SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED RESCUE

On the first weekend of 2010, SCTR attended auction. Very few horses were up for sale, and very few buyers attended to provide them with homes. SCTR identified a single thoroughbred, young mare Rosa Rugosa, who had been previously "rescued" at auction by her current owners, who no longer felt able to care for her. At this auction, Rosa's owners "no-saled" her, and donated her to SCTR, when the only bidder was a kill buyer. Rosa is now safe with SCTR, and a truly lovely mare.

On the second weekend of 2010, SCTR attended auction, and found four young off track thoroughbreds; four year old gelding Speaking, a four year old gelding whom we'll refer to as "Rush", six year old gelding Marcus of Duchenne, and four year old filly Warrens Justastorm. Marcus of Duchenne sold to a group of 4-H bidders; SCTR was able to rescue only two horses due to quarantine space limitations - Rush and Speaking; while Warrens Justastorm appeared to sell to a female buyer. Subsequent research revealed that in fact the filly had been purchased by the woman on behalf of a local kill buyer, and we were able to rescue her directly from him a week later with the help of another CA non profit rescue organization - thank you! - where she is now being quarantined. Thanks are due to our friend Judy, for contributing to the costs of this rescue effort.  

Here is Warrens Justastorm on the auction lot

here is Rush

and here is Speaking

In December, SCTR attended auction and was able to help two tattoed geldings escape a trip to Mexico for slaughter. "Bear", a bay gelding not yet identified, was purchased from the kill buyer that bid to win him immediately following his purchase. "Boffi" we were able to save by bidding against a kill buyer for $100.

There were several other thoroughbreds at the sale. Fortunately, three long yearlings by Momentum found private buyers; a three year old stallion, Warrens Mr Storm, did not meet his reserve at the high bid of $150; and a ten year old mare, Pas de Chaine, escaped all bidding - her old injured knee meant that she was too lame for the auctionhouse to sell. A yearling filly, Warrens Shanaz, did not appear to be run through the ring.

We are grateful to FOBs Janice, Judy, and Tracey; to members of the Facebook Cause "Save Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses From Slaughter", including Pam Stone and her friends and Sharla Sanders and her friends; and to those who participated in Debbye Harmon's online Avon fundraising event for SCTR; for donating to help us rescue and care for these two lovely geldings. We are also grateful to the former connections of "Boffi" for caring about him, and offering to help support his rescue .

This is "Bear":

and this is "Boffi":

In August 2009, with the tremendous support of donors from our Facebook Cause and Group, from the Fans of Barbaro, and from anonymous individual donors, we were able to rescue three young thoroughbreds at auction, and also three thoroughbreds from the feedlot that had been bought at the auction by a kill buyer. Thank you to everyone that contributed to this rescue!

Warrens Rahysgold, a 5yo gelding, had been run through auction in July and was back one month later, now stiff and swollen in his knees. This lovely large gelding also has a large bowed tendon, which appears to be old. We were able to rescue him for $275...

Three year old Mont La Salle somehow found himself on the auction lot in August also, rather thin and depressed, just  months after his last race at Santa Anita. We rescued him for $225.

Yo Slugo, a four year old gelding, never raced or put in a published work, but his tattoo tells us he had been at a racetrack sometime in his short life...We rescued him for $225.

Miss Apollita, a 5yo mare who had raced just a week earlier at Los Alamitos was also at the auction and purchased by a private bidder. 

We really thought that Bertrando's Flag, a six year old large good looking gelding by leading sire Bertrando, under English tack, would sell privately - but no, he was purchased by a kill buyer. With the financial support of the Fans of Barbaro, we were able to subsequently rescue him from the feedlot for $350.

Lovely 12 yo Irish Katie was ridden through the ring under western tack and sold to a kill buyer for $75. Again, the Fans of Barbaro came with support to allow us to purchase her from the feedlot and quarantine her.

