On April 11th I ventured to New Holland Horse Auction with the intent of saving four lucky horses from this horrid place, it has become a monthly ritual for our horse rescue to attend this horse auction. As we pulled into the parking lot you could hear the horses unloading off the trailers with men chasing them into pens and slapping numbers on their rumps. That’s what a horse becomes at New Holland, a number. Most of these horses had names at some point in their lives that they remember but now they are just a number that was discarded by an owner. At some point they took a child over their first jump or an adult on a trail ride but now they are being auctioned of like they are worth nothing. Many of them have had a blanket of roses laid across their backs and now they are struggling to grab a few pieces of hay. Tons of them worked on the Amish farms and have never experienced love or kindness. Many horses looked scared or confused but the majority of them look like they have been to hell and back.
We walked through the aisles waiting for the first horse to call out to us. This was the most crowded I have seen New Holland with horses so close together it was hard to get in between them to get a closer look. There were rows of horses that were packed in so tight they were kicking and biting at each other out of fear. The number of horses was overwhelming, as it is every time. I constantly think to myself of how this many horses can be thrown away each week.
We walked through all the horses and wrote down many numbers of skinny horses that obviously needed some TLC. As we wandered to the back on the auction there was a pen full of horses, probably fifteen of them jammed in a pen made for four. They were fighting and kicking and they all had on auction stickers from another auction. They were brought in by a dealer and would be sold again at New Holland. I watched as the dealer ripped off the old stickers and slapped on the New Holland stickers. This makes you think about how many of these horses are tossed from auction to auction without ever getting the love they so desperately crave. There were many skinny horses in this pen that would soon be labeled with stickers and sold for next to nothing to another dealer or kill buyer.
In the last aisle was a huge Belgian mare, it was obvious she was extremely thin and sad looking. She did not touch her hay and as the horses struggled around her she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had probably been an Amish horse her entire life and was now being dumped at an auction. This mare looked defeated and seemed to understand it was probably the end of the line for her.
There was a pen with a few foals in it that were huddled together and a large group of minis with some foals. The large number of horses made it difficult to pick out who we would add to our list. This time is was different for me; many times I decide right away who “calls out to me”. This time I had about 50 horses on my mind that obviously needed help. The auction started and horses started running through quickly, the higher quality riding horses went through first. Many well broke and well mannered horses were sold for a fraction of their worth.
At the auction I had the pleasure of meeting Carolyn, a women that had made a large donation which made it possible for us to go to the auction. She came with a group of college students and they picked out a young thoroughbred filly to rescue. She came through the auction quickly and Ray bid on her and we won. This gorgeous filly was now the newest addition to Project Sage. Although it was obvious she was very scared of people and was unsure as to where she was she did lick my hand and I tried to reassure her that she would be safe with me. Our filly had a friend that she was in a pen with, a young chestnut. It was apparent they were very close and I cringed as the other filly was sold to a kill buyer. Her life would come to an end way too soon, at the age of one she was sold for slaughter, not even given a chance to grow up and show what an amazing horse she could be. They put the two fillies back in the pen together, I swallowed hard as I thought that this would be the last time they would be together, it was their final good bye. They huddled close together; the fear in their eyes was something I will never forget.
I tried to get my mind back on track as I saw the big Belgian mare ready to be run through the auction. I told Ray we needed to rescue this big girl and he began bidding. I peaked over and saw we were bidding against Brian Moore, the biggest known kill buyer at New Holland. Ray kept bidding until she was ours, this 20 hh Belgian won us all over after just spending a few minutes with her. The kindness in her eyes is something very powerful and I’m blessed to be able to have saved her. Melissa quickly named her Sadie, it fit her perfectly. The biggest and sweetest horse I have ever had to pleasure of rescuing.
At this point in the day horses were flying through the auction, many of them selling to slaughter. They lined the slaughter horses up outside, tied to the fence with no food or water in the baking sun. I handed many of them handfuls of hay, not much else you could do for them. I patted them on the shoulders and scratched many of their faces as I prayed to god that he will make it as least painful as possible for them when they enter the slaughter house. I know its wishful thinking but it’s something I do every time I touch a horse I know will end up in Canada and Mexico.
The next horse I had my eye on was a small black and white paint that had a kind eye. He was to be ridden through bareback with a rough rider but he did his job and he did it well. The man yanked on his face and kicked him hard but he trotted through the auction trying to be as good. We bid on this little skinny beaten up horse, I saw an amazing animal under all that hair. I smiled when I realized we had rescued the little horse whom I would later name Pickle, the little horse who stole my heart with his kindness.
There was a line of horses to be run through the auction but one caught my eye. She was looking directly at me, something you rarely see at an auction. Many people ask me how I pick horses; well I can tell you that this paint mare picked me. She stared me down, begging me with her eyes to help her. She would be the fourth horse of the day, a gorgeous paint mare who we named “Close Call” after we outbid a kill buyer for her, Calli for short.
A few moments later a nice grey horse was in line to be walked through, he had a trace clip and looked to be well cared for other then the fact that he needed some weight. I thought to myself how someone could throw away a horse that they took the time to clip and put a new pair of shoes on. It baffled me and I decided we needed to bid on him. He was cute as a button and was very sweet. On the car ride home I would name him Merlin, a regal name for a regal horse. I tend to name the horses quickly after I rescue them to give them back their dignity, no animal should go without a name. Giving a horse a name is the simplest way you can show you care about them.
We rescued five horses on this amazing day, five horses that would be at a slaughter house if it was not for all the amazing people that donate to our trips to New Holland on a monthly basis. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for making these trips possible and for giving horses like Merlin, Sadie, Pickle, and Calli a second chance at life.
But the story does not end there. We paid for our newest horses and my favorite part of the day began. Time to load our horses on the trailer and get them out of the auction! We decided to load up the yearling filly first. Ray slowly went into the pen with her and the other filly and started to lead her out. She flailed and tossed Ray around trying to stay with her friend. She screamed and her friend screamed; it was a nightmare. Ray tried with all of his power to lead our filly to the trailer but she refused. She jumped up in the air and fought as hard as she could. She was fighting for her friend’s life and refused to leave her behind. We had to put her back in the pen and come up with a new plan. Melissa and I walked to the office and asked who bought the chestnut filly. The man standing next to us, who happened to be a well known dealer and kill buyer, explained that he had purchased her but was willing to sell her. I bought that filly without a second thought. They would stay together if it killed me. I made a desperate call to Gaile, one of my adopters, and she agreed to quarantine. After a long battle they were on the trailer and on the way to her farm. They probably have not had much handling and were both caked with manure. It will most likely take them months to fully trust people but Gaile has already made large victories with both of them. They have been given the names Sonja and Savannah to start their lives off with.
After dropping the fillies off we loaded the other four horses up and Ray went on his way to our quarantine barn so the horses could start their rehabilitation and find new homes. Every time I attend the auction I am baffled by the abuse and neglect that happens on a weekly basis. It is a true nightmare for every horse that enters the auction house. I strive to be able to keep attending New Holland on a monthly basis. We can only do that with help from people like you, consider making a donation, big or small, right now! Help a horse at New Holland by donating to Project Sage Horse Rescue. Our paypal address is projectsagehorserescue@gmail.com. We have already begun collecting for our next trip to New Holland in May. Change the life of a horse forever and contribute to the New Holland fund. Thank you to everyone who supports our mission on a monthly basis. I could not do it without you!
Brittany Rostron
Founder
Project Sage Horse Rescue
Projectsagehorserescue.org
