Quad City Times Article About
Blue Ridge Rescue...
Rooster The Colt & Casey 
Casey Smith was glad to get 8-month-old Rooster, who was left behind after the truck left a central Iowa auction site for a slaughter facility in Mexico or Canada. (Jeff Cook/QUAD-CITY TIMES)
By Mary Louise Speer | Monday, February 9, 2009 9:37 PM CST
Rooster is a horse that was left behind at a critical point in his life. But that turned into a positive for the ruddy colt who has a tuft of red mane that sticks up between his ears.
He was left behind when a truck bound for a horse slaughterhouse outside the United States pulled out and didn’t notice the colt still standing there.
Rooster, who possesses a calm disposition, probably didn’t make a fuss.
Casey Smith of Blue Ridge Rescue in Blue Grass, Iowa, recalls getting a phone call about Rooster from a horse sales business in the Midwest “They called and said come get the horse,” she said. Of course, the answer was yes.
Outside at Blue Ridge, horses munch on winter-dried grasses and enjoy the sunshine. Rooster patiently stands still for visitors’ pats in the barn before nudging at Smith.
Smith and her husband, Rowdy, adopted their first horse in 2005 and since then they’ve rescued 58 horses and adopted out more than 40. They care for the animals on their acreage in Blue Grass and at a friend’s property.
Clifford, the big baby Belgium, is another one of the horses they’re hoping to place with a good family. The end goal is to see each equine find a home, possibly as a personal mount or pet, perhaps working with young people in 4-H or introducing people to the world of riding on trail treks.
The couple buys these horses from a Midwest company. Horses dropped off for a “kill sale” are transported outside the United States to slaughterhouses and the meat is sold overseas, Smith said. The couple carefully looks through the group of geldings, mares and foals, and selects those that are healthy and sound, especially the foals. They purchase between 2 to 10 horses on each visit.
Smith fears naming the facility, because she worries that their privilege of purchasing horses might be revoked. “Our mission is to provide awareness of what happens to horses at auction,” she said.
The point is not to determine if slaughter is right or wrong, but to educate people and find homes for as many horses as possible. “In a perfect world there shouldn’t be any slaughter, but we’re going there finding the ones that we can save because we are limited on room,” she said.
Each time they try to bring home a project horse, one who badly needs grain, caring and healing. Precious, a two year old black mare, is slowly getting adjusted to her new surroundings. She endured severe neglect and hunger before arriving at Blue Ridge recently. “We will be working with her for a while,” Smith predicted.