A Visit to Save a Horse Stable in Pennsylvania

Good Morning Friends,

Earlier this week I posted a blog about Save a Horse Stable (www.saveahorsestable.net). I've been in communication with Angie, daughter of Darlene, who started this stable over 25 years ago. As you will read, this wonderful home to throw-away horses has fallen on tough financial times. I want to bring it to your attention, and just maybe, you'll be as moved as I am by their compelling story. While my husband and I don't have a lot, I took some of my Christmas money and sent it to them. Will you consider doing the same?

Save A Horse Stable is located in southwestern Pennsylvania. I'm a good four hours (maybe more) away, so I have yet to visit, although Angie has extended a warm and open invitation to anyone who wants to come and see their horses. As she said, she enjoys seeing people enjoying and loving her horses as much as she loves them herself.

I found out about this rescue from contacts on the Tim Wooley racing site (www.timwooleyracing.com)where I receive my daily updates on Barbaro's continuing recovery. Many thanks are due to Tim Wooley, who allows Alex Brown to administer his web site and therefore allows all of us to be informed about Barbaro and other horse issues. I encourage you to visit their site as well. And may I tell you, without Alex Brown, the Fans of Barbaro would not be as organized and galvanized in their support of the horse slaughter ban bill currently languishing in the Senate. We owe ALEX everything.

I also want to thank Colleen Nelson, the journalist who wrote the excellent article about Save a Horse in my earlier blog, also confirming that this stable and it's owners are good people taking good care of their horses.

Senika, who visited the Save a Horse Stable very recently posted her comments on the TWR forum and with her kind permission, as well as Angie's, I am reposting her statements here.

Thank you Senika. Thank you Angie. Thank you Darlene. Thank you Colleen. Thank you Tim and Alex.

And thank you Barbaro, who we thought came to be a great racing champion. Little did we know he had much higher aspirations...he came to change the world and make it a better place for all horses.

And now, let me introduce you to Senika and Angie!




From: senika Nov-30 11:48 pm
To: ALL
2875.1

Hi Everyone,

As promised here is my report of my wonderful visit to Save A Horse in Rogersville, Pa. What a great day!

Our visit had a somber note cast upon it when we drove past the Waynesburg Livestock Auction house about 3 miles from Darlene Moore's Save A Horse Stable. Empty horse and livestock trailers as well as semi's that were waiting, attested to the grim reality that was going on inside. Apparently the auction was being held today. I am sad to report there were many horse trailers there, but I fear to unload horses and not to purchase.

As we pulled the truck in, Angie was waiting with her dogs. We got the flat ground tour of the barn and stalls and met 2 old mares in there who had just had their hooves done that very day and were resting. They were still a little sore so they were going to be stall bound for the day. The barn was clean and airy and the stalls were roomy and well equipped with hay cages, feed and water buckets. It was very well kept.

We moved on and Angie drove us to the top of the upper pasture and we parked. The view was wonderful, but where were the horses??? She said, they'll be here and she called and whistled. A few minutes passed and no horses. All of a sudden a small stampede of about 30 horses are rushing towards us. All shapes and sizes and colors. I can't tell you the feeling of standing in that field and having all these gorgeous horses rushing up to us. It was amazing! Angie started introducing us to each one and imparting his or her story. There was old Nick the Appy who was almost completely blind and following the sound of the others hooves. And Nightmare who has such severe seasonal allergies she has to have monthly shots all through the warm months. And the beautiful Arabian mare a lady in Pittsburgh left to starve to death. And Lucky, who is well, just Lucky. We liked him-we think he'll be coming home to Sarver, Pa. with us. We liked them all. Even the homeliest of the bunch, a white mare, was beautful and pitiful in her own way. Angie told me Darlene got her at the auction before the meat man. Those eyes just pleaded for help to safety. Of course they didn't say no. There are so many more stories each one has to tell. And so many of them have had a really rough life before they came there to live. A large portion were saved from killer buyers at the auction. Some were abused and even though they have been there a while they still have some trust issues. But not with Angie. They see Angie and they are OK.

Their horses are well taken care of, hooves in good condition and healthy and fat these horses are. They were enjoying the hay a nice man from about 100 miles away drove in to bring to help out. That's what neighbors are for-even if they are 100 miles away.

But there are a ton of expenses to care for these horses and as we all were made aware of last week, Darlene and Angie have fallen on a little patch of rough road here the last year or so. I can assure anyone who has any doubts at all, that these women are devoted to these horses and have made great personal sacrifices to care for them and to keep them. I felt the emotion of Angie just being with them and stroking them. These horses are her life - she has been raised with a lot of them. They are like family.

These people are hard working people struggling to make it. They don't have fancy houses and fancy cars. They have neat, clean homes and the vehicles they have serve a multitude of purposes. Angie drives a 4 wheel drive truck with a manual transmission that serves as taxi, hay and feed hauler, and 4 wheeler to get her into the upper field where the horses forage. The emergency brake quit working a while ago - it hasn't been fixed. The horses come first.

Angie took us into Waynesburg to meet her mom Darlene, who is the woman who started it all over 25 years ago. While we waited for her we looked around at the great things the feed store sells and the prices. The prices were fantastic-at least 30% lower than the area we live in- for everything, feed, tack, whatever. I couldn't believe the price of a beautiful leather bridle that sells for over 46.00 where I live and was only 22.00 there. So any of you who may want to donate to the feed store to put on Darlene's account, know that they are getting a lot of bang for the buck. We were introduced to some of the people at the feed store and in particular, the one woman who handled my gift certificate, had nothing but the highest praise for both Darlene and Angie. She spoke so highly of Darlene, and these were not coached words, these were words of people who have known her for years and years and know what these people are made of. Words of honesty and admiration for the both of them straight from the heart. Darlene is everything I knew she would be and much younger than I thought. She told me how tough it has been juggling between credit cards when the horses need things. But they do what they have to. Except sometimes the well is running dry and the overhead is more than what's coming in. Like now.

Angie has put a Paypal link on their website and the funds will go directly in for them to use at the feedstore. Donations of feed hay from anyone local will be greatly appreciated. It takes a lot of hay to feed these guys and it is in short supply right now. If I had even one half of one percent doubt about these ladies last week, which I did not ,by the way, it certainly would have been dispelled today. But as I said, I was with them all along. Sometimes you can just tell when someone has a pure heart-you don't need a tax exemption to prove anything. At least not to me. I consider myself helping a friend and neighbor in need. I hope you can consider it that way too.

There are some photos I posted of our visit and the horses. I hope they came out because I am no whiz at that. Enjoy. I am re-posting their website and the address of the feed store again for anyone able or willing to help. The feed store can only do regular mail in checks or money order donations-they are not set up to do credit cards over the phone.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped. I know they appreciate it more than you can know. I will be in touch with them on a regular basis now that I will be getting 2 horses from them.

Warmest regards,

Senika

http://saveahorsestable.net/default.aspx

Waynesburg Milling Co OFC
387 South Washington Street, Waynesburg, PA 15370
(724) 627-6137

Attention: Janice Blair-Martin, office manager