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Because Every Horse Matters
We share the story of every horse we’ve helped because every horse matters and their stories deserve to be told.
We celebrate every gelding procedure knowing they will have better lives and won’t be contributing to the unwanted horse population. We honour every horse who was given the Last Act of Kindness knowing they were given a peaceful dignified ending. It means they were spared the horrors of the slaughter pipeline, which no horse deserves.
Some of the stories may be hard to read but please know they all knew love, even if it was only in the last season of their life. Many stories are heartwarming, a testament to the love between a horse and their person.
Thank you to our donors for making a difference in the lives of horses across the country.
An ex-Amish plow horse
This sweet girl was an ex-Amish plow horse. Worked until she could pull no more, she was taken to auction where she absolutely would have sold for meat had her rescuer not outbid the kill buyer. Instead she got to live out the last two years of her life peacefully in full retirement. She became a loving companion to a blind gelding. Her years of hard work and minimal care left her rear right hock severely damaged. Despite pain medication and various therapeutic treatments, it
Horse Aid Canada
3 days ago1 min read
Gemini
Gemini's owner was no longer able to care for her so they reached out to Blackbird Ranch Equine Rescue and Rehab for help. We are so grateful they did that instead of sending her to auction where she likely would have been sold into the slaughter pipeline. Unfortunately Gemini had severe dropped suspensory ligaments in both of her front legs. As a draft cross, she was putting a lot of weight on those legs. She was in terrible pain and it was difficult for her to walk. The kin
Horse Aid Canada
Jun 151 min read
Ranger
Blackbird Ranch Equine Rescue and Rehab rescued Ranger from auction 7 years ago when he was just a yearling. His owner had originally listed him for sale on Kijiji for $50 but since no one bought him, his owner took him to auction. Ranger was beyond terrified, trembling when his rescuers went into his pen. Not only did he have string halt but he also had a catastrophic injury to one his rear fetlocks leaving it much larger than the other one. Over the years he let his rescuer
Horse Aid Canada
Jun 151 min read
A lovely Standardbred
Our hearts go out to the people who cared for this beautiful boy. 💞 But there is so much more to his story than his passing so we'll start at the beginning. He was a Standardbred and kept as a stallion for the first 19 years of his life. We can only speculate but he was likely used for breeding as he spent that whole time alone living in field. It is sadly not unusual for stallions to spend their lives in isolation. His owner had suddenly passed away and he was taken in by a
Horse Aid Canada
Jun 152 min read
Whisper
A stunning Arabian stallion, Whisper was thought to be a cryptorchid. Though he proved not to be it was still a complicated surgery. Thankfully he came through it ok and is now a good citizen. Thanks to our donors we were able to provide The Heart of Horsemanship with our Gelding Grant.
Horse Aid Canada
Jun 151 min read
Elio
Elio was a yearling when he was rescued. Sadly he was severely underweight and very sick. Thankfully he was taken in by The Heart of Horsemanship and given the care he so desperately needed. Here is the story they shared about him on their social media. “Hi everyone my name is Elio. I m a yearling colt. Life wasn’t always easy for me while I loved the time with my mom, it wasn’t long enough. When I was left to fend for myself, i didn’t have the strength needed to keep going.
Horse Aid Canada
Jun 152 min read
Rupert
Rupert's mom Rosey found herself 10 months pregnant at the Dawson Creek, BC auction in February 2025. A traumatized rodeo pony who had been bred to a Percheron draft stud. It is the worst of backyard breeding, a pony dam with a draft stud. It represents no regard for the well being of the dam or foal. Sadly, this is not uncommon in backyard breeding. Why? Because a horse purchased for meat is sold by the pound. For a kill buyer a pregnant horse, and especially one bred to a d
Horse Aid Canada
Jun 121 min read
Catori
Catori was rescued from auction in 2011 by Blackbird Ranch Equine Rescue and Rehab. At first she was wary of people at first. With time she has blossomed into a loving, cuddly girl who loved pets and being groomed. Due to conformation issues and arthritic knees, she was never able to be placed up for adoption, so she was designated as their first official permanent resident. Catori became their constant through the years. welcoming over 150 horses through their gates. Some st
Horse Aid Canada
Jun 121 min read
Kate the Great
Pony Pals Therapeutic Riding Association welcomed Kate the Great to their program in May 2024. She was a wonderful addition, serving so gently, so lovingly and so safely, changing the lives of people with physical and cognitive disabilities for the better. Kate was very suddenly found to be in distress struggling to breathe. She was immediately taken to the vet where an examination with a scope and discovered a large mass obstructing over half her airway. It was believed to b
Horse Aid Canada
Jun 121 min read
Roo & Matteo
Roo was Fortunate to be Born in a Place of Safety His mother, Abbigale, was rescued from a kill buyer, after a hard life as a bucking pony and in wild pony races. Taken in by Hopeful Hooves Equine Rescue in Alberta, when she was examined by a vet it was discovered she was pregnant. Abbigale was estimated to be between 24-27 years of age. Pregnancy for such a senior horse is high risk. But with good nutrition and vet care, she was able to carry her baby to full term. Roo was b
