TO REACH US - Allegheny West Magazine

A Neighborhood Pet StoryLast June, our family had the opportunity to rescuethree horses and give them a new future. Two of thebabies were a year old and one of them had been bornthat summer. They were filthy, skinny, and unused tohuman contact. With the help of friends, we wereable to get them loaded into a trailer and to a halfwayhouse where they could be deloused, treated by thevet, and cleaned up. Although terrified of people,with quiet persistence, the humans began to win thewar. By the time we could trailer them home to jointhe rest of our herd, they had begun to lead, and evenseemed to enjoy the daily bathing and brushingsessions. They were christened with names and ourchildren took over the care of two of them. The otherone is just for me! Roscoe is the biggest of the three,and a rare color called grullo. He just turned two thismonth. Jasper is a black and white Paint, and thesmallest of the three. Our daughter, Emma, has takenover his care and will use him in 4-H this summer.And, Xena is the youngest of the group at just ayearling this summer. Our daughter, Rachel, hastaken over her care and will be using her for 4-H thisyear. She is a black and white Paint like Jasper.The most amazing thing about this whole story isthe power of love. These horses were neglected,underfed, and disregarded. They knew hunger, thirst,cold, and pain. And, yet, when offered the chance tobecome more than they were, they all seized theopportunity and bloomed from their efforts. All threeof the babies are now in great health, thanks to theefforts of our vet, our farrier, our family, and ourfriends. We look forward to so many more challengesand rewards with these three and have so blessed bytheir presence in our lives! Have a great year in 4-H,Rachel and Xena, and Emma and Jasper!SUBMITTED BYMICHELLE WILSON48 Allegheny West Magazine June 2010