January's Horse of the Month

Reveille on the far right, grazing with herdmates.

The Hidden Horse:

Reveille’s history is indeed sad. When she was 1 1/2years old, the Bureau of Land Management rounded her up, removed her from her mother, hobbling her front feet while waiting to put her on a truck bound for Florida where she would be put up for auction. When the horses were unloaded, Reveille’s face was cut with a large flap hanging loose (from a traumatic injury while enroute). She was taken behind the barns and tied to a post and just left, bleeding. A family in Florida who was looking for a horse to adopt saw her, hidden from wandering eyes. The family immediately called a vet and made arrangements to adopt and care for her. She was in a home with people who loved her, who had the means to care for her, and who treated her as a beloved part of the household.

When she was old enough to start training, she was sent to California to a trainer in Carmel Valley who was respected and good with horses. It was then discovered that certain things (a rope dangling around her legs, large trucks going by on the highway, and loud male voices)cause her to have “flashbacks”. Horses can also have post traumatic stress reflected in various ways. She would panic and blindly run through a fence, barbed wire, even out onto a highway to escape. Her previous guardians tried several different trainers who were excellent; however, her last trainer broke his arm trying to restrain her and, her owners, fearing someone would be badly hurt, felt they had no alternative than to humanely euthanize her. She had no place to go. Through no fault of her own, she was going to lose her young life because of the trauma she had experienced during the BLM roundup!

Her guardians contacted Redwings and after careful consideration, it was decided we could take her and not endanger other horses or personnel. She is a very sweet, lovable mare. The staff and volunteers who work with herd horses are aware of her fears and anxieties. She is handled with care, and has regular visits from our trainer and her trusted staff members. She is a lovely horse and has a great, but fearful demeanor. We were glad to have come to her aid. She will live with her herdmates as long as life allows!