In a small barn beside a lovely field of snow-colored flowers, the tiny foal was born, and the owners named her Glory. Little songbirds sang a sweet melody on the morning of her birth. The day had been fine and fair without a cloud in the sky.
Glory’s mother, Saving Grace, was a grey Andalusian, or Pure Spanish Horse, with a soft coat the color of silver stars. It had often been said that Saving Grace was sweet but as stubborn as a mule, yet she was gentle and as swift as the wind. Glory’s sire was Phoenix Rising. He was a young Andalusian horse, with a thick bay-colored coat.
The pale grey colored foal named Glory stood and staggered a little on her tiny, stiff legs. With an effort, she walked across the hay-swept floor of the stall to nurse from her mother Saving Grace. Glory was content and happy, without a care yet for what her life’s destiny would be.
Outside the barn, a sudden thunderstorm passed over the field. Small drops of rain cascaded across the land and the wind rose with a gentle sigh. The tiny star-shaped white flowers drooped under the rain, as their cups filled up with water.
Glory was content the first few weeks of her life. She nursed from Saving Grace, and frolicked in the meadow beside the barn. In time, Glory came to enjoy the sweet lush grass on the meadow and was put out into the paddock to enjoy the summer sun.
Glory grew over the next few months into a happy, well-fed young foal. She was fast and free, and loved to jump and run in the paddock. Glory didn’t yet know that her present owner, Mr.McKenzie, had already decided to sell her to a ranch several hundred miles away. He needed the money badly to renovate the barn and farm and to care for Saving Grace and the other horses he already had.
So, on one sad afternoon, Glory was sold away to the Rainbow Ranch in Montana. Glory was separated from Saving Grace and put into a horse trailer to be taken to Rainbow Ranch across the state. Glory whinnied to her mother a sorrowful parting cry as the trailer drive off. Poor Saving Grace whinnied back to her foal.
In the months that followed, Glory was cared for and let out to pasture at the Rainbow Ranch. In time, she became a fully grown horse and was happy and free to run around in the summer sun.
But one day, after many long years had passed, during which time Glory had given birth to a colt named Starshine and another colt named Sprint, the Rainbow Ranch fell under hard times. The owner, Mr. Sterling, could no longer afford to feed and care for his horses. He knew he would have to sell Glory and the other horses on the ranch. He put out an ad in the local paper to sell his many horses.
In the months that followed, Glory was sold to a small ranch named Thorny Brook. The owner, Mr. Masterson, decided to make Glory a work horse, and she was used to draw farm equipment and rented out as a party horse for children for several years. Mr. Masterson had several horses.
In time, however, Mr. Masterson sold off part of his ranch in order to pay the medical bills he had to pay, because he had gotten cancer. Mr. Masterson desperately needed money and had quickly run out of it. As a result, he stopped feeding his horses as much hay as they had been used to receiving. Some of the horses managed to thrive on the wild grass in the meadow. But after a while, as winter set in, the horses began to show signs of malnourishment.
Glory was one of the horses who had gone hungry for quite some time. Her sides began to shrink and she looked gaunt and thin. One day, she found she could no longer stand up.
A day later, an enormous trailer came to pick up many of the horses. They didn’t know it, but they had been sold by the desperate Mr. Masterson to a Canadian slaughterhouse. Glory was one of the horses who was dragged into the trailer.
Many hours passed, and late into the night, the trailer was driving along a highway when suddenly, it was struck by a big truck. The trailer turned over, and many of the horses inside were killed instantly, while others were injured.
A group of people arrived to help rescue the horses over the next few hours, and a representative of the Humane Society of America even showed up on the scene to help save the injured horses who were still alive and trapped in the trailer.
Glory heard them coming into the trailer, but she lay dying already.
She whinnied softly as the rescuers came into the trailer.
“Aww, poor girl,” said one of the rescue men who saw the injured Glory lying on her side in a pool of blood. But she was nearly a skeleton already, and making soft, strained breathing noises. Another scared and injured horse got up onto his feet and stepped upon Glory, who cried out in a pained whinny.
In the last few minutes of her life, Glory felt the loving arms of a rescue worker stroking her gaunt face. Tears were rolling down his face, and he shook his head sadly.
“The poor things,” was all he managed to say.
In time, some of the horses were rescued from the trailer, but Glory was taken out as a dead horse and disposed of by the authorities.
But many horses in America will be victim of abuse in the year 2011 and in the future if we do not assist them and prevent animal cruelty. Please, sign a petition to help them and do what you can to help.
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