A 5- or 6-week-old filly torn from her mother at a South Dakota horse auction led to a desperate rescue, by some good horse people, and a subsequent reunion worthy of a fairy tale ending.
All seemed well, initially, when the mare and female baby horse, Lizzie, were sold together at Kramer’s Livestock auction on Sept. 10.
The seller didn’t know that the buyer of the pair worked for Stroud Kill Pen in Oklahoma, recalled Tiffany Ring, director of Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue.
As the buyer was loading up his horses, he commented about not wanting the foal, and how she was going to “just get trampled and be dead in 100 miles anyway,” Ring stated in a post on Gentle Spirit’s Facebook page. The mother, a mustang, was just going to slaughter anyway.
On hearing this, an auction attendee did what many good horse people would do, and offered to buy the filly, not knowing quite what they were getting into.
The baby and mare were separated. The new owner tried to feed the filly milk replacer, but Lizzie wouldn’t drink, nor would she eat pelleted feed, as her mother hadn’t taught her how just yet.
Things were looking pretty grim for the horse family—until the baby’s new owner reached out to New Hope Horse Shelter, who contacted Ring at Gentle Spirit.
She reached out to her network of horse-friendly people in search of a nurse mare, but soon found an even better solution.
But first, they arranged for Lizzie to receive horse milk pellets to ensure she received nourishment; the baby was in okay condition but suffered from a corneal ulcer and so she was taken to the vet.
The big lead that led to the eventual reunion came when Ring saw that Platte Livestock Market was having an auction and it seemed likely that the mare’s buyer would be headed there hauling his trailer.
Luckily, one of her correspondents in the horse business had a friend who was pulling into Platte right then. Within minutes, Ring had photographic proof that the mare was there and was indeed owned by Stroud Kill Pen.
“I called Stroud, and Dillon called me right back. I explained the situation and he only asked one question, ‘How old did you say the filly is?’” Ring shared on Facebook of the rescue.
She continued, “I told them I knew exactly where the mare was and asked if we could purchase her to reunite them and his response was that they would ‘make that happen.’ I just said let me know the price and we'll get her paid for and picked up.”
Dillon could have gouged Ring for any amount, but decided on a fair price. Soon, a number of her supporters from Sioux Falls hooked up a trailer to go get her.
“We decided it would be best for baby to bring Mama to her, rather than load her up and take her to Mama and then to our place,” said Ring.
After what felt like hours to her, she had a fair price and permission to buy the mare. There was just one last obstacle barring the mother horse’s rescue.
When their on-site person arrived at the auction and approached the Stroud buyer, he refused the offer and demanded more money than what had already been agreed upon.
However, another call to Dillon settled the dispute, and he accepted the price.
Soon, the trailer was rolling—filly securely aboard—and Ring posted the news to Facebook: they had her safe and sound. It was to be a satisfying ending to a harrowing journey.
At about 10:30 p.m., 12 hours after the initial call, the foal was unloaded, and Ring video-recorded the reunion on livestream as it happened.
The mother’s call can be heard, the baby answering back with sounds of obvious excitement. Their moment of physical contact was exuberent.
“We are very grateful to everyone who shared, messaged, or otherwise offered advice and help, everyone who has donated to cover their initial costs, and particularly grateful for Joann and Mike who took care of baby and are fostering them both now,” Ring posted online.
They are now seeking donations for the purchase of hay to feed the equines.
The mother, now fittingly named Autumn, and daughter horse today spend their days in blissful relaxation, the mare not straying five feet from her filly, the daughter lounging lazily in the yard for hours on end.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say it literally took hundreds of people to make this happen,” Ring added. “And we are so very grateful that it did. Still a little in shock that we found and secured mama, but oh so glad we tried.”