On the original pickup of Bertrando's Flag and Irish Katie from the feedlot, a case of mistaken identity meant that actually Katie had been left behind - and we had rescued a three year old bay filly instead...hmm, well, that's never happened to us before! Rest assured that we went back and rescued the "real" Katie pictured above, and now happily have a sixth horse, the three year old untattoed filly from the feedlot, also in our care  We are calling her "Mysterious". Here she is after her first bath...

All of these horses and their progress through rehabilitation are now "visitable" on our "Horses in Rehab" page.

On Belmont Stakes day, the first Saturday in June, SCTR attended auction and found four young off track thoroughbreds. Mi Silver Riches, an unraced four year old filly who had worked just two weeks prior at Santa Anita, and an unidentified gelding with a bowed tendon we were unable to save. Efforts to retrieve them in the 48 hours after the auction were unsuccessful. However, with limited funds and space, SCTR was able to rescue Lulu's Nick, 4 year old gelding by Skimming, who raced 6 times in southern California for his owner/breeders, and last worked on November 26 2008 at Santa Anita, and stable mate Ginobili, 4 year old gelding by In Excess who had earned in excess of 150K at the races and broke down in December 2008 at Hoyywood Park, on behalf of Tranquility Farm.

Here is Lulu's Nick, the day after we rescued him, 

and here is Ginboli:

On the second Saturday in June, SCTR found many thoroughbreds at auction, including 1990 mare L is for Love, 2005 gelding Beat Richy, Free House mare Smokey Gal and her three week old quarterhorse cross foal, and 2004 gelding by Free House, Free Sammy. All but Free Sammy appeared to be purchased by private buyers, and we rescued Free Sammy for $85. Here is Free Sammy arriving at our quarantine facility in Anza:

We would like to thank the Fans of Barbaro, and Lynn Wells of the Toby Wells Foundation, for providing the funds required to rescue these three young geldings.

On Kentucky Derby Day, on the first Saturday of May in 2009, SCTR attended a local auction and found six beautiful young thoroughbreds, many arriving from local racetracks, as well as two older broodmares. Beautiful three year old fillly, First Condition, who had raced as recently as April 23rd at Hollywood Park, sold for $500 to a private buyer. Unraced but tattoed four year old filly Anacaona was rescued for $250 by a local hunter-jumper trainer. We are guardedly optimistic that nineteen year old mare Rainbow Twist and eighteen year old Drive Thru Daquiri, were purchased by  private buyers. SCTR purchased on behalf of Red Bucket Equine Rescue an untattoed three year old filly, who is currently in quarantine with SCTR. And SCTR, with tremendous donor support, was able to rescue three lovely geldings bidding against kill buyers. 

Five year old Luis's Especial, earner of $183,000, last raced at Santa Anita in February, and had "worked" in March.This handsome boy deserved better than to be rescued at a livestock auction for $250, with a right front ankle injury. Here is Luis at the auction lot immediately after we purchased him:

and relaxing, tired but safe, in quarantine:

Four year old Alternative Time is unraced, but had worked on April 24 at local training facility, Fairplex. We rescued him for $300, and he has clean legs.

Enormous three year old Apache, who hadn't worked since the summer of 2008 at Hollywood Park, has an old, set bow tendon, but his prospects for a second career are good:

We are especially grateful to Lynn and Lloyd Wells, of the wonderful local charity The Toby Wells Foundation; to Judith Smith; to Karen; and to Sandra, who all contributed to our ability to help these lovely horses on Kentucky Derby Day.

