Updates - A New Rescue

Prized Fashion (shown above in 2011) was pulled from the slaughter pen at New Holland Sales this week. A 2008 Kentucky bred mare, she was last raced in 2012. How she ended up at New Holland is a mystery but her fate is well documented - she would been shoved onto an overcrowded transporter and sent to either Canada or Mexico to a slaughterhouse.

Every day, Thoroughbreds in this country are being thrown to the butcher when their breeding doesn't live up to the expectations of the owners. For no crime other than being ordinary, they are sold for a per pound price and forgotten about. But not by everyone.

This is Prized Fashion as she was discovered earlier this week at the New Holland Sale yard, a known dumping ground for Off Track Thoroughbred (or OTTB) horses. Lucky for her and many others, there are tireless volunteers who brave these grim, heartbreaking locations for animals such as Prized Fashion and network across the country to find rescuers. That is how Blue Skies Riding Academy came to hear about this sweet mare.

For the next 30 days, "PF" will be in quarantine here at Blue Skies Riding Academy to gain weight and learn to trust again. A happy ending is looking possible for this tall mare: we have been in touch with her breeders. They are appalled at where she ended up; New Holland's reputation as a den of kill buyers filled with ruthless characters is nation wide. But more important - the breeders want her back.

Unfortunately, that happy ending doesn't always come around. Of the 8 OTTB horses that we have retraining at BSRA, this is the first time a breeder has volunteered to assist. But that's okay. With few exceptions these glorious creatures have found a person to love and trust, and that is what we strive to do. We take broken spirits, both human and equine, and assist in healing and transformation for both.

What we do isn't cheap. It takes money for the grain and hay for our herd. The costs of running a rescue are huge and the bills seem to come every day. But none of us would have it any other way. How can any human stand by and do nothing while the innocent are left adrift? By helping a horse regain their spirit we help heal the damage done by neglect and abuse.

BSRA is a 501(c)3 rescue and retraining facility in NW Georgia. Currently we possess several OTTB's and  other breeds in various stages of rehabilitation. We are supported by our public programs and donations from generous souls. If you would like to make a donation so we can continuing our mission, please visit our website at www.blueskiesridingacademy.com for more information. And be sure to check us out on Facebook for further information on  Prized Fashion as well as other BSRA horses in need of adoption and/or sponsorship.

Sterling's Second Start

Once upon a time way back in 2007, in a land far removed from Georgia, a little Thoroughbred colt was born. With wide brown eyes and a taste for wood, "Dixie Jammin'" wasn't your typical colt. We don't know everything, but we do know he learned enough about racing to earn his gate card and Jockey Club tattoo. But from that point until September 2010 the story gets muddy. Why September 2010? Because that is when Blue Skies Riding Academy heard about the West Virginia seizure of 52 horses from Hidden Meadows Equine Rescue for starvation and neglect.

This is what our instructors Heather and Sami found when they first saw "Dixie". Scoring only a 1.5 on the Henneke Body Scale, the poor gelding was deemed fit by the on site vets to travel; and so with two other survivors Connor and Ella Grace began the journey to a new life. When I arrived the next morning and took their liquid breakfast out to the West Virginia babies my heart broke at the lack of spark in their eyes. Even food didn't perk their interest. At the so called rescue they were freed from, the animals were eating acorns and rocks just to fill their bellies.

It was agreed by one and all Dixie did not fit this gelding! He was shy, introverted, a cribber of unparalleled determination, and afraid of his own shadow. I don't remember who first came up with "STERLING", but it stuck. As the weight slowly came back and his rehabilitation progressed, it was time to find Sterling a person. Many of us took time with Sterling, working with his wood addiction, teaching him ground manners, and giving him more love than he could handle. Due to starvation, his growth was stunted. As he gained strength, he popped out abscesses, strained muscles in his rump and was butt high more months than we could count. Now, at 5 years of age he is over 17 hands and all horse. But he still needed a person. Enter Tiffany -

Tiffany works at the barn part time, as an instructor and volunteer. While her background is in dressage, Tiff couldn't help but fall for our little "Ster-Fry". His movement, when correct, was beautiful; his legs long and delicate, and keeping him at a trot for more than 10 paces a joke. And so, the long-legged dressage rider became the person for a green hunter prospect.

Sterling is technically grown up now. At 5 his size might not change, and his cribbing obsession is just as strong as day one, and he is still afraid of his own shadow, but what a magnificent horse he has become. Tiffany is finishing up her art degree, and Sterling has become the model for many of her school projects.

