Sunday Success Stories

(Sunday Success Stories are a new series here at Eventing-A-Gogo. Each week, we feature a reader's own personal journey through overcoming difficulty and adversity, sometimes against all odds, and pulling through no matter what. These stories are about those who never gave up, and who made a difference in the life of an animal who just needed a little love and care in order to turn around and really bloom again. Send your success stories, past or present, to EventingAGogo@gmail.com!)


This week's FIRST EVER Sunday Success Story comes from Amanda, a member of Team Easyboot who blogs over at Chronicle of the Pink Helmet. She tells the story of Khopy, an Arab who started life as a champion and almost ended up on an overseas dinnerplate. Amanda brought him home in January, and is currently transforming him into a rock-crunching barefoot athlete. The before and after picture of his feet from January until now are amazing! Stories like this give me hope and faith in people, and I hope inspire others to make a difference in the lives of animals in need around them. As Amanda put it, "I hope other people can look at stories of success and give a horse a chance, despite the horse's adverse history and possible complications stemming from unfair treatment. I hope I can be enough of a horsewomen to fully rehabilitate my beautiful boy and allow him the chance to shine!!"


JEF Kharbon's Finale - From Champion to Slaughter-Bound

“Khopy,” nicknamed after his sire, a Khemosabi son, Kharbon Khopy, was run through the New Holland Auction in September of 2008 with a copy of his Registration papers so I was able to track down his breeder and get some answers. I spoke to Khopy's breeder and had a nice one hour conversation with her about this beautiful boy. She is extremely grateful he was spared!!! And of course, she was horrified that he ended up at the New Holland auction. How did this champion get there? Another one slip through the cracks, and nearly into the hands of a meat buyer! Thank you AC4H for seeing something special in this boy! I wanted to share his story with you.

Deb said that by age 2, Khopy was already winning halter classes and doing very well as a show horse. She never planned on selling him but apparently had a bad riding accident in which her Dr. told her no more riding. She originally sold Khopy to a good friend of hers in the show circuit. That friend sent Khopy to a trainer in West Virginia to be broke and started under saddle. Two months later his new owner went to check on him. Khopy was severely underweight and had several serious lacerations. She took him home right then and there, and took him back to Deb's for rehabilitation. Deb said he was a different horse after that; broken spirit, head hung low, non-responsive, etc.. Deb then decided with the friend’s permission, to keep Khopy as he was too "ruined" to be broke at that point. Deb then got him healthy and as back to normal as she could.

Deb said they use to have nice get together with the boarders and friends every Sunday at her farm. Her husband invited a man he worked with, and his wife. The woman fell madly in love with Khopy and wanted to buy him, but he wasn't for sale. She begged Deb but Deb told her the horse had been damaged and would be hard to break and didn't think she had the experience to take him. She assured Deb she had enough horse experience, and would send him back to Deb should he not work out. After some time she realized Khopy was too much horse for her, and was scared to try and break him. She then sold Khopy to a girl in her early 20's in PA. She only had him about four months when she decided she didn't want him and dumped him at New Holland- The biggest slaughter auction North of the Mississippi.

Khopy was rescued from the kill pen by Another Chance for Horse Rescues in Pennsylvania, who recognized something special in him. He was then sent to a woman who specializes in Arabians rescued from New Holland. She gave Khopy the necessary time to decompress, and then sent him to Idaho to be re-started the right way.

This is where fate stepped in and worked out a deal that I could not resist. I brought Khopy home in January of 2010. He is everything I hoped for and I cannot imagine the suffering he has gone through in his short life. He is now spoiled, adored and safe. We continue to work through “issues,” but are making progress daily. Our bond is developing deeper every day.


Here is Khopy and his momma today....



And let's not forget those feet!!




From January (left) until now (right). Amazing!!




(Send your submissions and stories to EventingAGogo@gmail.com! This series is new and can't get underway without YOU! Gogo wants you to!)