Welcome Noble: Our Newest Rescue!

A few months ago we were contacted by a woman who was looking to rehome her (she said) 13 year-old chestnut Quarter horse gelding. He sounded like the perfect gentleman, and she sent us pictures of him out on trail, trailering, standing at the rail, etc. She had named him Chestnut- she had named a chestnut horse, Chestnut (insert eyeroll here). Except for the name, he seemed perfect for one of our board members who was looking for a riding partner, so instead of networking him as we usually do for horses who are rideable, we went out to see if he would be a good fit.

The entire experience that day was a bit surreal; we got caught in some traffic, but that was OK as for some reason the owner of the horse changed the place where we were going to see him mid-drive. When we got there we weren’t sure if we were in the right place because there was a weird private carnival going on up the street with valets and what looked like circus performers walking about. We finally drove up to the public arena where she had told us to go, and saw her standing there with a very cute Quarter horse with a very bad knee.

Meeting Noble

We realized then that the pictures that she had sent were from a year before, and this poor horse had overgrown feet and a very calcified knee. It was difficult not to seem horrified when we saw him. We had four people in the party, and a few of us walked him around the arena a few times to try to cover our true feelings, but that was it- the owner apparently felt that she needed to show off what her horse could do, so she jumped on him and proceeded to ye-haw him around the arena a few times as he did his best to canter on three and a half legs. She seemed pleased that he had enough pep to canter around, as if we needed to be convinced that he could do the job.

He did his job. He had done his job his entire life. From his previous life as a charro horse, to this woman who thought it was OK to canter a clearly lame horse around the arena, he did his job. He didn’t fight, he didn’t push back: he just did his job though the pain.

And just looking at the horse made it obvious that poor guy was clearly in pain and just didn’t care much anymore about anything; his eyes were blank and the wrinkles above his eyes and tension in his jaw confirmed that. We’ve had horses in the past who have been shut down because of abuse or extreme pain. The owner had him on Equioxx, but it was obvious that it wasn’t strong enough. It’s awful to experience first-hand and see that blank look in an animal who just doesn’t care anymore. As we talked with the owner, he clipped the grass methodically but with no real enjoyment.

On the way home we began to fathom how we could rescue him. Obviously he was not going to be a riding horse, so we could not network him. He needed rescue, but at that time we didn’t have any room, so we had to figure out a place to put him before he came to the ranch. By the time we got home, we had started on a plan and a new name for him: Noble.

Bringing Noble Home: Take One

Several text messages to the owner and we agreed that he would come to the ranch- she was upset that we couldn’t go back up and take him immediately (he was almost two hours away and we just didn’t have a free day to go get him – we all have full time jobs), but we finally were able to make arrangements to have a transport go pick him up. Our plan was to have him stay in our round pen until we could build him a stall, since we really didn’t have room for him, but we knew he needed a safe place to go. We arranged to pay for the transport fee ($400) since the owner refused; she just seemed focused on getting her tax write-off for “donating” a horse to the rescue. We sent over the paperwork for her to sign.

The night before the transport was supposed to pick him up, she emailed us back and said she didn’t receive the paperwork, so we sent it over again.

That morning- at 5 o’clock in the morning- she sent us a text message that we had done the paperwork all wrong and we needed to fill out IRS paperwork. She said she suddenly didn’t feel comfortable “donating” the horse to us because the paperwork was wrong and she would send out new paperwork for us. I refused, as we have had multiple lawyers look over our Transfer of Ownership/Bill of Sale paperwork. I tried to explain to her that the transfer of ownership was not the IRS paperwork, but she just got angry and she texted our transport person directly and canceled. There was nothing really we could do at that point. The only good thing about the entire ordeal at that point was that the transport didn’t charge us a cancellation fee.

And so while poor Noble was on our minds, we just hoped that the owner reached out to another rescue and he would be safe with them.

Bringing Noble Home: Take Two

A month later, our board member was contacted by the owner, who said she was in the hospital and she needed to place him. We sent over the paperwork again, and she signed it immediately. She said she had several bales of teff hay as well that we could take but we told her that we didn’t think the transport person could take them, and suggested she donate them to a local rescue.

And so Noble finally made his way home to Hanaeleh. We had the vet out to assess him to ensure he could be kept comfortable with pain medication, and they gave him his vaccinations. The farrier came out and trimmed him, making him so much more comfortable. Within a few weeks, we saw a horse who had been shut down and interested in little but food start to beg for treats and seemed to enjoy his turnouts and short walks around the ranch! Amazing what basic care will do.

Noble lived in a makeshift stall with several mats and some shavings, but while it had a tree over it, it didn’t have great coverage for the rain. One of our supporters, Debbie, had been looking for a companion horse for her horse and offered to horse-sit Noble through the latest rainstorm, so we took him over to her house (a short walk down the road). The two boys said hello with nary a squeal!

The ultimate hope of course was that if Noble and her horse Riley got along well, then Noble could live his best life being spoiled by Debbie, but we wanted to make sure it was a good fit. It wasn’t just a good fit, however: it was a GREAT fit. Debbie told us that she finally saw Riley lay down; he was comfortable and knew he was safe since he had a buddy to watch over him. Noble enjoyed his hours of turnout everyday and Debbie also takes him for walks around the block. He gets groomed regularly and is very much loved! He is close enough so we can also see him and say hello on a regular basis!

Noble is a very different horse from the one we saw that day in L.A.: He is alert and interested in his world around him; he has a buddy he likes to hang with and a lot of people who love him; he gets pain medication everyday to make sure he is comfortable, and regular checkups by the vet. Finally, he will never be required to be ridden again, and we will ensure that we do everything in our power to make sure he is safe and happy for the remainder of his life.

Epilogue: Some Drama and a Request

We usually try to avoid drama in our posts, which is difficult as this entire transaction with the owner was filled with drama. It concluded with the owner contacting me a few weeks after Noble came to Hanaeleh saying she wanted to donate the extra hay she had bought for Noble. I told her that we were a bit far away but she could come down during certain days/times.

She planned to come down one day and then never showed up. Then she rescheduled to come down during the weekend and I told her we would be there until about 12pm.

Noon came and went. I texted and she didn’t respond. We waited for her for another hour and then left.

At 4pm she texted and said she would come down, and I told her she could not as I was not going to be there. I had plans to go to the theatre and I just didn’t feel like being ghosted a third time. I told her to just donate the hay to a local rescue- we are over 1 1/2 hours away- there are closer rescues.

To this, she became irate and said that I was a terrible person and hated people and would never text me again.

Honestly, Noble was safe and that was all I cared about. Her promise never to contact me again seemed perfect to me.

Because drama people have to be drama, however, she decided to leave a one-star review for Hanaeleh on Google, saying how she donated (between transport, farrier care, vet bills and pain medication, we spent about $1500 on a horse she “donated”) a horse to Hanaeleh but that I am “rude, disrespectful AND annoying.” Personally that seemed excessive for not wanting to take her hay, and it is also unfortunate that she decided to take her anger out in a way that will affect everyone in the rescue.

Again, usually we wouldn’t care about people like this, but her review does drag our overall score down, which could impact us in the future. So we are asking any of our volunteers and supporters who know us and our horses to please leave a review on Google to counteract her negative one. Here’s a link to write a review for Hanaeleh.

Instead of being bogged down by people who are hateful, we hope to push against that with positivity and showcase the good that we do in the world.

At the very end of the day, while we have to sometimes deal with hateful people like this, we take solace in the knowledge that we do make a difference in the lives of our horses, and our horses are safe and happy because of the efforts of everyone who supports us.

Did you know that you can sponsor Noble for as little as $10/month? It’s true! Sign up here on our Sponsor a Horse page.