In April of 2009, SCTR became involved in a local case of a young thoroughbred gelding, found starving at a boarding facility. Six year old Magic Route, by California sire Mud Route, had raced just twice in California as a three year old, and in a second transfer of ownership following his racing career was purchased in June of 2008 by a woman who starved him. In April of 2009, a concerned local resident observed the starving young horse being ridden through the streets of Norco; she followed the horse and rider back to the boarding facility, and lodged a complaint. Around this same time, Magic Route was advertized on craigslist for sale at a price of $1000 with a photograph showing him in good condition:

A potential buyer turned up to find a starving horse, and contacted SCTR immediately to ask if we could help him. Volunteer Laure, a licensed veterinarian, worked hard in the following days to extract Magic Route, who by now was locked in his stall by animal control with his feed controlled and paid for, since his bills were not being paid by his owner, by the same boarding facility at which he'd been located since January 2009. Animal control agreed to transfer him to SCTR's care, and an investigation of his owner is ongoing. Exactly why noone at the boarding facility reported his condition to animal control prior to April 2009 is a mystery. When Laure showed up for the first time, she found Magic Route in this condition:

There has been an outpouring of support for this horse, from across the globe, and SCTR is extremely grateful to all who have donated to help us help him. Updates will be posted to the "Horses in Rehab" page on this site.

In mid-April, with a commitment of support from a single donor to whom we continue to be incredibly grateful, SCTR was able to rescue three horses at auction. A young tattoed gelding, colicky throughout the auction, unhappy, and kicking at his stomach; and two older broodmares, one of which was stated to have been "accidentally bred" to an Appendix stallion two months' ago by her owner. We are in the process of trying to identify these three lovely horses, and updates will be posted to the "Horses in Rehab" page of this website. The young gelding's colic had ceased completely by the following morning when we picked him up. All three horses are currently in quarantine.

The young gelding: was his colic and discomfort the reason that noone wanted to bid on him but SCTR and kill buyers? Sadly, he was unlucky enough to be sold at an auction the day before Easter and almost no "private buyers" were present. He is gorgeous!   

The sweet nineteen year old bay mare, tattoed and partially blind in her right eye - a prime candidate for purchase by a kill buyer: noone but us wanted her that night:

And the eighteen year old mare whose owners were present and informed SCTR volunteers that she had been accidentally bred two months' earlier:

In March 2009, SCTR attended two local auctions.

At the first, we were able to rescue an unnamed three year old thoroughbred filly, "Classy", from slaughter: she had been "adopted out" a month earlier in February 2009 by a veterinary hospital which was not in a financial position to have us return her to it. In addition, we rescued the lovely gelding Icanmakeitrain, whose former racing owners were appalled to learn of his fate, and are planning to retire him to their own private farm. We thank Dawn Mellen of After The Finish Line for intermediating the return of Icanmakeitrain to the former owners that care about him.

We also purchased the lovely fifteen year old thoroughbred gelding, Souvenir Trip, and 25 year old running quarterhorse Son of a Hussy on behalf of Front Range Equine Rescue in Colorado. We are extremely grateful to Front Range Equine Rescue for offering to help two additional horses at this auction. While it was wonderful to be able to help these four horses, eight other thoroughbreds, including three tattoed broodmares, a four year old tattoed filly, a two year old High Brite colt, and California sire Deep Pass were left behind. If you would like to support the auction rescue of additional horses, please donate! We hate leaving horses behind.

Here is a photo of the filly, Classy - she is thin, but otherwise healthy. Classy is in rehab. We are deeply grateful to the Fans of Barbaro for supporting the rescue of Classy (now renamed Lola).

This is Icanmakeitrain, who will be returning to the former owner that cares about him:

Here is Souvenir Trip, who will be travelling to his new home at Front Range Equine Rescue in Colorado shortly:

And here is Son of a Hussy, who will be travelling with Souvenir Trip to Colorado - we wish both of these lovely horses all the best in their wonderful new lives!

