A rescue horse flourishes in his forever home with a loving Adult Amateur dressage rider and her team of support.
“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light,” wrote author J.K. Rowling in one of her popular Harry Potter novels. For Denise Holton, an amateur dressage rider, this quote rang true. On her path to finding a new partner, she discovered a charming little horse who would change her world forever. He’d been plucked from the darkness of a terrible life and given a second chance. Knowing what the gentle gelding had gone through and overcome has made their journey together all the sweeter for Denise.
Their tale began nearly a decade ago, in 2011. After having to retire her gelding, Denny, Denise scoured the local ads and horse sales websites for a potential new horse. She sought a smaller-sized, affable gelding whom she could take lessons on and compete with at local dressage shows. As a self-professed cautious rider, she never considered stopping by Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR), a local non-profit facility in Lisbon, Maryland, that she passed frequently. “I did not think that I could rescue a horse. It pains me to admit that,” she says. To continue reading click here.