Sophie

Sophie is another sad horse story with a happy ending. We do not know her age or her breeding, we think she is mostly saddlebred. We do know that she was with the Amish in Pennsylvania for a long time. Her legs show the wear and tear of many years of hard work trotting heavy carriages on the pavement. When her legs and body couldn't take it anymore, she was sold through the New Holland auction where the meat broker bought her for slaughter.

Saddlebred Rescue stepped in and bought her from the meat truck. According to Nealia McCracken at SBR, Sophie (formerly called Trish) "is a horse that has been worked hard and not cared for more than likely at all. My heart aches for her as her poor legs have been cut up and knocked up for years. All of this added together makes her not the happiest camper.... (she) has put on weight and her legs have gotten better, and she is pretty sound.... I think (she) has a good heart and with a little work and time she would bond very well and LOVE to have one person who thinks she is the best....I really like (her) and hope someone falls for her as she is not the typey show horse and I do not think she was in a show barn very long before she started pulling a buggy and having a really hard life. (She) deserves a life that she will like and enjoy herself as it is quite apparent that she has done hard time in the past."

Per Pat Johnson at Saddlebred Rescue Sophie was "the horse I worried about the most.....this mare out of all of the horses looks like she has been on the road the most and looks the least like a show horse. I am sure now that I have said that no one will want her."

Well, Arbordale Riding Academy wanted her and Sophie now leads a very happy life at Arbordale. She is cared for and fussed over by the little girls and is occasionally ridden. She has even been to a couple of shows. What is most special about Sophie is the surprise she kept hidden. On February 26, 2008 she popped out a beautiful little filly that we have named Tessa.