Santana

Santana's story as it appeared in the July 2020  newsletter.   After our volunteers have been here for a few years, they will often develop a sense of horses that need  rescuing. Melanie has that ability and the perception of knowing when a horse is in trouble. Many of us  watch the equine marketplace to see what is selling and for what price. The little Morgan grabbed Melanie’s  heart, and she knew if we didn’t take him in, his fate could easily be on a meat truck to slaughter. 

  The picture advertising the horse showed him being ridden by a rider that was too large for his small frame.  Also, the same person was shown riding him bareback. (Never ride a horse bareback!) If he is a Morgan, he  should be a more massive horse. Time will tell if he ends up muscled as the breed should be.   A 26-year-old horse doesn’t have much of a chance of being sold to a legitimate buyer. People don’t  realize the talent the kill buyers have to tell a tale of how wonderful a home the horse will have. Often they  get horses for free or very few dollars.   

We put him in the small front field with the new Dun (first thought to be a Palomino until we saw his dorsal  stripe!) named Aslan. That was not a good match, so we moved him into the side field with Peaches. The  two are getting along fine, and they are becoming best friends.  Santana is an example of the damage a halter can leave on a horse’s face. Please, please do not leave a  halter on a horse. Think about how hot the metal on the halter can get in the heat of the summer or the  freezing weather in the winter.