Below are many of the horses who have found new homes through the efforts of G A I T, Inc. The horses enter the Gaited Advocate Intervention Team, Inc. rescue from a variety of sources and come to us with a variety of needs, some just need a fair chance at a new home, others need rehabilitation and/or retraining. In each case, our horses are treated with loving care, assessed for what they need to find their perfect forever home and then stay with us until they are ready to find their new home. The horses leave GAIT, Inc. under a strict Contract, a thorough adoption Application and screening process are completed, they have been evaluated under saddle in a variety of circumstances (when of riding age) so that rider suitability can be determined, they receive dentals, farrier care and all standard vaccines. If training issues are identified, they are addressed by professional trainers. If other medical issues are identified, they are addressed by medical professionals.
We want to thank all of you who have given time, funds and resources to our efforts. Without your help, G A I T would not be possible, and many lives would not be have been saved.
Meet GAIT, Inc. Ambassador, Lily - Tiger Horse registered name Dream Catcher
Lily went from a treasured member of a carefully planned Tiger Horse breeding program to another lost soul in the slaughter pipeline...
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GAIT, Inc. along with an army of Lily's friends stepped in to stop what could have been a true tragedy...
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The story of Lily could have ended like more than 150,000 other American horses each year, slaughtered for human consumption in a foreign country. But fate, miracles and a dedicated group of people who spent more than three months searching and hoping changed that for Lily.
Meet Dream Catcher aka "Lily", a 9yo REGISTERED Tiger Horse. Lily has one heck of a story to tell. What is a Tiger Horse you ask? Wikipedia has a great explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_horse In short, they are a gaited horse with appaloosa markings. Lily was owned by a breeder in VA who brought her into her breeding program as an excellent example of breed type, she is also homozygous for color, making her quite valuable for her breeding program. She was rumored to originally have been purchased for more than $6,000 by the breeder.
So how does a valuable animal in a quality breeding program end up in the hands of a high-volume dealer that sells direct to kill buyers? After all, many believe that only grade, old or problem horses end up in the auction pipeline right?? WRONG! Lily's problems began not because of failing economy, low sale prices of the foals or any of the expected reasons. Lily was a victim of fate. Her owner has cancer, and her heath was failing. She has been fighting the disease for years and is still battling it, but she could no longer afford to keep her horses. She didn't want her careful breeding program to fall apart, so she sold some of her horses to a man in VA who was interested in continuing a breeding program. She sold him a lovely stallion, a yearling colt and gave him several brood mares believing he was committed to furthering her mission for this breed. But that didn't happen. The horses were not being cared for, friends of the breeder were able to retrieve most of the horses from the guy that had bought and been given horses. All but Lily... He offered to sell her back to the breeder, but she simply couldn't buy her back, her bills were mounting and she was not able to work due to her failing health. Before friends could rally, Lily was sold off for pennies on the dollar already in poor condition at that point.
That's when GAIT was contacted. You see, the breeder had one horse left at her place, a 4yo unbroke mare, a mare that GAIT, Inc. now has in their program - Angel! It was at the same time, the end of September, that we learned about Lily. The breeder, was heartbroken that Lily was lost and we, along with friends of hers continued to scour Facebook watching for Lily to possibly surface. In Mid-October we were told she had been sold to a kill buyer and we thought all was lost. But there was hope, we posted several In Search Of ads and circulated her picture around to the different folks that go to area auctions. We had hopes she would appear sooner or later at one of the broker sites or auctions in the area. The problem is, no one would have known how special Lily is! At this point, her identity had been stripped from her, she was under weight and most likely sick from contact with other horses at various auctions and lots. Not only that, people could very easily could have thought her gait was a lameness or a neurological problem. And of course they were going to assume she's an Appaloosa.