Horse Aid Canada
Jun 82 min read
King Ajax, aka "Jimmy"
Jimmy, registered with the Jockey Club as "King Ajax" 🐎 Jimmy spent the first part of his life in the thoroughbred racing circuit. The records show he was raced 41 times but no doubt he did much more than that. At 20 years old he found himself, along with four other registered thoroughbreds, with a horse dealer in Alberta. Despite pleas from the rescue community, no one had shown immediate interest in them. Thankfully, after five days someone drove out to see them and bought
Horse Aid Canada
May 192 min read
Heartbreaking case of founder
We are heartbroken for this little one 💔 Sweet Min was in the care of an elderly gentleman. The community saw that he wasn't taking proper care of him and the other ponies and came together to rescue them. We are so grateful for their actions as long term neglect leads to terrible suffering. Min was taken in by Tiny Tales Pony Rescue as an emergency rescue. Unfortunately he was in a lot of pain and it was evident that even with icing and other treatments that he wasn't exper
Horse Aid Canada
May 141 min read
Makayla
How does a horse end up in the slaughter pipeline? This is how. And hers is just one story of many. 🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴 Attending horse auction is not an easy thing to do. Inevitably there are horses whose conditions break your heart. Rescuers go in knowing this ahead of time. They show up anyway, thankfully. The people at the Horse Sanctuary at Finn Farms once again did just that. As soon as they laid eyes on one particular horse they knew they had seen her before.
Horse Aid Canada
Apr 212 min read
An undiagnosed sleep disorder
Dee lived her early years as a dressage horse. She was retired at 16 due to soundness issues despite much investigation weren’t able to be fully diagnosed. She came here live at the Horse Sanctuary at Finn Farms to enjoy friends, forage, and a good retirement. She was a true beauty, and like a ballerina, her movement was ground covering and effortless, her presence commanding. It wasn't long after Dee arrived that she began to have recurring injuries. It was only by watching
Horse Aid Canada
Apr 201 min read
A senior mare and her girls
Every story is special but the ones about little girls and their horses .... there is just something extra special about those. 🐴👧❤️ This beautiful mare became part of a wonderful family so their daughters could have a horse of their own. Already a senior, she was a kind and loving mare, taking very good care of her little humans. Unable to be ridden due to navicular and arthritis, she became their pasture friend. The girls spent part of almost every day with her, loving he
Horse Aid Canada
Apr 161 min read
A mare with a serious reproductive health issue
Mares can sometimes unfairly be given a bad rap. Unlike geldings, who have had their testicles removed, mares are are rarely spayed so they retain their full hormonal system and everything that goes along with it. Too often such behaviours can be dismissed as being "mareish" and not taken as seriously as they should be. Mares can experience a range of health issues related to their reproductive system, from infections to cysts to more serious issues including endometriosis an
Horse Aid Canada
Apr 71 min read
A very lucky mare
This beauty was one lucky girl. When she was just a baby, both she and her dam had been purchased at auction and were going to be sent back when the owners were selling their property. Fortunately when the people who eventually bought the property came to see it, they decided to buy the horses too, saving them from the scary fate of ending up back at auction. She had a long life and spent it at the same place. Not many horses enjoy such a gift. Circumstances changed and her o
Horse Aid Canada
Mar 301 min read
Dominic
Dominic was taken to auction in February 2020. No one wanted him because he was skin and bones and his hooves were overgrown, long and curly. He was also very afraid of humans. He clearly had been neglected for quite some time. Thankfully 5 Freedoms Ranch Rescue saved him and brought him home. There he was able to heal, body and soul. Sadly, Dominic went into liver failure. He was immediately given intensive vet care. He spent a few days at the vet clinic and at first there w
Horse Aid Canada
Mar 251 min read
Petite
This beautiful girl was lent to Horse Sanctuary at Finn Farms from another rescue to be a buddy to another senior who was missing their friend. While those two didn't quite get on, she became best friends with two young donkeys. She was a wonderful replacement "mum" and loved the little ones. But she was quite senior herself at age 35. Suddenly she declined and went downhill quickly, losing cognitive function. She became ataxic and could not use her back legs. Her time had co
Horse Aid Canada
Mar 241 min read
Serenity and Solace
Shared from Hopeful Hooves Equine Rescue, because we couldn't tell their story any better than them. We don’t have a hopeful update tonight. We have heartbreak. And anger. And two empty spaces where lives should still be standing. Today we said goodbye to Solace and Serenity. We watched them all night. They barely moved. We already knew in our gut what morning would bring, but we still hoped. We always hope. Because giving up on them isn’t something we do lightly. For Serenit
Horse Aid Canada
Mar 162 min read
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