AQHA’s new Greener Pastures program gives me some peace of mind.

I’m not what anyone would call a prolific horse breeder. In fact, the grand total is four – and of those, I still own three of them. The other one, a pretty little grulla filly that we named Loves First Stop, was born shortly before I went to college.

With the help of a neighboring horseman who started her for me, I prepared her for the International Buckskin Horse Association’s 2-year-old western pleasure futurity. “Stopper” was a fun, spunky little project. In fact, she probably had too much spunk for western pleasure, but hey, that was where we had pointed her. She went along with the plan most days. Other days, we’d gallop around the cattle pasture, which was a fun way for both of us to decompress.

But when I went off to college, work at the college newspaper beckoned, which was good because it led me into a career I love. And homework. I had coasted through my small-town high school pretty easily, so when real homework reared its head, there were days I could barely keep my head above water. Boarding a horse – besides being prohibitively expensive – just wouldn’t have worked. It wasn’t fair, either, to let her stand idle.

So, I created an ad for IBHA’s official publication and then, from my college apartment, began fielding calls about Stopper, who lived at my parents’ place about two hours away. “No,” I told one caller, “she wouldn’t be appropriate for a beginner-level child.” “No,” I told another,  who had thought I looked tall standing beside the supposedly short horse in the photo, “she’s a good size – about 15.3.”

But like Cinderella, eventually we found a good fit, with a family in Indiana. They’re still listed as her current owners, and AQHA records show that they bred her once. They got a dun filly in return and named her Loves First Design. (I “love” the fact that they kept the “Loves First” line going!) They were good people, and I have no reason to believe that Stopper isn’t still being well cared for. She now would be, amazingly, 22, and I’m sure she’s fat and happy.

But I still wonder. I hope she’s sound and healthy. I hope she’s still got that fun, sparkly personality. And I hope her future is secure.

I wonder, because I know what happens to a lot of good horses. Their owners’ circumstances change, and through no fault of the horses, they end up at an auction. From there, it’s a high-stakes game of Russian roulette. The outcome could be another quality home, or it could be a trip over the border to a slaughterhouse, or into a neglectful or abusive home.

In my job at AQHA, I get a lot of exposure to the unwanted horse issue, and the numbers are mind-boggling. There are 100,000 horses a year that become “unwanted.” And included in that number are sound, sane horses – some of them registered Quarter Horses – who have just fallen through the cracks. I certainly wouldn’t want that for Stopper, and I’m thankful that AQHA is stepping in to help shore up some of those cracks. This is when it’s really cool to work for the Association – when it comes up with programs that have the potential to help a lot of horses.

Tonight, I signed up for that program – AQHA’s Greener Pastures. It allows me to track Stopper and any other horses from my past. If her owner ever needs to find a new home for her, this program will pass along my contact information. I am volunteering to either provide her a home, or help place her in another suitable one. (It’s not guaranteeing that I’ll buy her back, because who knows what my financial situation will be when or if that time comes … it’s just giving me the opportunity to help if I can.)

Sure, there will still be unwanted horses out there. But some of them who get tagged with that label aren’t truly unwanted; their “people” just don’t realize it when the horses need help. Although I hope Stopper has a happy home for life in Indiana, she’ll never be unwanted. I’m signed up to be the safety net.

Happy riding!
Holly Clanahan
Editor, America’s Horse magazine

Don’t miss the fun, educational and heart-warming stories in the print version of America’s Horse! It goes to all members of the American Quarter Horse Association, and it’ll also keep you in the loop on Association news. We want you to belong!