One special gelding learns about three different types of love during his rescue journey.

A New Chapter

The spring air was charged with energy, and that made the red roan gelding nervous about getting in the unfamiliar trailer. Aslan wasn’t sure he wanted to leave the place he had lived happily for the last few years.

Aslan had everything he needed at the boarding stable and didn’t want to leave his friends or his owner. She took great care of him, but his owner had to move out of the country and couldn’t take him with her. Although the usually optimistic gelding didn’t quite understand what that meant, he could feel the sadness in her voice when she spoke.

Aslan’s owner reached out and softly touched Aslan’s face as she laid her cheek where his halter rested. He could feel her tears as they slid down her face and landed on his muzzle. Then, she turned and walked away. Now where would he go? Who would take care of him? Would the ladies loading him on the trailer make sure he was safe? Aslan took a deep breath, lowered his head slightly, and quietly walked into the trailer.

Moving On

A few months later, while Aslan was living at the rescue, a new, older lady came to visit him. She was nice, gentle, and Aslan liked her. Although he was well cared for at the rescue, he heard volunteers talk about adoption. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he had a feeling he would be leaving again. Only this time, he wasn’t worried. When the time came for him to walk onto the trailer again, Aslan was ready.

At first, Aslan was happy in his new place. He arrived at the boarding stable and quickly made friends with the other horses. His new owner came twice a day every day to feed and water him. Sometimes she would take him for walks and groom him. She would talk to him, tell him how much she loved him, and sometimes let him play in the round pen.

Several times, people from the rescue came to see him as well. They would talk to him, walk him around in his stall, and take pictures. They always said how good he looked and checked to make sure he had water and had been fed. Sometimes he would hear them say they were going to call and check in with his owner.

Another Change

One day, Aslan’s owner came with some friends and loaded him up in a trailer. He could feel the anxiety in the air and she seemed to be in a hurry. Aslan wasn’t sure why, but he felt nervous. When the trailer stopped and they asked him to unload, Aslan could feel the uncertainty and fear from the other animals on the new property.

Once off the trailer, Aslan walked past whining puppies in a small cage, bleating goats in cramped pens, and chickens scratching at the ground looking for feed. He almost stepped on a small, skinny, kitten that ran across his path. Then, his owner put him in the smallest pen he had ever been in—he barely had room to turn around.

Although he would rather have stayed at the boarding stable, Aslan stayed optimistic. He nickered with anticipation when his owner filled his small water bowl and put his feeder in the pen with him. He hadn’t been fed yet that morning and he was very hungry. Aslan waited for her to come back with his breakfast for hours. Finally, when the day started to fade into night, his owner came back with a small amount of hay for him, much less than his regular portion.

Hungry and Scared

It seemed like days passed before he ate again, and his water bowl was empty, but at least his owner would tell him how much she loved him each time she saw him. He hadn’t seen anyone from the rescue in a long time.

On August 12, 2023, one of the rescue workers came to see him. She seemed upset and took pictures of him. Aslan was hoping that she brought food with her and he nickered in anticipation. She did not offer him any food, but she promised to come back for him.

The next morning, both the rescue ladies showed up with a trailer. Eventually, a man in uniform showed up, too. He spoke with the rescue workers and Aslan’s owner and then came to see Aslan. The man asked the Aslan’s owner when she had fed him last. She said she hadn’t fed anyone yet that morning. The man in uniform looked around and asked her where the feed was for the animals. She could not show him any feed on her property at all.

Re-Rescued

It seemed like hours as everyone talked about him, but eventually, the rescue workers came and loaded him in the trailer. As the trailer moved down the road, all he could think about was how hungry he was and if there would be food for him soon.

When the trailer stopped again and he stepped out, he realized he was back at the rescue, a place he knew he would always get the food, water, and care he needed. Aslan knew that he was safe again.

[Read: Relive the Joy of These AHFEH Adoptions]

Ranger’s Legacy Equine Rescue

Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and facilitate the adoption of neglected and abused horses in New Mexico and surrounding states. We are dedicated to providing a safe, healthy environment for rescued horses in the Roswell area and beyond. We follow the AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners) care guidelines for Equine Rescue and Retirement Facilities. Our goal is to rehabilitate horses to be adopted to well-screened homes, where they can serve a useful purpose.