After over 2 months of searching and a few false alarms, we pretty much assumed she was lost forever. Then in mid-December we got a message from one of the breeder's friends. They had FOUND HER on a broker page - the ad photo is included above. We confirmed identity from using known photos and literally connecting the "dots" to make sure it was the same horse (virtually unrecognizable from the healthy mare that was given to the man in VA for the breeding program). We had found Lily!!! As suspected, she was being advertised as an Appaloosa, the dealer had NO IDEA what she really was, they even falsely advertised her as a 4yo.
You would think the story would end here, buy the horse, pick up the horse, be done.. But really the hard part had just begun. We were afraid that if the broker found out that our rescue was involved, we could risk them jacking the bail up to a "ransom" level or refuse to sell her to us all together. We went to someone that has been able to help clients buy horses from the broker in the past and asked their help. We couldn't fund raise, we couldn't tell her story until she was safe! We just couldn't risk losing this mare after working so hard to find her. We were able to send the money to the representative, us being her client, who explained she had a client to buy the horse. After almost two days, the broker agreed to let her send the money for the horse and mark her sold, payment was made. We started to breathe easier, but decided not to tell Nikki that her horse was safe until we had her in our hands. We were so concerned that things could go wrong.
And wrong they did... The representative arrived at New Holland, PA auction on following Monday, the agreed upon pick up location, only to find out that Lily was not on the trailer. She was not in Lancaster as advertised but actually in Virginia and the wrong appaloosa had been put on the trailer to come north. We do believe this was an honest mistake. We again, had to sit back, take a deep breath and let the go-between work with the dealer to try and get Lily up here for pick up (we would not be allowed to go to VA for pick up). That Tuesday afternoon we were informed that they were going to bring a load of horses up either that night or next morning and would put Lily on that trailer. We had to wait, and be patient, and keep quiet, for sake of Lily. On Wednesday morning we were told she would be up at New Holland by 2pm and our go-between would go get her, we would pick her up from them on Thursday. Seemed like everything was finally going to come together, but fate was not done making things difficult yet...
At 2:30 Thursday I got a message from our go-between, Lily had arrived at New Holland, but she had some emergencies and she was not going to be able to pick her up. We couldn't leave Lily at that auction barn over night, she had been through enough. We started scrambling, and making phone calls. We were able to get our quarantine barn to agree to go get her when they got home from work. Things were finally going to be ok - but we weren't saying anything to anyone until we had her in our trailer. And again, you're thinking, YAY she's safe - but NO (you just can't make this stuff up!), at 6pm I get a message from the quarantine provider, she had been unsuccessful getting her truck started after more than an hour of trying. She couldn't go get Lily. Once again, I got on the phone - now it's dinner time, and I've got to find someone willing to go out in the dark, cold for a 2+ hour each way trip to New Holland. I finally found a fellow rescue, Rocky's Horse Rescue in Thurmont, MD who was willing to drop everything for sake of getting Lily safe. Sharon Burrier and her trainer Christina Grogan arrived at New Holland just after 9:30pm, took a couple quick pictures to make sure we were getting the right horse, and got back on the road to get her to quarantine.
Once we finally had Lily, we called her former owner! Through tears of joy she finally had peace, knowing the last of her precious horses were safe. We had never let her know that we were still looking for Lily, and waited until we knew we had her before telling her. She was shocked and overjoyed.
Lily is such a special horse, with such a story to tell that she will not be going anywhere. She will be staying with GAIT, Inc. President, Denise Parsons. She will be making public appearances around the region telling her story, showing people how wonderful these horses, formally at-risk, really are. These horses are not throw-aways, they're not problems with no solutions, they're quality horses who were failed by humans. There are many diamonds out there that just need to find their right person, young, healthy horses ready to be forever riding partners and best friends. Horses that sometimes need a bit of polishing. Horses like Lily embody why we founded GAIT, Inc. and why we do what we dedicate so much to helping these amazing horses.
Please read on about the many other success stories of the GAIT, Inc. horses now living with their forever people.
