The HSUS

Holly Hazard saw Mariah and Sahara safely to Black Beauty Ranch

By Holly Hazard

If there was ever a time I wished I could talk to the animals, it was early Wednesday morning at a stockyard in Cheyenne, Wyo. as two of the "Miracle Horses," mother Mariah and daughter Sahara, were loaded into the trailer for the last leg of their long journey. I wanted to tell them it would be their last trip. I wanted to whisper: "Just one more day, and you'll be home."

As the trailer was loaded, the temperature hit 20 degrees with wind blowing and snow flakes swirling. Sahara whinnied for her mother as they were separated for  loading. It was clear that their bond had kept them both alive this far.

Mariah and Sahara are two of the 30 horses saved at the last moment from the horrors of the Cavel slaughterhouse in Illinois by a judge's  decision.

Mariah and Sahara's Journey

These animals  journeyed from Utah to Wyoming and on to the Cavel slaughter plant in Illinois, then  back to Wyoming. They endured a lack of care or compassion. They traveled with an untamed stallion who kicked and bit them and their companions, some so badly they needed veterinary care. 

A few of the horses were so traumatized by the journey that they had to be euthanized. But most made it. And the miracles happened, not just at the slaughter house but the next week at the stockyard where they awaited their fate.

After the court decision shut down the slaughterhouse, the killer buyer called The HSUS and asked if we could help him with his animals. He could ship them to a Mexican horse butchery as many other dealers had, but he wanted to consider letting them live.

When the first HSUS staff arrived, they didn't find "old and lame" horses as pro-slaughter propaganda proclaims. Under the wild eyes, the fresh bruises, and the skittish behavior, they found mostly young and healthy horses filled with the possibilities of life.

During that week, their personalities and histories came out.

As we were grooming a beautiful bay, he gently picked up his hoof to be cleaned, stood quietly in cross ties, and leaned into a gentle pat or rub. Clearly he had been someone's beloved pet at some time.

The stallion was gelded, still untouchable, but with a look of power and pride in his eye. Over the week, one moment at a time, he gradually began to build a little trust until, before we left, he was nervously eating grain from a hand-held bucket.

We contacted horse sanctuaries and rescues and some called us. The horse rescue community came out in droves  to volunteer, offer assistance, and give advice and support. We adopted out some and moved most to rescues to regain some flesh and confidence before finding their permanent family. (See sidebar.) 

The HSUS

Mariah and Sahara at Black Beauty Ranch April 12.

Unlike others on the truck, Mariah and Sahara were clearly a family. They had been stripped of their past but they had each other and it was clear that to separate them would be to break the spirit of both. The mother was quiet and reserved, almost shy; the daughter impulsive and determined but submissive with her mom.

They could not be handled easily. They were startled by the gentlest step toward them. They could be caught but would rarely come to you. They moved together, ate in sync, trotted in step, always aware of each other and whinnying if either was out of sight. We could not separate them and we could not give them to someone else who might. We knew their home would be the Black Beauty Ranch.

Greener Pastures

The horses traveled through the day, rested overnight, and arrived yesterday afternoon at the ranch.

They tentatively came off the truck, looked at each other, and in perfect tandem trotted off onto the green grass in the large paddock where they would spend the day. They galloped briskly away from the camel in the next enclosure who tried to vocalize a greeting, and bent down in the sunshine to graze.

By the end of the afternoon, this mother and daughter family slowly came up to me and took a carrot from my hand. They were home.

This week, we came to know these 30 horses as individuals; some proud, some timid, some funny, some gallant. But they are no different from the other 100,000 equines sent to slaughter last year and those being trucked right now to killer plants in Mexico and Canada. Just as these individuals deserved a second chance at life with a caring family, so do the creatures we couldn't  save.