With Tiffany at school, another person has stepped up to love on our "Chicken of the Barn", Kim. Kim has been riding ponies at BSRA for many years, and when it was decided Sterling needed another rider to help train him, Kim happily volunteered. The pairing is awesome, and they have already made quite an impression together in the local shows. Sterling is still green, and sometimes it shows, but he is all heart!

This weekend, Kim and Sterling will be competing at the GHJA finals, and Tiffany will be there ringside cheering him on. Our little Thoroughbred has come a long way from the dull, ragged, neurotic baby I first met sucking on the top rail, but I know his future will be brighter still with the love of two good women, a barn full of friends, a round bale to dive into and a piece of wood to suck on!

If you would like more information on Blue Skies Riding Academy, our rescue and retraining program, or our riding lessons, please visit our website at www.blueskiesridingacademy.com.

A Heart As Big As the Wind...

Today the sun rose in the sky and the birds sang in the trees, but at Blue Skies we discovered our beloved Spark Plug, rescued with the Paulding Super 6 in March, had succumbed to a sudden downturn in his health and passed away quietly in his sleep. We are all in mourning for a life cut entirely too short. But our memories of his three months with us are crowded with a little pony with more personality than one frail body could contain.

From the day we arrived to save some of the animals bound for slaughter from abuse and certain death, Sparky made his mark on our staff. Though one of the most severely emaciated horses on the property, he promptly marched up to the barn manager and made it known he would be our first of six animals we brought home to BSRA. Small, a bag of skin and bones, with dull coat but bright eyes, his spark of life became the obvious name for this little gelding. With a body score of 1.5 we knew he faced a long road, but all of us were eager to go.

From the moment he set foot on the trailer, Sparky knew he was home. In the quarantine paddock he was so weak Sparks spent more time lying down than standing. He drank well and approached each portion of alfalfa tea or watered oats with a real zeal. Within a week, he was standing on his own and the true personality of this amazing equine began to shine.

He was a prankster, who loved to bellow for treats or demand his pasture time. He was the first head over the door every morning and the last to say good night. He would follow mildly to the gate if he was of a mind to do so and he was just as likely to run off as obey. The barn and back pastures were his playground and Maple was his fast companion. They shared meals, hay and water and took care of each other during times of uncertainty and quiet.

Sparky began his downward slide last weekend, and magnificent Dr. Sue was called. Our little Spark Plug wasn't doing well. He had a heart murmur ( a side effect of the severe starvation his body had endured) and a hernia in his intestines. The diarrhea in this heat complicated the weakness. Monday he spent more time lying down than standing, Maple watching anxiously from the stall next door. During the night he made his way across the rainbow bridge.

Rescue is hard, and sometimes the only reward is knowing you gave an animal back their pride and dignity. We mourn today and continue our care of the other 5 members of the Paulding rescue group, along with our other OTTB rescues who are in training for their second careers. Soon there will be another phone call, another Spark Plug waiting for someone to care enough to act. And we will be there,, along with the other wonderful rescues who put their hearts out there every day.

Tomorrow the sun will rise in the sky and the birds will sing in the trees but at Blue Skies, our little Spark will still be gone.

Katie - A Rescue Success Story.

Blue Skies Riding Academy is more than a lesson barn, more than another boarding facility. Our primary focus is the rescue and retraining of horses who through no fault of their own find themselves in horrendous circumstances. Currently we have nine rescues which have come from slaughter bound situations. Once the animal regains weight and personal interest in people again, we work to discover their natural abilities and to adopt these recovered gems to loving, forever homes.

One such horse is know to us as Katie, but a long time ago, in a different life, her Jockey Club name was Sought Out. Katie worked the tracks the hard way and when her usefulness was done, she was rescued by a group of very determined women.

Furlong Transition Center acquired Katie after quite a harrowing ordeal. Originally a group of rescuers were networking to bail out a horse that was auction bound. When the network dispatched a local resident to evaluate the nice, large gelding of possible thoroughbred breeding, she arrived to find he had already been sent to auction. Very upset, she called Wendy O’Hara-Mickels at Furlong and another member of the network, Diana Baker. Diana in turn sent one of her friends to the suspected auction house, Marshall Auction in Virginia on a hot Saturday afternoon. While many waited and others called the offending owner it was too late and our target horse, a bay gelding, was sold and gone from the auction yard. Never one to be out done Diana asked her person on the ground, Jan Snodgrass, to see if any other TBs needed rescuing. Jan saw two mares go through the auction both very skinny; one had a terrible scar on her back leg. Since the better mare was bought by a mother/ daughter, Jan set her sights on the other scarred horse. To her horror, the mare was tied to the trailer of one Jessie Austin, known meat dealer and sometimes hauler. After speaking to Diana they agreed on a budget and $150 was spent to save Katie, as she became known somewhere during her trips.

