Page 7 - SophiesPonyTalesJuly10C

CHAPTER 2 A NEAR DISASTER

One day, when I was two and a half years We were all destined for what is called a
old, the owner of the farm had an accident with his killer’s auction. We traveled for hours and hours
car on the way to work in a nearby town. He was on an even more frightening trip. Since we were
badly hurt which meant things changed. There was crowded together, there was a lot of pushing and

no more daily brushing and petting. Strangers hur- even biting. Finally, we were unloaded in another
riedly fed me. More change was coming for the horse auction barn in New York State and not far
twenty of us on the farm. Soon a horse trailer from Canada. I had the heritage of Good Hope, the
came and we were taken away. name of the town in which I was foaled, but hope

Some of the others loaded on the truck was fast fading.
were familiar to me but not as friends. They had all A young woman came to that auction barn
learned to leave me alone, as I had developed a before the auction day. She had wanted a Morgan
reputation in the herd for being quick with my rear horse all her life. Word had spread that a load of
hoofs. The trip was long and tiring. After a while I Morgan horses from Georgia was coming to the
was taken out into a sales ring and a man said, auction barn. She couldn’t afford a trained horse
or one from a breeding stable, but she saw me and
“We have here a small young filly with no training.
was interested.
She has a twisted front hoof. Who will give me
The man who had bought me in Georgia
$500? Her registration papers go with her.” Some-
happened to be close by. He came over to her and
one agreed to purchase me.
said, “That one deserves a chance. She is a young
What happened next was I was loaded onto
Morgan with registration papers. She doesn’t have
another truck with several other horses from the much meat on her bones, so she wouldn’t have
farm that the same person had also purchased. much value in Canada at the slaughter house. You
Being with other familiar horses helped to calm might be able to make something of her.” She
me. I didn’t know that the person who bought us bought me for $800. I was removed from the auc-
specialized in buying horses that were too old to tion and rescued for a new start.

be of use, or were untrained young horses with
issues.

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