a young girl infatuated with riding purchased and re-trained it as a show horse. The girl and her mount competed for several years, but there was not much riding as she and the horse got older. The family eventually took it to a nearby horse auction, hoping someone else might get that same enjoyment. Unbeknownst to them, it was purchased by a kill buyer and seemingly destined for a slaughterhouse in Mexico or Canada. Fortunately, because the horse had a tattoo on its upper lip from its racetrack days, it was eventually rescued and put out to pasture, a rare happy ending.
Vicki Bendure and friends.
Vicki Bendure, a long-time local resident and horse lover as well as the owner of her widely-respected Middleburgbased public relations firm, recently related that story. She’s passionate speaking on those odious kill pens and volunteers with several organizations involved in horse rescue, raising funds and trying to increase public awareness of the sad fate
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