Meet This Horse Named Sandman, Should He Be Meat?

Should this horse be sent to slaughter because it will not be ride able?

Meet Sandman 

His fetlock joints are not strong enough to carry a rider. Under 4-years-old, already discarded like trash. He had a bad start nutritionally, which caused problems so he was being sold for meat prices per pound. Why would someone breed their animal then not take care of it?

He is a big Belgium draft horse and sweet but you need to take time to win his trust. He was treated unkindly because the owner saw no other value in him except a few hundred dollars.

Save The Horses Volunteer, Elizabeth McPeek, put out the word on this guy needing help. Thanks to generous donations from compassionate people, we were able to save him from death. We were able to buy him from the kill pen. He was very underweight, dirty, had bad feet and was terrified of humans. When I arrived at the auction barn, only one man was there. It wasn't an auction day so not much was going on. He told me he knows very little about horses but he would help me get him. He thought he should chase the horse around the pen to catch him so he continued that for a while. I am sure he saw this done many times and knew no better way. All it did was frighten the already frightened horse even more. There were a series of shoots and gates to get horses through to the auction so I went in and got behind Sandman and just guided him by being behind him. He finally got to a small shoot area and the man helping closed both the front and back gate. It restrained him but the poor horse was trembling badly. I had to climb the side fencing to try and get a halter on him. He was so large and fearful. He kept going up and down with his head; it took about 10 minutes to finally get the halter on his head and buckled.

I climbed down the side of the fence and held tightly onto the lead rope. Gently touching his face, I whispered, "You are going to be safe now, I promise." With his eyes wide with anxiety of what was going to happen to him, he let out a nice deep breath and walked with me out the barn door. I had the trailer door opened and showed him the good hay waiting for him. There was no hay or water in his holding area so he walked right into the trailer. I guess he was starting to believe my words about being safe. An hour later, we arrived at the Chickamauga, Georgia farm. He unloaded well; we took some pictures to document his progress.

In the pasture, he found another draft horse to buddy up with. The kind volunteers at the farm give him hope that humans are not bad. He has come a long way in the year he has been with us. He gained weight, learned to pick up his feet for the Farrier (hoof trimmer) and is going to get his teeth worked on soon. Yes, horses go to dentists too. 

Our goal is not how many horses find homes; it is to improve the life of each horse, get to know its needs and search for the best home possible. We get to know each horse and can honestly let a prospective adopter know the needs of each horse. We want long-term forever love each horse deserves. That is our mission to Save The Horses. With all the wonderful volunteers, it is done 365 days a year. No one gets a salary; everyone gets more than they give. It is a little sad to see a horse go to a new home but it gives your heart such a lift knowing you are part of something so much bigger than yourself. Some of our volunteers have been here several years, if brings such joy. It makes humans human.

Sandman is healthy but does need some dental work, which we will have done. He is available for adoption to a loving home that appreciates his majesty and grace he possesses. 

Sad, heartbreaking, but not illegal, thousands of horses are sold to be slaughtered for human consumption every year. Though America does not have a slaughter plant on our soil, horses are sent to Mexico and Canada to be killed. Save The Horses is against horse slaughter.

Horse owners need to be responsible for their animals, stop breeding horses and take the time to find safe homes if they no longer want their once beloved horse. The difference between life and death in only a few hundred dollars. We purchased Sandman for $350. 

Thank you for your continued support to Save The Horses. Your generosity saves lives everyday. Do not ever think your donation is too small. Seventy people donating $5 each could save Sandman. Ten people donating $35 each and so on. 

It all adds up to saving horses! 

Save The Horses is located at 1768 Newt Green Road in Cumming.

Come visit us!