On Presidents Day two years ago we headed to New Holland Horse Auction to rescue a few horses. My fundraising Coordinator, Donna, came with us for the first time to see the auction. We had a big group of people with us, all wanting to get the "auction experience". I went off alone to start looking at horses and jotting down numbers of horses that I would attempt to help. My list was long that day, 10-15 horses that pulled on my heart strings. Everyone always asks how I "pick" the horses I rescue. I wouldnt say I pick them, most of them pick me. They speak to me in some way, whether through their eyes or their soul.
That day Donna learned just what I mean when I say a horse speaks to me, she never got to pick the horse of her dreams, he picked her. She came running over to me that I just had to see this horse, he was so cute and he kept calling to her when she walked away. I rolled my eyes at her and kept looking at the small paint I was going over. She finally talked me into looking at the horse. We walked down the aisle and the little horse was dancing in place and pulling on his head tie. I took a look at him, he was cute, built nice, and generally seemed to be a happy horse. I wrote his number on my pad just to please Donna and kept on looking through the horses.
The auction started and within minutes the small horse was in line to be ran through. Donna pointed him out with a huge grin on her face. At that moment I realized that he had spoken to her, part of me thinks he knew she was a sucker and would make sure he went to a nice place. The bidding started low and I put in the third bid and his price quickly started to go up. Next thing I know his rider stands on his back and the little horse just stood there, looking super calm. Within seconds the bidding stopped, the small bay horse was now ours. Donna looked like a kid in a candy shop. She quickly walked away to check on the horse. That day we rescued 6 other horses, Donna named the small horse Quincy, and the group headed to PA for the month.
During the first few days after Quincy's rescue e-mails started to pour in inquiring about him, he was the one that people wanted. I told Donna that her small horse would probably be adopted and never make it to our farm in Northport. She started to question me about him. I only spent a few brief moments with him at the auction so when she asked me how tall he was I blurted out 15.2 hh, the best guess I could think while I was trying to remember him. I did know he was special little horse that would be a good first for her to learn with. A few days later she decided to adopt him. A little out of the norm for people adopting, she had never ridden him, only spent a few hours with him at the auction, but she knew he was to be hers. He had spoken to her in the way every one of the rescue horses have spoken to me over the years.
The day Quincy was to arrive at our farm Donna and her daughters stood near the gate with excitement. The trailer pulled in and Quincy was unloaded. After two years I still can remember the exact thought that ran through my head..."damn thats a small horse". Donna and her daughters groomed their new horse, all with smiles on their faces. It was so nice to see the little horse and his new family.
After a few weeks of Donna owning Quincy I found him having some sort of problem, his whole body was literally thumping. I quickly got Donna on the phone and told her to come and wait for the vet, I had to run out and pick up a few horses but she would be fine with out me. I've never seen someone look so nervous but Donna pulled it off. We found out Quincy had a low calcium count and would need a special supplement. The beauty of horse ownership, and the vet bills that come along with it!
It's been two years since that little horse found Donna. In those two years I've never lived down the fact that Quincy is only 14.1 hh and I said he was 15.2 hh. Donna even invested in a horse measuring stick for me so I no longer had to guess. I will swear to this day that at the auction he looked bigger!
Sometimes the best horses come in little packages, Quincy is one of those horses. No matter how much I joke about his napolean complex I can say Quincy is one of the nicest horses I've had the pleasure of rescuing, he's got a heart of gold and has taught Donna so much in the past two years.
I hope Quincy's story inspires people out there that are considering adopting. There are a million horses just like him that need a happy ending, maybe you could be it?
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