our pets: RESCUE TAILS
A New Day Dawns For A
Formerly Unwanted Horse
W
hen a man or a woman is
unloved and unwanted, especially when they’re past their prime,
it’s sad. When a horse is unloved
and unwanted, it’s usually a death
sentence. Most go to auction where
buyers for slaughterhouses in Mexico
ship them south-of-the-border in
cramped trailers, to be bruised,
skinned and jostled about before their
throats are slashed.
A heartbreakingly thin sorrel with
a crooked star on his forehead stood
in the corner of an almost empty pen
outside an Oklahoma auction barn.
The auction was over, he was beyond
unwanted — even the kill-buyers
didn’t want him.
He had caught the attention of a
lady with a camera. A buying agent
for a Mexican slaughterhouse said,
“He’s too skinny. He’d never make
it to Mexico.” It was just an offhand comment, meant for no one in
particular.
The woman was familiar with the
fates of the horses that were too thin
or too sick for the kill buyers. Usually
they’re taken to large-cat sanctuaries
as feed for the lions and tigers. The
cats would be their executioners.
They prefer live game.
But the woman shot the thin bay
— not with a gun but with a camera
— and she sent it to one of Parker
BY MARSHA BROWN
JENNIE DAY AND KIT
JUNE 2015
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
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