At the second auction in March, SCTR was thrilled to be able to rescue three additional horses as the result of a significant donation to support their purchase and care. We are deeply grateful to Lynn and Lloyd Wells of the Toby Wells Foundation for their support of these horses. Lovely thirteen year old racemare and broodmare, Belleau Wood, by Alleged and out of a Forli mare, who once sold for $95,000 as a yearling at Keeneland, was rescued for $150. Six year old gelding Cascade Mtn, by Moscow Ballet - whose former owners were horrified to learn of his being sold at auction - was rescued for $110. And the lovely eighteen year old gelding, Swing's Lew, by Santa Anita handicap winner Swing Till Dawn and out of a stakes producing Seattle Slew mare, who earned $99,000 racing in California and was sold at auction with a fresh suspensory injury presumably resulting from a jumping incident (he has been a hunter-jumper lesson horse in San Diego) was rescued for $120. They are all in quarantine with our friend Casey O'Connor at The Golden Carrot horse rescue and sanctuary. We are grateful to the breeder and former owner of Swing's Lew for supporting his care with us.

SCTR also identified lovely mares ten year old Go Girl Go, and Road to Kisses, at this auction, as well as the four year old gelding Serene Justice. All sold to private parties.    

Here is a photo of Belleau Wood,

of Cascade Mtn:

and of Swing's Lew:

In February 2009, SCTR attended two auctions.

At the first, there were nine tattoed thoroughbreds present. Two were purchased by our friend Kim of Painted Spirit Ranch. SCTR was pleased to be able to purchase two more; four year old unraced filly, Lookingformrdunbar, by Crowning Storm, and the lovely broodmare Besidestillwaters on behalf of Tranquility Farm. While we were waiting to bid on Besidestillwaters, we received a phonecall from her former owner in Florida, who wanted her back! Besidestillwaters spent a brief period at Tranquility Farm, before shipping to Florida and is now happily reunited with her former owner.

In addition, our friend Maggi contacted the ranch manager who had recently given away Lookingformrdunbar, and appalled at her fate, he immediately offered to take her back to Rancho Paseana. Unfortunately, she was not the only horse that had been given away by the farm in the preceding days, and it turned out that another lovely young racemare by Cryptoclearance, Ask Sam, had been purchased by a kill buyer at the auction for $125. Fortunately, we were able to arrange for the farm to buy her back and both horses are now safely back at the farm that they had left just days earlier.

Two Los Alamitos racehorses - the sweet mare Kickin Stars, and Western Fame gelding Tamerlane Rising who had raced just two weeks earlier - also sold at the auction for a total of $250 to a kill buyer. By putting the word out about their fate, we were able to reunite Tamerlane Rising with his former owner, and Kickin Stars is now at Tranquility Farm being supported by the owner of her full sister. Lovely grey mare, Silky Goose, was brought through the auction, but did not meet her reserve. To ensure her safety from slaughter, SCTR arranged her adoption directly off the kill buyer's lot. The ninth thoroughbred at the auction, Deserts Honey Cup, was purchased by an unknown private party. More on her below.

Here are pictures of Besidestillwaters and Lookingformrdunbar at the auction lot the morning that we went to pick them up:

 Besidestillwaters, now reunited with her former owner in Florida,

and Lookingformrdunbar, now back at Rancho Paseana.

Ask Sam, pictured here back at Rancho Paseana the day after we intermediated her rescue, was also fortunate to be returned home from the kill buyer's lot:

Kickin Stars is now doing well at Tranquility Farm after an awful few days on the kill buyer's lot:

and Tamerlane Rising, pictured back at home following his SCTR intermediated rescue from the kill buyer's lot, with the owner that had loved him since he was a yearling:

At the second auction attended in February by SCTR, on Valentine's Day, we were incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to rescue the last of the nine thoroughbreds that was unaccounted for following the first auction of the month! Deserts Honey Cup, an unraced but tattoed mare by Soft Gold, was back at auction just one week after selling to an unknown private party. Thin and depressed, Deserts Honey Cup was rescued for $95 bidding against the kill buyer. Here she is one day later. Deserts Honey Cup is in rehab.

