by Marika O'Brien
A second chance at life came for a young bay gelding named Beau when he arrived at Volunteer Equine Advocates, an equine rescue group in Gallatin, Tennessee. The severely emaciated horse and his three pasture mates had been seized by local officials due to severe neglect and brought to the rescue. Upon arrival, Beau was extremely malnourished: his bones jutted out from under his coat, and he could barely walk. To make matters worse, he was in desperate need of medical attention due to an injury, most likely from being kicked by another horse.
Glimmer of Hope
Like most equine rescues across the country, Volunteer Equine Advocates works on a limited budget. Its primary income comes from private donations. The estimated cost of emergency surgery to save Beau's life far surpassed the rescue's policy limit on spending.
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Beau has fully recovered from past neglect and is ready for his chance in the spotlight. Volunteer Equine Advocates/HSUS |
"He had a light in his eyes that told us he was going to make it," said Jamie Clifton, VEA representative. "There wasn't another option." The VEA board held an emergency meeting, voting in favor of paying for Beau's operation and the medical attention he needed to save his life.
Beau's first procedure failed. But after an operation at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and many months of careful attention from his VEA foster home during his rehabilitation process, Beau has recovered from his physical ailments and is now thriving.
A Special Invitation
Last fall, The Humane Society of the United States contacted Volunteer Equine Advocates to invite them to participate in a special relationship with The HSUS and world-renowned natural horsemanship trainers Pat and Linda Parelli. Through this joint venture, The HSUS works closely with local equine rescues to bring a rescue horse to work with Pat Parelli at Parelli Natural Horsemanship's educational "Celebration of Horses" events.
Beau is the first rescue horse to be trained in this partnership program. Working over a three day period, Pat will teach Beau how to overcome his fears and regain trust in people using humane natural horsemanship techniques. After the training period, Beau will be available for adoption through VEA to an approved home.
The HSUS-Parelli partnership is designed to raise awareness among the horse community about the plight of rescued horses everywhere, and to highlight the trainability of these resilient, forgiving animals. The goals are to give horsemen and women a understanding of the advantages of adopting a rescued horse, while bringing well-deserved attention to those dedicated to saving the lives of rescued horses.
The HSUS works closely with each participating rescue to choose the perfect candidate for each Celebration. "We had hoped Beau would be chosen, after all he's been through," said Clifton. "We are excited beyond belief that Pat Parelli himself is going to invest in Beau's future. We can't wait to be there and see it for ourselves!"
Celebrations
The wait won't be long. Beau is enrolled for training in the 2009 U.S. Celebration series, to be hosted in Franklin, Tennessee, from January 30-February 1, 2009. In conjunction with Beau's three-day development program, the series includes multiple educational workshops to teach people humane techniques on how to communicate with their horse. In addition to the workshops, demonstrations using Pat and Linda's techniques will be offered by horsemen and women from novice riders to Olympic Gold Medalists. For more information on Parelli Celebrations, please go to www.parelli.com.
The HSUS works to heighten awareness of the benefits of adopting a rescued horse and to prevent cruelty to our equine companions. Through the Homes for Horses Coalition, co-founded by The HSUS, we provide resources and support to the equine rescue community. Please visit www.homesforhorses.org for more information.
