April 2019 Issue

OUR TH YEAR 3 - PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 280 LANC., PA 17604 Vol. 26 No. 4 (Continued on page 30) April 2019 Inside... RPM made the journey from rank breeding stallion to a family’s silly goofball after he was donated to Omega Horse Rescue by a kill buyer. RPM, trained by Jeffrey Michael, won the Rescued to Star- dom competition at Horse World Expo in March and was adopted at the event’s conclusion. Photo credit: Samantha Raffensberger By Suzanne Bush Before he was RPM (Res- cued Performance Machine), he was on his way to an abattoir. “He was an eight-year-old unbroke stud horse standing in a kill pen in Shippensburg,” Kelly Smith explains. Smith, who is Director of Omega Horse Res- cue, says that RPM was clearly special. “Well, he is quite spec- tacular to meet in person, even though he is this rank breeding stud, you could just tell he was an extra special individual.” Smith could not take her eyes off this beautiful dark bay horse. “Not only is he stunning to look at, but he has a big heart,” she says. Omega Horse Rescue (www.omegahorseres- cue.com) has been working on behalf of abandoned, abat- toir-bound equines for more than 40 years. “We look for horses we think we can reha- bilitate. When I saw him, I got to thinking about the Rescued to Stardom competition and the kill buyer actually donated this horse to us.” The Rescued to Stardom competition was introduced in 2018 at Horse World Expo. The objective is to show the amazing versatility and talent of horses that are too often overlooked. The competition selects 10 equine rescues operating in the mid-Atlantic region, and each rescue selects a trainer. Jeff Mi- chael from Hagerstown, MD was the trainer selected to get RPM ready for his close-up. The train- ers have 90 days to train unbroke rescued horses to any discipline. Horses in the competition must be available for adoption at the event. From Rescue to a New Life And that is both the begin- ning and the end and the begin- Long Road for Unbroke Stud Ends in Happy Home Via Rescued to Stardom ning of this story. Smith says that the job is not complete until the rescued horses are in homes where they’ll be safe, loved and protected. RPM had lots of miles to travel before he was ready to train for his moment in the spotlight. “We got him in April and he had to go through a month of quar- antine,” Smith explains. “Then we had to send him to a week of ground training so we could get him gelded.” She says that RPM finally went to New Bolton Cen- ter for gelding and freeze-brand- ing. “Then he came home and spent the rest of the year standing in the field waiting for his hor- mones to leave. He still thought he was quite the boy.” That investment in a horse that seemed to have no future paid off. “Jeff did a spectacular job with him,” Smith says. RPM won the competition at Horse World Expo in March, but his charisma was evident before he got to the big show. “The lady who adopted RPM loved him right from the start,” Smith says. Dondi Dahlgaard, an emergency care veterinarian in Washington, D.C., also happens to work in equine rescue. She fell for RPM, and just knew he would be a perfect addition to her family. “I have some other horses that I rescued, and through the Santana Center (in Rhode Island) I had bailed three other horses— two of which were not broke to ride,” she says. “My horses were in training with Jeff; that’s how I met RPM and fell in love with him.” Dahlgaard said that she observed something rare and profound as she watched Michael work with RPM. “The interesting part is what goes into the minds of these beautiful horses,” she says. “They’re so powerful and so capable of not doing what we want them to do.” But Michael established a level of trust, and a connection with RPM. They became a team. “I just saw this beautiful black horse when I got to Mi- chael’s farm, and fell in love with this horse that turned out to be a silly goof ball, which is right up my alley,” she says. “There are so many horses that go to slaugh- ter,” she says, “and as a veter- inarian I know there is no way to humanely slaughter a horse without drugs. It’s a horrible end for them.” The Perfect Match Smith is passionate about en- suring that the people who adopt Clinics, Shows, Camps & Events preview … pgs. 18-19 Pennsylvania Equine Council Spring newsletter … pgs. 26-27 Steeplechasing season is upon us! Here’s a preview … pg. 6 … and much more! Equine Health Care, Nutrition, Therapy, Pest Control feature … pgs. 8-17