Ariel and Wyatt
Ariel is a horse lover from birth. She’s owned horses, shown horses, ridden and enjoyed them her entire life. She has a special place in her heart for Arabians.
A few years ago, she came across a notice of an auction that included some well-bred Arabians. Ariel knew many auctions sell horses for low prices to horse-traders. Horse-traders purchase the horses and transport them to Mexico or Canada for sale to the slaughterhouses. Occasionally they will buy quality horses at auction and sell them to the public at a nice profit. If they can’t make a profit one way, they try the other. Their fall-back is selling to the meat-market at so much per pound.
She called the auctioneer about one particular horse she saw in their advertising. He was from a respected breeding program. The horse was a well-bred stallion and looked fantastic in the ads. She saw video and still photos of the horse. He moved well and appeared in good weight. She wanted to make sure this auction was not one of the low-end auctions targeted by horse-traders. The auctioneer assured her the horse she called about had a high starting bid in their auction, so was not in danger of going to a horse-trader.
The auctioneer called her back after the auction. Ariel was shocked at the dollar amount he sold for. The auctioneer told her they started him at the high figure they mentioned but got no bids on him and had to lower to opening bid repeatedly to get any offers. The winning bidder was a horse-trader. Ariel was horrified that anyone would sell such a nice horse at that price.
She contacted the horse-trader to see what she could buy him for after the auction The horse-trader asked for a dollar amount of $50 higher than the auction price. Ariel went to work, pulling together the funds. Once she raised the money, she and a friend who purchased another horse looked for transportation from Arizona to their homes in Southern California. Her friend found someone willing to haul two horses. They were not professional horse haulers, but the price seemed fair, and the two women would split the cost.
When Wyatt arrived at her stable, Ariel was shocked again. He was skin and bone, and his body resembled a question mark when he stood in front of her. He was definitely not sound. She’s never seen anything like that. She called her Vet. Upon initial examination of the horse, the Vet suggested she have him euthanized. The Vet didn’t think he could survive at all in his condition. Ariel has no idea what happened to Wyatt between the videos taken by the breeder, the auction house, the horse trader's lot, or the trailer ride to California. He was seriously injured and nearly starved to death when he stepped off the trailer.
Ariel couldn’t have Wyatt put down without trying. She set up a long stream of Vets, Equine Chiropractors, Equine Masseuses, and Farriers for specialized shoeing. She tried supplements, a reliable re-feeding program recommended by the Vet, and time.
Wyatt responded to treatment. He also developed a deep, lasting relationship with Ariel. “He’s not like any stallion I’ve ever seen. He’s a complete love bug with me, and he does not act like a stallion.” When his body strengthened and straightened out, Ariel began training him slowly. She taught him to drive, and Wyatt loves it. Ariel also trained him under saddle. “He hasn’t taken a lame step yet,” she explained. “I took my time with him, and we worked slowly.”
“All the time, all the sleepless nights, all the money are worth it,” Ariel told me. “He loves me, and I love him.” Nancy and I wish for many Happy Trails for this unique pair.
We'd like to credit Kat Johnson, Graphic Designer, for her lovely photos of Ariel and Wyatt as they appear now. (katjohnson22@gmail.com)
Victoria Hardesty and Nancy Perez are the authors of a series of novels about Arabian horses and the young people who love them. You can find their books at www.WonderHorseBooks.com.