Meet Dream Catcher aka "Lily", a 9yo REGISTERED Tiger Horse. Lily has one heck of a story to tell. What is a Tiger Horse you ask? Wikipedia has a great explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_horse In short, they are a gaited horse with appaloosa markings. Lily was owned by a breeder in VA who brought her into her breeding program as an excellent example of breed type, she is also homozygous for color, making her quite valuable for her breeding program. She was rumored to originally have been purchased for more than $6,000 by the breeder.
So how does a valuable animal in a quality breeding program end up in the hands of a high-volume dealer that sells direct to kill buyers? After all, many believe that only grade, old or problem horses end up in the auction pipeline right?? WRONG! Lily's problems began not because of failing economy, low sale prices of the foals or any of the expected reasons. Lily was a victim of fate. Her owner has cancer, and her heath was failing. She has been fighting the disease for years and is still battling it, but she could no longer afford to keep her horses. She didn't want her careful breeding program to fall apart, so she sold some of her horses to a man in VA who was interested in continuing a breeding program. She sold him a lovely stallion, a yearling colt and gave him several brood mares believing he was committed to furthering her mission for this breed. But that didn't happen. The horses were not being cared for, friends of the breeder were able to retrieve most of the horses from the guy that had bought and been given horses. All but Lily... He offered to sell her back to the breeder, but she simply couldn't buy her back, her bills were mounting and she was not able to work due to her failing health. Before friends could rally, Lily was sold off for pennies on the dollar already in poor condition at that point.
That's when GAIT was contacted. You see, the breeder had one horse left at her place, a 4yo unbroke mare, a mare that GAIT, Inc. now has in their program - Angel! It was at the same time, the end of September, that we learned about Lily. The breeder, was heartbroken that Lily was lost and we, along with friends of hers continued to scour Facebook watching for Lily to possibly surface. In Mid-October we were told she had been sold to a kill buyer and we thought all was lost. But there was hope, we posted several In Search Of ads and circulated her picture around to the different folks that go to area auctions. We had hopes she would appear sooner or later at one of the broker sites or auctions in the area. The problem is, no one would have known how special Lily is! At this point, her identity had been stripped from her, she was under weight and most likely sick from contact with other horses at various auctions and lots. Not only that, people could very easily could have thought her gait was a lameness or a neurological problem. And of course they were going to assume she's an Appaloosa.
After over 2 months of searching and a few false alarms, we pretty much assumed she was lost forever. Then in mid-December we got a message from one of the breeder's friends. They had FOUND HER on a broker page - the ad photo is included above. We confirmed identity from using known photos and literally connecting the "dots" to make sure it was the same horse (virtually unrecognizable from the healthy mare that was given to the man in VA for the breeding program). We had found Lily!!! As suspected, she was being advertised as an Appaloosa, the dealer had NO IDEA what she really was, they even falsely advertised her as a 4yo.
You would think the story would end here, buy the horse, pick up the horse, be done.. But really the hard part had just begun. We were afraid that if the broker found out that our rescue was involved, we could risk them jacking the bail up to a "ransom" level or refuse to sell her to us all together. We went to someone that has been able to help clients buy horses from the broker in the past and asked their help. We couldn't fund raise, we couldn't tell her story until she was safe! We just couldn't risk losing this mare after working so hard to find her. We were able to send the money to the representative, us being her client, who explained she had a client to buy the horse. After almost two days, the broker agreed to let her send the money for the horse and mark her sold, payment was made. We started to breathe easier, but decided not to tell Nikki that her horse was safe until we had her in our hands. We were so concerned that things could go wrong.
And wrong they did... The representative arrived at New Holland, PA auction on following Monday, the agreed upon pick up location, only to find out that Lily was not on the trailer. She was not in Lancaster as advertised but actually in Virginia and the wrong appaloosa had been put on the trailer to come north. We do believe this was an honest mistake. We again, had to sit back, take a deep breath and let the go-between work with the dealer to try and get Lily up here for pick up (we would not be allowed to go to VA for pick up). That Tuesday afternoon we were informed that they were going to bring a load of horses up either that night or next morning and would put Lily on that trailer. We had to wait, and be patient, and keep quiet, for sake of Lily. On Wednesday morning we were told she would be up at New Holland by 2pm and our go-between would go get her, we would pick her up from them on Thursday. Seemed like everything was finally going to come together, but fate was not done making things difficult yet...