Katie was slaughter bound and her last ride was going to be to New Holland auction for the hauler to gather a load before heading to a Canadian or Mexican slaughter house. Ransomed, Katie instead loaded and went home with Jan, beginning a six week recovery. Upon arrival, Katie was approx. 250+lbs underweight. Her back leg scar ran from hock to fetlock and the leg as was twice the size it should have been. Everyone involved was concerned as to the severity of her injury which appeared to  be six months old. The leg was healing, but the extent of scarring lead many to believe she had been given minimal care along the winding road to rescue. In Late July, early August it was determined Katie needed a more permanent solution. Jan had done a great job of getting weight on Katie but she needed a family to complete the recovery. Furlong Transition had been contacted by the rescue network to take in two thoroughbreds from Charleston. When one horse was placed in a home ahead of the shipping schedule Katie was chosen to fill the spot.

Katie was shipped with Rodeo Reba, a beautiful, large, homeless thoroughbred mare to Furlong Transition in the middle of the night. Katie however had other ideas about this trip. She was in no way going through the auction again or with another scruffy man. Wary of the trailer ride, Katie proceeded to demolish the hauler’s trailer along with injuring Reba physically and mentally on the trip down. Katie had to be sedated for the rest of the trip. We were all very surprised with this sweet mare's sudden meltdown, and decided it was from the trauma of her previous experiences.

Katie and Reba arrived at 3am to begin their new lives at Furlong Transition. After a few weeks it became apparent Katie was top horse in the pack composed of Katie, Reba and resident gelding, the Biggie. She and Reba had scrapes and scuffles, but would be OK. For the next year and a half, Katie was in a stall with adjoining paddock during the day and out at night with her buddies. There was little activity at the barn apart from feeding, cleaning and petting. Secluded on a pretty hill top farm with mountain meadow pastures. Katie only had to eat, sleep and socialize with her pasture mates.

In the beginning, Rodeo Reba was the top attention horse in the barn; the few people welcomed to view them for adoption always went to Reba with her huge brown eyes and perfect form. Unfortunately, no adopters were ever qualified enough for a mare with Reba’s special issues, so she remained at Furlong where she is now a permanent resident. Katie’s scar was getting better but remained a big red flag for most horse shoppers. Her mane was fuzzy from malnutrition, she was shy and would not let people handle her head. Katie’s feet were shelly and she did not like to be bathed or fussed over. After about a year, Katie realized this farm was going to stay under her feet and she began to warm up to both Wendy and her family. Even Wendy's oldest son was comfortable turning her out; Katie had perfect manners.

Eventually, it became apparent Katie wanted more from life than the sleepy enjoyment of being a pampered pasture mate, and she began to show off whenever company came to the barn. Katie would run, buck and come to the fence over and over again. For anyone who knew what to watch for, she was saying I am ready. Blue Skies heard Katie was being started under saddle again in the fall of 2010 by Furlong, and that Wendy’s neighbor, a very experienced dressage rider was working with Katie. When pictures were sent of her under saddle Blue Skies just had to come back for another  visit. Gone was the scruffy necked mare and in her place was a confident Thoroughbred, a lady in hand, shiny and ready to move on to her next chapter. After Sami and Ashley rode her and everyone saw the pictures there was no denying Katie was going to be the next addition to the Blue Skies family.

It hasn't been all easy going. It took Katie a while to settle into the routine of a lesson program. She is a big girl with a big stride and has been working and retraining as a Jumper. At her first outing this year, Katie and her rider Danielle were in the tops in all their classes. There are pictures of them on our Facebook page: Blue Skies Riding Academy, Inc. Three years ago this precious mare was tied to the trailer headed to hell and now she is poised to explode in the Jumper rings around Atlanta these next years as her new life expands.

On an additional happy note, the original target gelding from the auction was traced down to New Holland the following Monday, purchased and shipped to Kentucky by a group of very determined women in rescue. He became the pasture mate of Mohamed’s Dream who was adopted to the farm previously and was pasture mate to Those Bailey Blues (Bailey who now belongs to Sami Malik of Blue Skies), during her original transition time at Furlong Transition Center.

 Katie is one of many OTTB's now retraining at Blue Skies Riding Academy.