At 21:46:10 on 27.12.09, Maddy wrote:
My sisters horse,well what ca we say? He was frightened and scared, flighty, and a little on the dangerous side. He had been abused, our little boy, our darling Flick, had been from owner to owner to owner to owner!! And each owner treated him as bad as the first. Im not going to mention names, but his second owner i think it was, tried to jump our FLick over a cattle fence, you know? those ridiculously high METAL cattle fences? Yes THEM! And you know what, surprise surprise! it didnt turn out well.....he flipped over onto his back and nearly illed himself because of some stupid woman. We also have reason to believe that he had been hit over the face with clippers. You have not seen a more frightened horse with clippers until you have seen flick. And the last owner before us, well lets just say if he was not going to sell within the next few weeks, guess where he was going.........he was going to be KILLED JUST BECAUSE HE WOULDNT SELL!!@!! who does that?!!!! We bought him in a heart beat, now...ahhhh.... 7 years later? yes thats rights, after many falls, my beautiful sister michelle never gave up, never in her whole 4 years of owning him did she ever hurt him, but show him how to love humans again and trust them. She sold him at the end of 2007, he is now at a LOVELY home, we see him every day because he lives with my girl, :) how wonerful is that!!! The girls name is melissa, and her mums is Kerry. Kerry absolutely adores him!! After a compettition and Flick has done so well, Kerry would come home and cry to us, it is the most heart warming thing ever. Sometimes michelle thinks she hasnt done flick well, but i than always remind her about his second chance at life with her and how she gave him the strength to trust again. :)

At 22:14:10 on 27.12.09, Holly wrote:
im sorry to hear about the experiences flick has had, must have been horrible for the poor boy. must be lovely knowing u have got him 2 trust humans angain though, must feel liike such an acheivement. i find it pathetic the way some people treat horses and give up on them so easily which is why i created this group. flick is a bautiful horse by the way :D

At 22:32:30 on 27.12.09, Holly wrote:
copper had a fair bit of trouble in his past 2, been sold on 2 dealers, tried a enormous amount of new homes wich didnt turn out, go bought from hungary then had strangles and more the poor boy. getting all sorted now bless him.

At 02:08:58 on 28.12.09, Maddy wrote:
hey, thakyou for writing back :) im so glad there is this site, flick is in safe hands now :) Your boy copper seems to have been lucky to find you :) i love happy endings!

At 01:24:37 on 15.01.10, BobbyJoe wrote:
A decade ago, I picked up a TB off the Vancouver Track. Didn't pay a dime for her, could see TONS of potential in her, if... she was given the chance at health. I carted her home to Alberta and commenced rehabing her, spent 2 years at the walk only, fed her tons of hay, alfalfa, and good ole Guinness, plied her with olive oil and let her remember how to be a horse. She rewarded me with gaining weight, growing up to be 16'2 instead of her 15'1 when I brought her home. I put her on cattle, she loved it. I took her into the mountains, she loved it. I took her on round-ups and gatherings, she loved it. I took her to Gymkhana, she loved it. That horse that would have been done in, within easily 3 months, lived a good life, though it was not long due to her track damages. But, I would NEVER EVER trade one single moment for all the love she gave me, for all the try and heart in her. I could always depend on her to take me safely thru the dirty stuff, or on that steep trail that had me freaked out. Never once, did she disappoint me. Rosey O'Blaze, best TB mare in the world, may you rest in peace my dearest love. All that you have taught me and shown me over our years, I will continue to show to others that come into my life. I love you, Rosey Posey, never gone, never forgotten. Should horses be given a second chance? Definately. There are diamonds there, they are just abit rough is all.

At 01:30:50 on 15.01.10, Maddy wrote:
exactly, all horses and animals alike are creatures that have their own feelings, own thoughts and own ways. We can try tame them but we can never break them.

At 08:03:05 on 15.02.10, Twisted x Talent wrote:
My 7 year old thoroughbred gelding Panther was a broken down race horse. He was born late and when the others were ready to go out on the track... his bones weren't fully ready. They pushed him and trained him and beat him till he was nothing and he finally broke down. Doing a front flip over himself and popping both his knees and shifting his hip. He was shipped off to a trainer who hated thoroughbreds. He beat Panther to the point where Panther was so brutal and so violent there was no getting near him. I remember the day I found him. Bowed up with a chain over his nose stuck in a standing stall with his ears flattened and scars all over him. I took one look at him and his oddly shaped body [lol giant head tiny body] and looked at my mom and said 'thats my horse, right there' My mom looked at me and went... 'ew...' but she bought me that horse. God damn it she bought me that horse cause he was in line for the slaughter truck. They unloaded him into the barn and he put up a grand fight. I walked right in and looked at him. I was only 12 or 13 at the time and this horse was about 3 or 4 and he was massive. I looke up at him and I remember saying 'God damn it you glue factory reject if it wasnt for me you'd be dead!' and Panther gave me this... 'What did you just say to me?' look and I just snapped at him and yelled 'YOU HEARD ME!' And he flicked his ears back and stepped away from me and just gave me this 'why are you yelling at me?' look. And I stared the brute down and sighed and sat down in his hay and opened the picture book...um.. I believe it was a Robert Munch book. And I read it to him. And I was scared I wont lie I'll never forget that feeling of a giant animal standing over me sniffing my head. He laid down as I read to him and it was an instant bond. Now I couldnt ride him he still was a brutal animal. he bit me and kicked me, and he threw me around but we always gave eachother this look. This 'Try me' look as I picked myself off the ground everytime. And he just flattened his ears and gave me the 'Why wont you give up and leave me alone!?' look. And I'd grab onto his face and rip it towards and then run my hand down his cheek and rest my head on his and stand there. I stood there and stroked his face till his eyes started to close then I'd fight with him to stand, get on him and get to work. I trained him for over around 3 or 4 years for him to be the gelding he is now. And he can be a 'dick' sometimes... but I love him. I'd never give him up for anything, and he's not goin anywhere without a fight. He was ment to be my horse, and I'll do anything to keep him with me.

At 21:08:51 on 15.12.10, dixierider wrote:
All horses deserve "forever" homes. I too had an off the track TB. Bought her off the meat wagon for 50 cents a pound. She had pulled her stifle and it was deemed she was worth more dead than alive because of the insurance her owners had on her. According to the American Jockey Club she was destroyed. I put her out in the pasture for a year and didn't mess with her other than routine vet care, wormings, farrier visits etc. Started riding her exactly one year from the day I bought her. Three months after that we took 1st in county, then 1st in Regionals and 2nd in District which qualified us for the 4H nationals. We took 1st in Hunter over Fences. I rode her to over 30 titles in three years. And then I turned pro. She was "retired" for all of 5 minutes and found herself back in the ring with other riders for the next 20 years. She can still be seen in local shows in her "forever" hometown usually at a child's first show. We did the math a few years ago and between everyone who has shown her she has over 140 titles and has won Grand Champion over 60 times. She has taught approx. 350 kids how to ride and has has birthed 4 of the best hunters I have ever had. I think she was well worth the $600 we paid for her.