At 2:30 Thursday I got a message from our go-between, Lily had arrived at New Holland, but she had some emergencies and she was not going to be able to pick her up. We couldn't leave Lily at that auction barn over night, she had been through enough. We started scrambling, and making phone calls. We were able to get our quarantine barn to agree to go get her when they got home from work. Things were finally going to be ok - but we weren't saying anything to anyone until we had her in our trailer. And again, you're thinking, YAY she's safe - but NO (you just can't make this stuff up!), at 6pm I get a message from the quarantine provider, she had been unsuccessful getting her truck started after more than an hour of trying. She couldn't go get Lily. Once again, I got on the phone - now it's dinner time, and I've got to find someone willing to go out in the dark, cold for a 2+ hour each way trip to New Holland. I finally found a fellow rescue, Rocky's Horse Rescue in Thurmont, MD who was willing to drop everything for sake of getting Lily safe. Sharon Burrier and her trainer Christina Grogan arrived at New Holland just after 9:30pm, took a couple quick pictures to make sure we were getting the right horse, and got back on the road to get her to quarantine.
Once we finally had Lily, we called her former owner! Through tears of joy she finally had peace, knowing the last of her precious horses were safe. We had never let her know that we were still looking for Lily, and waited until we knew we had her before telling her. She was shocked and overjoyed.
Lily is such a special horse, with such a story to tell that she will not be going anywhere. She will be staying with GAIT, Inc. President, Denise Parsons. She will be making public appearances around the region telling her story, showing people how wonderful these horses, formally at-risk, really are. These horses are not throw-aways, they're not problems with no solutions, they're quality horses who were failed by humans. There are many diamonds out there that just need to find their right person, young, healthy horses ready to be forever riding partners and best friends. Horses that sometimes need a bit of polishing. Horses like Lily embody why we founded GAIT, Inc. and why we do what we dedicate so much to helping these amazing horses.
Please read on about the many other success stories of the GAIT, Inc. horses now living with their forever people.
Autumn is a 12yo Spotted Saddle Horse mare rescued from a sale barn in NJ. She is happily living with Deb B. in Dayton, MD
Hoofie is a 22yo TN Walking Horse who came to GAIT as an owner surrender. After spending 2 years with his new adopter, they found themselves in financial trouble and he was returned to GAIT, Inc. But he quickly found a new adopter and is will be living his life in luxury in Virginia.
River is a Walking Horse mare who was rescued from a kill buyer in PA. She is living happily with the Moore family in PA.
Lacey is a 7yo Appaloosa who was rescued from a kill pen. She is now living with the Clark family in PA.
Omi is one of four Spotted Saddle Horse weanlings that came to GAIT from a feedlot in NC. She is now living with Maggie S. in Chinquapin, NC
Oscar is a 15yo Walking Horse gelding who was rescued from a sale barn in PA. He is happily living with the Stouffer family in Shippensburg, PA
Raven came to GAIT as an owner surrender from MD. She is living a pampered live and loved by Emily O. in New Bloomfield, PA
Walker Joe came to GAIT from a kill buyer in Lebanon, PA. He is now a happy trail horse and loved by Stephanie T. living in Frederick, MD
Faith entered the GAIT, Inc. program via a dealer program feedlot in North Carolina. She had been purchased by a private owner who decided it was too costly to ship her back to them. She was signed over to GAIT, Inc. and we brought her to MD. She has found her home with Mary S. and is enjoying miles of quiet trail riding in Pennsylvania.
Moe, now lovingly called Moses, came to GAIT, Inc from a kill buyer in Lebanon, PA. His listing picture showed a smooth gaited horse that went along quietly, he was in decent weight and had four shoes on when he arrived. But Moe was hiding a confusing secret. When we evaluated him under saddle, he immediately started bucking. In conjunction with Jeff Michael of Split Creek Equine, we addressed Moe's training problems but also discovered, like many horses, that Moe had serious ulcers and the pain he was forced to work in before arrivat at GAIT was the cause of his behavioral problems. Once the ulcers were treated, the resulting pain diminished and he learned to let go of the memory of the pain that had caused him to act out. He is now happily living with Laura M. in Pennsylvania where he never again will be forced to work through pain. She will listen to him and do whatever is needed to make sure he will be comfortable for the rest of his life.
Sohpie is a 17yo registered TN Walking Horse mare. She was pulled from a kill pen in Lebanon, PA in January 2017 when a group of private folks contacted us asking if we could take her if they sponsored her expenses to pull her. She was sponsored through March but needed more time to decompress from her experiences before coming to us. In August she went to stay with Elizabeth Farina at Clarity Riding, where she began an adventure that would change her life. She was trained and conditioned to compete in the sport of Distance Riding, something she clearly was suited for. She successfully competed in her first event in September and found her new adoptive home soon after. Sophie is now loved by Jean M. and is living in Gaithersburg, MD
Gizmo came to GAIT, Inc. from a kill pen in Shippensburg, PA. Dumped as an unbroke 4yo with no identity and no hope. We agreed to take responsibility for Gizmo as a collaborative effort. Omega Horse Rescue arranged a donor to pay his bale, The Sevens Ranch with David Beard agreed to tackle his initial training and we took over from there. Special Thanks to Jamie Lynn Holden of Starry Night Stables in Westminster, MD for providing the "mileage" that he needed to get his new home. A year and a half later, Gizmo is transformed and has now been adopted and living a great life as a treasured pleasure horse.
Rowan is a 10yo Paso Fino gelding, approx. 13h. He came to GAIT, Inc. as a part of an animal control seizure as a cooperative rescue effort with Izzy's Love Horse Rescue. He arrived very thin, but recovered quickly. He has been adopted by his foster mom Kim Y. and will be living in Boonsboro, MD.
Mr. Handsome certainly lives up to his name! Handsome is a 9yo TN Walking Horse gelding who came to gait from a private owner. She has rescued him from Rotz Livestock last year and after doing everything right, including health work, teeth, feet and even 90 days of professional training, she came to GAIT, Inc. to help her carefully rehome Handsome. She knew we screened potential adopters carefully and that our contracts help keep them safe forever. And that was what she wanted for him. So with our help, Mr. Handsome found a fabulous new home with Don and they will be enjoying many, many hours of trail riding and friendship.
Saffie was born in the rescue to our mare Beretta. Her momma was rescued from a kill pen, we had no idea she was pregnant until several months later. On Oct 1, 2017 out popped this healthy and beautiful little girl. Saffie just celebrated her 1st birthday and is living a wonderful life with her new family on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with her best friend Ginger, also adopted from GAIT, Inc.
Christa joined GAIT, Inc. as an auction intercept in December of 2017. She was thin and had little training. Thanks to the work of Elizabeth Farina and Clarity Riding, she was given the skills to go on to a great forever home as a Competitive Trail Riding horse. Christa is a sweet mare who really needs a job to be happy, not your average "weekend warrior" type, so it took nearly a year to find her right forever home, but that she finally did! She is now living with Shelley in Pennsylvania, be sure to watch for this talented mare at a CTR near you soon!
Stella is a 17yo foxtrotter mare that came from a kill pen in Shippensburg, PA. She was thin, scared and very untrusting of people. GAIT, Inc. got her healthy, got the weight on her, sent her for training so she could learn to trust people once again. She still has bad memories of pain from a lack of dental work and rough bitting, so we found a way to help her with that by using bitless bridles and of course a thorough dental. She is now heading to the Eastern Shore of MD to live with GAIT adopted Ginger and Saffie. We are so happy to welcome Stella to her Happy Ever After with Olivia.
SugarRay came to GAIT, Inc. from a sale lot in New Jersey. He was sold as a 1yo TN Walking Horse colt, in reality, he was a 3yo colt, and after running DNA on him, we discovered he was actually a warm blood cross. We got the caked manure off of him, cleaned him up, got him gelded and onto a good diet. And Suggs BLOOMED. After completing 90 days of training this summer, he found a wonderful home with Amy and her family and will be staying in Maryland where he will be loved and pampered!
Dahlia is a sweet 25yo, approx 15h Foxtrotter mare. She arrived to GAIT, Inc. from a sale lot in Lebanon, PA and was very sick on arrival. She was thin, had a terrible upper respiratory infection, her digestive tract was not functioning properly and her eye was almost swollen shut from infection. She was rehabed and once healthy was evaluated. We found her to be a well broke, well mannered girl, although patience is not always her best virtue. She is healthy and sound and living the rest of her life with a wonderful partner in Pennsylvania
Ollie is a 4yo 14h Tiger Horse who originally comes from the same breeder as our horses Angel and Lily. He's a beautifully marked gelding who needed to learn the ropes for being a riding horse. After receiving training with a GAIT, Inc. partner trainer, Christina Grogan of Gentle Souls Horsemanship, Ollie went on to be an amazing riding horse for his new person in Pennsylvania.
Gypsy is a 7-8yo, approx 14.3+h black sabino Mountain Horse type mare who comes to GAIT from the Moore's sale barn in Lebanon, PA. She is a beautiful racking horse that proved to be well broke and is now living her life in Ohio with a fellow sound horse advocate.
Paco is an adorable TN Walking Horse gelding, approx 14.3h and 13yo. He has had quite the mis-adventure at the hands of some not-so-nice humans over nine months in 2018. Originally purchased at a sale in KY by a NJ dealer, he got sick at the lot, then he got sick again, then he foundered, then he got ring worm - 9 months later, they finally had him healthy enough to run through their sale, but the condition of his feet were so atrocious he didn't sell - after all, they clipped his years, bridle path, whiskers and ears, shouldn't that have been enough for people to overlook feet that hadn't see a farrier for close to a year?? NO!!! Paco came to GAIT, Inc., was physically rehabilitated and then with the help of Lacey Macintosh of Stable Minds, LLC, he was rehabilitated mentally. He now has the very best humans in his life, he is cherished and is helping a young lady live her dream.
Woody is a sweet boy that joined GAIT, Inc. in April 2019, emaciated, overgrown feet and showing general neglect. But it became very clear that he had once be loved. Woody is a est. 12yo, 14.3+h TN Walking Horse gelding. Woody needed a bit time and good feeding to reach his full potential but he is sound and wonderful on trails. Woody found his new person in a young lady that just adores him and he is living his best life now!
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Billie is a 17yo registered Racking Horse who was rescued from a kill buyer at New Holland Auction. He had been a happy trail horse who simply found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. He now is able to continue being a happy trail horse and is happily living with Melissa and Peter B. in Davidsonville, MD
Grace is a 14yo TN Walking Horse mare, rescued from a kill pen in Shippensburg, PA. Like many of the horses that find their way to us, she was well trained and trusting, a very loving mare with a nice gait. She is living in Maryland with her new person.
Jack is a 23yo gaited horse rescued from a kill buyer. He is happily living in Thurmont, MD with Beth W. and her family
May is a 3yo Walking Horse mare rescued from a feedlot in Louisiana. She is now living happily with the Minera family in Coarsegold, CA
Radar came to GAIT as an owner surrender from Georgia. He is a registered TN Walking Horse and is now living happily with the Green family in Holly Ridge, NC
Rea (formerly known as Kix like the cereal) is a 12yo registered TN Walking Horse mare rescued from a dealer at New Holland Auction. She is happily living with Denise C in West Virginia.
Sammy is a yearling gelding that was rescued from a sale barn in NJ. He is now living with the Hughes family in Sykesville, MD
SoCo is one of four Spotted Saddle Horse weanlings that came to GAIT from a feedlot in NC. She is now living happily in North Carolina
Tenny is a registered TN Walking Horse that came to GAIT from a private owner, he was a stallion and was running with a band of mares. He is the sire of the GAIT filly, Charity, who was born just two weeks after we got her dam, Candy from the same owner. Tenny is now a lovely gelding and is living with the Ward family in Texas.
Sarge came to GAIT, Inc. from the Tarheel Feedlot in NC. He, like Faith, was purchased by a private owner. But instead of that owner reaching out to us for help, they simply neglected to pick him up. After languishing at the lot for over a month, another rescue told us about him, and working together, they transported him to us for quarantine. He then went under the careful training of Lacey MacKintosh of Stable Minds, LLC where he received the foundation training that was skipped by previous owners and learned to be confident and bold on the trail. He is now living his Happy Ever After with Brittany in Mt. Airy, MD
Cherokee came to GAIT, Inc. as a part of a joint effort between ourselves and Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue. GGDHR contacted us when the family of a former donor contacted them. The donor had passed away and left four horses. The family wanted to make sure their loved-one's treasured horses were well taken care of and safe. One of the four was a TN Walking Horse. Since the GGDHR mission focuses solely on drafts and draft crosses, they contacted us knowing that we work with gaited horses. We contacted the family and agreed to take him into our program. He arrived fat, too fat, and had mild laminitis from the rich pasture he had been kept on. But we were able to turn him around and get him sound. He is adopted and now living with Corrie H. in Delaware.
Dulce, now lovingly known as Maggie Moon, is a beautiful young Walking Horse mare that came to GAIT, Inc. from a sale barn in McVeytown, PA. She had been returned after a prior buyer decided there was "something wrong with her back end". Well the only thing wrong with her was that she was covered in bite and kick marks and severely underweight. She is now living happily with Debbie E. in Davidsonville, MD
Beretta (formerly known as Bette) is a 9yo mare with quite an interesting story. She is a true miracle! In December 2016 we received a call from Kelly Smith at Omega Horse Rescue. There was another young Walking Horse at the kill pen (Rotz Livestock in Shippensburg, PA). But this one was VERY different. A load of 11 horses had been returned after shipping to Mexico and being deemed unfit for slaughter. Seems there was some sort of accident at the border crossing and the horses in the load received medical care including drugs that required a withdraw hold of 30 days. The kill buyer was willing to sell the horses, but ONLY if all 11 were sold. So a collaborative effort was needed and GAIT, Inc. stepped in for one of the 11. This one was Beretta.
We healed her physical wounds, she had some pretty bad scrapes from the accident. We did a 30-day quarantine on her. After quarantine, we did all her vaccines, farrier care and dental. She then went straight to a trainer, Elizabeth Farina, of Clarity riding and in January she began a slow process of becoming a pleasure mount. By beginning of March she had made so much progress that she appeared as a breed representative for the TN Walking Horse at the PA Horse World Expo and did an amazing job as an ambassador. But not long after the Expo, she started acting very uncharacteristically moody. Elizabeth was concerned about the sudden mood swing and we decided to do blood test. Yep, Miss Beretta was PREGNANT! Not only did we save one horse for the horrible fate of slaughter, turns out we saved TWO that day. Saffie was born on Oct. 1, healthy and unassisted. Saffie continues to thrive and after about 2 weeks, Beretta returned to her "normal" sweet self. Beretta caught the eye of Regina N. and her family. They had been watching her through her year-long process of rehabilitation, pregnancy and motherhood and they fell in love. On Christmas morning, we received a message that they were ready to take Beretta into their hears forever and adopt her. The best part, Beretta will stay right where she is, the home she has grown to love and feel safe in. She will continue to be boarded at Clarity Riding in Davidsonville, MD. Once Saffie is weaned, Beretta will return to training so that she can be the great riding companion we know she will be for Regina.
Mina, a 10yo Walking Horse mare, came to GAIT as an auction intercept from a sale barn in PA. We were warned by many that the "bucket stance" could be symptoms of founder, but we could see something in those photos that many didn't see. SCARRING. Mina's "posture" was likely learned from time spent as a Big Lick horse. Once we got her, we confirmed that she had been subjected to treatment that caused scarring on both front pasterns. But lucky for Mina, she escaped that treatment mostly whole. She had been out of the industry for a while by the looks of her feet and she seemed very comfortable on trails. She's still a little head shy when approached quickly, but she will continue her recovery under the careful guidance of Karen O. and will be living with her as a trail companion in Ijamsville, MD
Ruby was actually one of the first horses to officially welcomed to GAIT, Inc. She was a used up and thrown away broodmare, having gone through the same lot not once, but twice! The first time being bought privately with a foal by her side, then resold to a dealer who took her right back to the same lot she had been bought from just months before. She was sold as a broke and pregnant 8yo - she was none of those things. She turned out to be a 14yo unbroke mare that was thankfully not pregnant. After several months in rehab, several more months in training, she finally made her way to Maryland and eventually to StarryNight Stables where, after over 2 years since entering GAIT, Inc, Ruby finally found her person in a wonderful little girl with a huge heart. Ruby will be staying at StarryNight Stables in Westminster MD and loved by Abby, her very own little girl and their family.
Ginger came to GAIT, Inc. as an unhandled weanling along with three other babies. The fate of their mommas is unknown, we bought all four at the same time from a feedlot in South Carolina. They were scared and had no idea what was happening to them, but those four babies got very lucky that day. Today Ginger is a strapping coming 3yo and has a wonderful family and her best friend Saffie to love and keep her company. She is living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Eeli came to GAIT, Inc. from a sale barn in Lebanon, PA, this was his last stop before the trip to Mexico for slaughter. He was listed as an "aged" gaited horse and his lot photos showed a very tired, thin and sad horse that had no hope. While we don't take many seniors into our rescue, because we are not set up as a sanctuary, something about Eeli touched us and we decided to step up for him. Within days, from healthy food, a body clip to remove the old dead hair caused by Cushings, a dental and good farrier care, Eeli was transformed! Turns out "aged" was only 24, he still has years of life ahead of him. He came into quarantine with a buddy, Kismet. Kis was pulled by a private buyer, lame and blind in one eye. They were a bit overwhelmed with what was going to need to be done for him over the long-term, but as fate would have it, both Eeli and Kismet caught the attention of the folks at Star Gazing Farm animal sanctuary in Boyds, Maryland and these best buddies are going to get to live their lives out together in peace with lots of love, treats and proper care.
Sarah came to GAIT, Inc. as an owner surrender. They were unable to care for her and asked our help. We found out soon after, that this is one of the kindest, and best riding horses we've had come through GAIT, Inc. She is now happily living with her new adoptive family in Pennsylvania.
Rubia came to GAIT, Inc. as an owner surrender, originally sold by the Tar Heel Feedlot to a private buyer. As an unbroke 5yo, the private buyer contacted GAIT to see if we could help. We agreed to take her and the 8-month long journey from unwanted and unbroke came to a happy conclusion when Michelle M fell in love and decided to bring her home to VA.
Scout is a 17yo Spotted Saddle horse gelding who has tons of trail miles and proved to be all his previous owners had claimed. He's a wonderful trail horse and even enjoyed helping gather the cattle. He came to GAIT, Inc. as an owner surrender due to his former owner's health problems, which prevent her from riding or caring for her horses. He is currently living with his new trail partner in Mt. Wolfe, PA
Rodie is a beautiful 14.2 1/2h, 16yo REGISTERED liver chestnut sabino Walking Horse gelding. Rodie's "mom" loves him very much but her medical complications prevented her from caring for Rodie herself so she asked GAIT to help and we are honored to do so. This beautiful gelding found his forever trail partner in the woods of Maine and is now happily enjoying lots of great adventures.
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