Horse Illustrated Magazine

Most of the horses taken in by Saddlebred Rescue are saved from slaughter at the auction block. Yet, as the horses escape a gruesome fate, they are often left without papers or identities.

To help solve this dilemma, Saddlebred Rescue is reaching out to all trainers, breeders and owners for help in identifying anonymous rescued Saddlebreds.

“It can be like finding a needle in a hundred hay stacks,” says Christy Parker of Saddlebred Rescue. “We’ve had the best success when someone formerly involved with the horse sees a photo and recognizes it.”

When the missing identities are found, the results can sometimes be surprising. Tami Webber of Cocoa Beach, Fla., rescued Anna Marie, a horse she believed to be 10 years old. When the papers were found, Webber discovered her 10-year-old mare was actually only 6 years old, with Supreme Sultan, Valley View Supreme and Wing Commander on both sides of the horse’s pedigree. 
 
“Every horse deserves to have its identity,” says Pat Johnson of Saddlebred Rescue. “Some of the Saddlebreds were former show horses, some pulled Amish buggies their whole lives, but they all shared one thing; Not one of these horses deserved to die.”

Every week, Saddlebred Rescue saves an average of two to five horses. To see regularly updated photos of unidentified horses, visit www.saddlebredrescue.com/identify.html.