The Kentucky Horse Council recently was able to provide assistance to a Kentucky horse owner and her aging mare in their time of need through our SOHO fund.  We are very proud of the generosity of Kentucky equine enthusiast who provide us with the funding for our programs, which allow us in turn to give back. 

As part of our help, we used Facebook to help find someone willing to donate a blanket to help Beauty, the 36 year old mare, make it comfortably through what could be her last winter.  So many willing people offered up blankets, and we were overwhelmed again with Kentuckians generosity.  Brittany Corbett ended up donating her blankets, and delivering them, to Beverly & Beauty.  To read that story, click here.

 

Here is the story of Beauty, straight from her owner, Beverly Danko. 
 

The Story of Beauty & The Kentucky Horse Council   Beauty is a 36 year old beautiful black mare. She was born in 1976 and started her life as a show horse. She was gentle and patient so as she got older she became a therapy horse. In her later years she was owned by a man who had MS and he rode her almost every day. When she was 29 years old in 2005, the man died of his disease. His wife was grief stricken and donated Beauty to the Kentucky Horse Park. She was too old to keep up with trail riding and the Kentucky Horse Park were considering their options as to what to do with her.   A friend of mine called me to see if I could rescue/retire her. I’m a bleeding heart and took her in. I have never regretted it. She was a delight and was even in a horseback wedding. The preacher performed the ceremony!! Very cool….she was a real family pet and I fell deeply in love with her. She had given so much to the human race I felt like she deserved to have a happy life as a field ornament   Time went on and in 2008, I retired. I was living on a fixed income and part-time job and could not afford to keep all my 6 horses. I found homes for them all except Beauty and a riding horse. Beauty is a “high maintenance horse” because of her age, so when my part-time job ended, I was panicked that I was not going to be able to take care of Beauty this winter. She was still going strong even though she cannot hear and is almost blind, she eats like a champ.   I heard about the Kentucky Horse Council and they literally saved her life through their “Safety Net” program. The program helps horses/people make it through bad times and still keep their horses. KHC bought Senior Feed and hay and replaced her old “turn-out” blanket by finding donations from their sources. (Beauty gets very cold in the winter). She got not one recycled blanket, but three from a wonderful lady in Georgetown!!   I am so grateful that Kentucky has an organization like this. Some of us horse owners need help from time to time and The Kentucky Horse Council has given me/us time to recover from “hard times” and not lose the things we love the most, our beloved horses.   Thank you from the bottom of my heart.   Beverly Danko Cynthiana, Kentucky October 17, 2012

Beauty in a Wedding Beauty at 36 Years Old, Oct. 18, 2012 Beauty in Her New Blanket

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