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Tico and his brothers

A call for help Beginning of the last week in May 2003, an email starting to float around asking for help with rescuing three yearling TB's from slaughter. The yearlings were located at a horse dealer's site who is well-known for delivering 'no-sales' within one week to the horse slaughter house in Ft.Worth,TX. Since the colts had no papers, TB breeders were hesitant to commit so quickly and due to the time pressure, local people were asked for help. The horse dealer had given our source the indication that if the horses had not been sold by the following Monday, he would drive them to nearby Ft.Worth's Beltex horse slaughter plant.

Dantico, Thoroughbred yearling, saved from a horse trader near Ft.Worth,TX in May 2003

Taking action
After a few days of observing the emails, a friend of mine and myself decided on short notice to drive up from Houston to get the guys on Saturday. We called the horse dealer and he arranged for a Coggins test that Friday. The colts were picked up on Saturday.

Going home
Since I was coming from a different direction I was the first to arrive. They were held in a pen on a concrete floor right by the highway. The three guys were skinny and looked shy. The trader said that they haven't been handled and were young. However, when I walked into pen, Dantico (nicknamed: Tico) immediately approached me and wouldn't leave my
side. It was an easy choice. Even though his halter manners weren't the greatest, he loaded up fairly easy and stood in the trailer like a champ. He knew he was going to a good home! He had picked it! By the time my friend got there, Tico and I were all 'packed up'. Tico never called for his brothers once and wouldn't move, just munched on hay. The other
guys were a bit less trusting and we had more trouble catching them and loading them. Nevertheless, within a short time, they also were on their way to a new and better life.
 

Tico and his friends in 2005

Living large Today, Tico is wearing out his youthful days at a 140 acres ranch in Meridian, TX until I bring him down to Houston for training. He is a stout 3 year-old gelding now with a disposition one can only dream of. His brothers are in south Houston with two loving ladies and couldn't have asked for better homes.

 

Even though my original plan was to pick one colt up and then place him with another friend for adoption, due to their great hearts, none of us have given up any of the colts we got and we all plan on keeping these guys. Top right is a picture of Tico on the day he was rescued (they all looked that skinny) and right is his brother Blaze after a few months with his new owner. By that time, all had gained weight and a shiny slick coat. You see the difference in their body and how beautiful they turned out.

Blaze, Summer 2003 and enjoying life