Her name is Revalette, and she was consigned by Paige Larsen, MN to the semi-annual Twin Cities Appaloosa Sales. The catalog comments stated, ” This mare is bred back and has a foal on her side out of Reserve National Champion Maid Ya Whisper. Her foals have earned 167 halter points, 4-1/2 performance points, 1 Supreme Champion, Bronze Medallion and National Champion. Mare is HYPP N/N.”
There were no private buyers for Revalette at the sale, and she was sold to Simon’s Auction Barns. When the auction barns have too much inventory and the ones they purchase are not resold, sending them to kill is often the fate of these beautiful horses. Many responsible horse professionals have stopped breeding, and the futures of brood mares can seem quite bleak in a depressed horse market., and this is what probably happened to Revalette. This mare also had a yearling colt of hers go through the sale as well. His name was Wild Wild Whisper.
Fortune smiled on Revalette because she and her foal were purchased by another broker and wound up at a local Pennsylvania broker barn where Christy Sheidy, co-founder of Another Chance 4 Horses photographs and does short evaluations of horses with the hopes of providing these horses with a wider audience of viewers in order to find them homes. Thousands of unique viewers follow the weekly listings of the horses on the broker pages of the rescue’s website.
Brokers buy and sell horses to make a living. Killbuyers purchase horses and sell them to slaughterhouses in both Canada and Mexico for their meat. Horse meat is popular in parts of Europe, Japan and Mexico.
Another Chance 4 Horses has many volunteers who dedicate endless hours researching the history of the broker horses, post ads online to increase the odds of finding new homes and network on internet groups as well as Facebook.
Kim Walton, of Ravenswood, West Virginia volunteered to rescue Revalette after seeing her picture and the foal by her side.Walton, along with other volunteers were able to raise the money to purchase the mare and foal. Revalette and her foal are being picked up today and will be on their way home.
This isn’t the first time Walton has stepped up to rescue horses in need. A single mom with two teenagers, and a 21 acre farm, Walton rescued a thoroughbred Flying Fortress. In addition, last August she had inquired about a stallion at the broker barn who had been severely wounded in a fight with a grizzly bear while defending the mares he had been running with on a farm. The broker had been keeping the horse stalled until the horse was well enough to be sent to slaughter. Instead Walton purchased the stallion, had him gelded at New Bolton and will be riding him this summer. She named him Chance; a horse who should have been a hero almost wound up on a dinner plate, and Walton is thrilled to have been so lucky to now have him at her farm.
” No way could I let this happen to Revalette and the foal. I am just so glad to be able to give them a home. My friends Sheryl Koontz and Natalia were so helpful; I can never thank them enough for helping me get these horses safe. This summer I plan to show the baby; thinking of names like ” Maid Ya Look” or “Maid Another Chance” but will have to see what names are available. I want to enter the baby in halter class, and when he wins, I will call Another Chance 4 Horses and ask if they will do a follow-up story. Maybe more people will want to save horses too,” explained Walton.
Don’t forget to check out cakechow.com’s Spring Fling adoption drive!
