Letter to the Editor
Monday, April 23, 2007
Dear Saddlebred Community,
Growing up in Shelby County (Kentucky), I've always been a lover of the American Saddlebred. Something about them took my breath away – their beauty, power and charisma. When I was lucky enough to convince my parents to let me take riding lessons, I naturally went to a Saddlebred barn. Throughout the years of riding and working with these talented horses, I've grown to love not only the breed, but the community that surrounds it.
Mid-March, I came into contact with a local organization that takes in unwanted horses of particular breeds. Once the animals get to her, she turns around and tries to find them homes. She informed me that she was getting a group of Saddlebreds and offered me the chance to come out and look at what she was getting. I ended up bringing two of them home, a two-year-old filly and a two-year-old gelding. They were in poor shape, in need of groceries and lots of love, and I (of course) turned to the Saddlebred community for advice on what to do with these "kids".
Posting on the Trot.org forums, I found out quite a bit about my two finds! The people there were extremely helpful and kind, wanting to help in whatever way, shape or form they could. I received buckets Fastrack, Reducine, M-T-G, and all kinds of other goodies from around the country, just because of what I had posted about "Al" and "Paris". The Saddlebred community joined up, took the chance, and tried their hardest to help me. Without the encouragement, generosity and kindness of these people that I have never met before, I would still be searching for background information on my two rescues. I would like to publicly thank Kristy Leech for all of her kind words and HUGE heart for assisting me throughout the past few weeks - without you, Kristy, I would still be wondering about Al!
I've dabbled in other breeds and disciplines, but have always come back to Saddlebreds. Now, as I'm older (and wiser), I realize why. The love of the breed flows through every single person that's involved, from the grooms all the way to the multi-titled World Champion trainers, and everyone in between. We display our love for our horses on our vehicles, in front of our houses, on our clothing - wherever and whenever we can. We hold our heads up high when people bad mouth our beautiful horses, inform the uninformed, and help when help is needed (and when it's not). No matter who you are, where you're from, or what part of it you're involved in, we all have this magical connection to one another.
I want to thank everyone, again, who helped Al and Paris with your amazing generosity. Everyone else that I've spoken with, thank you for your kind words and encouragement. To those that I've not spoken with - be thankful that you're part of this huge, extended family! As the show season is upon us, remember to thank the ones that keep you going. Without them, we would all be lost!
Always,
Katie White
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