Once upon a time, not so very long ago, in a place not so very far away, a skinny, old, abandoned horse with funny looking, crumpled ears found himself in the worst place imaginable. And he did something no horse has ever done before! He “disguised” himself as a miniature donkey and casually walked onto a trailer that was there to rescue a herd of them, much to the stunned disbelief and amusement of the workers of the terrible place and the rescuers.
This is the amazing, true story of “Bubbles”, a 25 year old Texas kill pen rescue who – on Dec. 16, 2016 - saved his own life and who has gone on to become an international celebrity, good will ambassador for his rescue, “Becky’s Hope”, and “spokes horse” for the cause of animal welfare - particularly, senior animal welfare- and the ongoing national disgrace that is the equine slaughter pipeline in the US.
According to the original post of his story on the rescue’s Facebook page, this old horse came out of nowhere, pushing his way through three gates. He steadfastly ignored the commands of the employees and embedded himself in the middle of the donkey herd gathered in the loading chute, all the while keeping his head down and obviously doing everything possible to make himself not stand out. When the trailer doors were opened, he walked on and stayed in the middle of the herd, continuing to keep his head down and trying not to tower over his fellow escapees. Sue Chapman, President of Becky’s Hope Horse Rescue in Frisco, TX, and her Barn Manager, Lari McConegly who made the trip that day, were too surprised to take video while the escape was in progress, but the photo of him , “inconspicuous” in the middle of his donkeys on their trailer has gone viral worldwide. “I really believe he was telling us, Oh, I’m just one of them and you don’t see me!”, chuckled Chapman in a televised interview. The women bought him on the spot for $450 and “Bubbles” came home that day, to the surprise and delight of the rescue’s volunteers. Apparently Chapman is known to her volunteers for coming home from trips to the kill pen with more animals than she went there for. A few days later, Chapman posted his photo and story on Facebook, a volunteer sent it to the local media who picked it up immediately, and the story took off from there. Millions of people have now seen his story, either televised or on countless internet sites. Congratulations and good wishes for the wily old horse have come in from all over the US, as well as the UK, The Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Japan, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia to name a few. “I’ve never had this happen before! Even now I get tears – he has become such a symbol of hope and determination to so many”, said Chapman, who has been rescuing at risk equines for twenty years.
Bubbles, who has no fear of people, or anything else for that matter, has settled in happily to his new life as a permanent member of the Becky’s Hope sanctuary family. His crumpled ears are the result of frostbite, but his veterinarian has pronounced them healthy and his hearing perfect. Although he does not have a lip tattoo, he is believed to be a Thoroughbred and, although he is being rehabilitated from emaciation, his health is otherwise surprisingly good. He has received such an outpouring of affection that he has his own Facebook page, “Bubbles The Rescue Horse”, with currently over 3,000 followers and growing.
Bubbles’ mission and his message, according to Chapman, is one of hope and change. “I really hope that Bubbles’ story can shine a worldwide light on the need for lifelong caring and compassion for our senior animals”, said Chapman. “Cats and dogs get dumped in kill shelters by the thousands for no offense other than being old, and old horses wind up being sent to Mexico and Canada to slaughter. It breaks my heart.
These animals have given their love and devotion and service to their owners all their lives. They deserve better than this!”
To date, no one has come forward who knows the backstory of Bubbles The Rescue Horse and how he came to be in the “direct ship” pen of one of the busiest slaughter ship pens in the country – the Kaufman Kill Pen in Forney, TX. Most Americans know that horse slaughter is illegal in the US and they assume that it no longer exists. Unfortunately, it is a thriving business in Mexico and Canada and the “pipeline” that feeds it in the US is a multi -million dollar industry, flying mostly under the radar of the general public. Horsemeat is consumed and even considered a delicacy across Europe and in Asia. But since horses in the US are raised for sport and competition, they are regularly treated with antibiotics, pain killers, tranquilizers and other substances throughout their lives that makes them unsafe and unsuitable for human consumption. Regardless, a shameful, never ending cycle of over breeding of horses of virtually every breed in the US for show, competition and profit results in thousands upon thousands of unwanted, unneeded, injured, and “old” horses being sent to auction every year, where most of them are snapped up by kill buyers for prices dictated by the meat price at the slaughterhouses. Kill buyers in the US have weekly quotas to meet with the slaughterhouses and livestock who wind up in their hands have precious little chance of rescue. Many of the US kill pens are places of indescribable cruelty and the conditions in which animals are transported - from auction to kill pen and kill pen to slaughterhouse – are well documented and nightmarish. Cruelest of all is the slaughter itself – protracted, tortuous and terrifying. Donkeys in the US and all over the world are being slaughtered in staggering numbers because their hides are used to produce “Ejiao” a gelatin used as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine.
There are equine rescues like Chapman’s all over the United States who do their best to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome at risk equines and provide sanctuary for those too old or with special needs that make them unsuitable for adoption. The problem is that equine rescue has never gotten the attention or financial backing of the public the way dog and cat rescue has. “I don’t know of any of us who do not regularly spend our own money and even our savings to care for these beautiful animals,” said Chapman. “Even so, many great rescues struggle to survive and few are able to grow.” It is Chapman’s dream to someday open an adjunct sanctuary dedicated to the lifelong compassionate care of senior equines of all breeds. “We just have such a special place in our heart for the old ones”. Maybe we could call it ‘Bubbles’ Hope’ “, said Chapman with a smile.
For more information about Becky’s Hope Horse Rescue and Farm Animals Sanctuary, or to make a tax deductible donation, please visit their website at www.beckyshope.com or their Facebook page.
By Gina Leatherman
Photography by Trey Amick
22 / Sport and Trail Magazine