"Miracle Horses"

In April 2007, we alerted you to a federal court ruling that closed the doors on horse slaughter in the United States. Despite efforts by equine welfare organizations to take over care of the slaughter bound horses, most of them were re-routed to plants in Canada or Mexico. Amazingly, 28 horses that were inside the Cavel slaughter plant in DeKalb, IL were given over to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) who worked to place all of them in permanent homes. These horses might be the only horses in history to make the terrifying journey into a horse slaughter plant and live to tell their story.

Return to Freedom offered to take in any wild or untamed horses, offering them a safe haven at our 300 acre sanctuary in California. On Wednesday, April 18th, we welcomed the “miracle horses” Ginger, Flicka & Scout to their new home. While we do not know what story each of these 3 mares has to tell, we know that each of them ended up in an auction feedlot and were picked up by a killer buyer in Utah. They traveled to Wyoming and then on to the Cavel slaughter plant in Illinois. These mares, all healthy and aged 3, 5 and 15, were a breath away from a grisly ending to their life on this earth. They were literally inside the plant when the judge handed down the decision.

Having survived the trauma of their journey to the slaughter plant and back, the mares are settling into their new surroundings. The two youngest are curious and eager to greet us when staff approaches their paddock. Scout, the 15 year old paint mare, is a little more cautious. We do not know what she has experienced in her 15 years. We only know that in the end she was considered dispensable & thrown away. Thanks to the tireless efforts of everyone working to end horse slaughter in the United States, Scout and the other two mares are facing a happy ending here at Return to Freedom.