At auction in January 2009, SCTR purchased 22 month old, crooked legged thoroughbred filly Shelley Creek for $75, bidding against a kill buyer. Shelley has some significant phsyical problems to overcome, including partial facial paralysis, and she is currently in rehab. We are grateful to the Fans of Barbaro for sponsoring her first few months in rehab. You can see additional photographs of Shelley, read more about her, her rescue, and her prognosis, here: http://www.sctbrescue.org/horsesinrehab.htm

In December 2008, we attended auction and purchased the sweet three year old gelding Sunday Match, with the support and financial aid of Ron Charles, COO of Magna Entertainment Corp. (MEC), under MEC's new anti-slaughter horse protection policy. We are extremely grateful to Ron Charles and MEC for enforcing this important new policy. You can read more about this story here:   http://maryforney.blogspot.com/2008/12/working-together-to-save-horses.html.

Sunday Match is doing well in foster care and we are grateful to director Jackie for providing shipping and to approved foster, Megan, for providing excellent care of this young guy. Here is a photo of Sunday Match upon arrival, and you can see more photographs of Sunday, and read more about him while he is in rehab with us, here: http://www.sctbrescue.org/horsesinrehab.htm

This week we also purchased from a dealer an ex racehorse that had been run through auction last month, and he is now in quarantine. He is the lovely six year old grey gelding Persistent. Persistent is a little sad, and a little thin, and his feet were very long - but he is doing well. We would like to thank his incredibly generous sponsors Donna, John, the Exceller Fund (www.excellerund.org), and two anonymous donors for providing emergency funds to enable us to help this horse. You can see more photographs of Persistent, and follow his progress in rehab, here: http://www.sctbrescue.org/horsesinrehab.htm

We Will Prevail, an 8 year old bay gelding by Fit to Fight, earner of $225,000 "the hard way" in 77 starts and 20 wins, entered our program as an owner donation on October 31 2008. Sound, and a beautiful sporthorse prospect, we hope that We Will Prevail will find a great home very soon. In need of some let down time, he is otherwise healthy at the conclusion of a great racing career. We are grateful to Bridgette, Carol, John, Karen, Linda, and Sharla for covering this horse's initial expenses. You can see more photographs of We Will Prevail (aka "Flash") here: http://www.sctbrescue.org/flashspage.htm

Hawaiian Lyon, stakes placed 8 year old gelding by Aloha Prospector and earner of $87,524 is the latest addition to our rehabilitation program. Lyon came to us from Los Alamitos, where he broke down and was vanned off on October 23, 2008, and has a nasty suspensory tear which will take up to a year to rehabilitate. Please send good wishes to Hawaiian Lyon, for this is going to be a long haul for him. We wish to thank numerous individual donors, the Fans of Barabaro, and the Exceller Fund (www.excellerfund.org), for providing emergency funds to help this horse as well as sponsorship for his ongoing costs. You can see more photographs of Lyon and read about his progress in rehab here: http://www.sctbrescue.org/horsesinrehab.htm

Two thoroughbreds were purchased at a livestock auction on September 20, 2008. SCTR purchased an unraced, tattoed three year old filly, named Donna's Dance, whom we purchased for $110, and an imported six year old gelding, named Victory Design (IRE) whom we purchased for $175. Interestingly, five years ago, Victory Design (IRE) sold for $437,000 as a yearling at Tattersalls. He is beautifully bred, by Danehill and out of a Gone West mare, and was a successful turf runner in England as a youngster, and in North America since. Indeed, he placed fourth in a grade 3 race in Kentucky, and ran second to (now millionaire) Student Council in another good start. His purchase at auction and rescue from a horrendous trip to slaughter in Mexico was particularly fortuitous, for he has an old  hip injury, was abcessing in one foot, and as a result was starting to founder in both front feet. The slaughter pipeline would have been peculiarly cruel for this lovely boy.

We have successfully spared him from euthanasia, with the invaluable help and foster care for Victory, of Dr. Laure Ross. You can see some more pictures of Victory Design, who is now available for adoption as a pasture pet or companion horse, here: http://www.sctbrescue.org/victoryspage.htm 

Here is a picture of Victory Design (IRE) at the auction lot:

and here is a picture of cute filly Donna's Dance: