It's been a few months since we've said this:
We're going back to auction.
The last time we went was in June, and it was one of the hardest auction intakes we've had.
Three young horses came home with catastrophic leg injuries and ultimately had to be euthanized. Marti, a 24-year-old mare struggling to breathe, came home with us and was given 60 days of good food, medical care and love before she passed away naturally. Frenchie, also 24, was missing an eye and mostly blind in the other — and thankfully, she's doing well.
And all of that came just a month after Misty.
If you've followed her story, you know how hard we fought for that severely emaciated Percheron mare and her unborn foal. You know about Gale, the stillborn foal we couldn't save, and the series of medical emergencies that eventually meant we couldn't save Misty either.
By July, we needed a break.
So we took one.
We spent July and August caring for the horses already here, helping owner surrenders as space allowed, and getting through a very busy Dakota Showdown season.
But the auctions didn't stop just because we did.
And this weekend, we're ready to go back.
We don't know who will be waiting in those pens. We don't know if we'll find a horse who needs rehabilitation and eventually a new home, or one who simply needs us to make sure their suffering ends with dignity.
Either way, we're going to show up.
Our goal is to raise $1,500 for each horse we're able to help this weekend.
