It’s funny how a picture can change your life. It was a warm spring day in May when a picture of a beautiful Thoroughbred mare flashed across The Lily Pond’s FaceBook feed… and she was in a kill pen tagged to ship to slaughter in Mexico. Upon further investigation, there were actually two Thoroughbred mares.
Who Plays Brahms and Martys Expectation are both ex-racehorses who had won a lot of money during their careers. The Lily Pond focuses on providing a home to Thoroughbred and Standardbred ex-racehorses to keep them out of the slaughter pipeline. The problem was that they were located in Stroud Oklahoma. Our horse rescue efforts typically cover the Northeastern states, where we have trusted transportation and quarantine contacts.
Reviewing our budget, we knew we did not have the resources to cover the tremendous cost of rescuing additional horses from a kill pen, especially from such a distance. So we monitored their status, hoping that a kind individual or nearby rescue organization would help them. And then Stroud Oklahoma Kill Pen moved up their shipping date. With only two days left, Founder Susan Bandy made the decision to save these two horses and put out the call for help on Monday May 13th. The response was immediate and incredible. With tears of gratitude, we watched as you, our beloved friends and donors, stepped up to meet our initial fundraising goal within a matter of hours. Game on. All systems go.
Susan posted bail and rushed to find reputable horse transportation and quarantine facilities in the Midwest. This proved to be a challenge, as many transporters refuse to haul a “dirty load,” meaning they do not work with horses who have been exposed to disease in a filthy kill pen. Thankfully, Steve Egner, an Oklahoma hauler with impeccable manners and a strong southern accent, agreed to transport. Susan was able to secure a space at Healing Hearts Ranch for their mandatory 30-day quarantine. At 8:30am on Tuesday May 14th, Who Plays Brahms and Martys Expectation were loaded onto Steve’s trailer, leaving the horror of the kill pen on their freedom ride to safety.
Fast forward to June. After completing quarantine, the horses were scheduled for transport to their forever home at The Lily Pond. Steve Egner picked them up Friday morning the 28th and began the 1,000 mile journey across five state lines to our sanctuary in upstate New York. A small crowd gathered to welcome the horses on Saturday the 29th as Steve maneuvered the truck along our road. But our excitement turned to shock when Brahms and Marty stepped off the trailer: they were in horrific condition, mere skeletons covered in rain rot and tottering on spindly legs. This is the reality of kill pen rescue. We led them to their paddock and Brahms promptly went down. Our veterinarian from Oakencroft Equine Clinic was on the scene in 30 minutes and treated for colic. However, Brahms continued to go down despite several vet visits. We made the decision to hospitalize her at Rhinebeck Equine Clinic. Fortunately, they were able to stabilize her and she returned home after several days. We created a temporary medical paddock for the two horses and placed them on a high calorie diet of multiple feedings per day. It’s imperative to go slowly when building up a horse’s weight to avoid a potential colic. And thus began their recovery in their new home.
Who Plays Brahms was foaled in Kentucky on March 20, 2006. Sired by Brahms out of the mare Who Can Tell, she is the great granddaughter of the famous Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew through her maternal line. Brahms had a successful career racing the prestigious Eastern tracks, including Belmont, Aqueduct, Tampa Downs and nearby Saratoga. With 41 starts, she achieved 7 firsts, 7 seconds, and 12 thirds, bringing in $150,000 in earnings. And here’s where the story gets hazy. We assume she served as a broodmare after retirement. Her last connections of record are all deceased, so it’s possible she was shuffled through the auction pipeline until finally landing in a kill pen. What we do know is that Who Plays Brahms is proud and knows her worth. This gorgeous gal is spicy, kicking up her heels, tossing her mane and prancing around the paddock. Such sass! A true diva, she demands to be fed first and sends all the geldings into a swoon with her radiant beauty and charm. Wyatt, Lou and Moon are completely besotted, as are we all.
Martys Expectation was foaled in Texas on April 3, 2002, sired by Valid Expectations out of the mare Personal Fantasy, granddaughter of the famous racehorse Alydar. Marty raced the Texas tracks for a total of 14 starts, winning 3 firsts, 3 seconds, and 4 thirds, earning $60,555. Upon retirement, she was sold as a broodmare to Ware Ranch and Racing (she still wears their brand). After seven years of breeding, she was sold at auction in good condition to an individual in Oklahoma. Three years later she was in the Stroud Oklahoma Kill Pen.
Marty’s condition when she arrived at The Lily Pond was the worst we’ve ever witnessed. Noticing her poor balance, we had the vet out for a full medical exam. To our horror, Marty’s bloodwork came back positive for EPM, a parasite that attacks the nervous system and is fatal if not treated immediately. Fortunately, we caught it early and she has responded well to treatment. Marty enjoys a veritable buffet of vitamins and minerals in her feed because her bloodwork showed deficiency in damn near everything. Barn Manager Brenda Izzo has been bathing and treating the rain rot that has caused most of her coat to disintegrate. Shy and retiring, Marty is happy to play lady in waiting to her royal highness Queen Brahms… unless you separate them. Our decision to temporarily move Marty into a stall for medical treatment resulted in a towering tantrum of kicking, spinning and hollering. We begged forgiveness while returning her post haste to her paddock with her beloved Brahms.
For two horses who have every reason not to trust people, we were delighted to see Marty and Brahms bond with volunteer Joe Eissing. He was present the day of their arrival and they followed him around the paddock like two eager puppies. Neither mare has shown any interest in treats… unless it’s Joe who is offering them. Marty and Brahms will only take treats from Joe! He is absolutely their favorite person in the world. We nicknamed them “The Pink Ladies” because of their pink grain buckets. Now don’t you think it would be a great idea to start a new band called Joe and The Pink Ladies?
We want to take this opportunity to share our heartfelt gratitude to all the horse heros who made this rescue possible. Because of your generous support, two lives were saved. And that is a wonderful thing. Thank you!
