Birthday wish comes true for Harrowsmith youngster

Mar 18, 2015

Youngsters often have a lot to teach us adults about empathy. That is certainly the case of nine-year-old Brandon Heyman of Harrowsmith, whose reaction to one ginger colored horse that was bound for slaughter encouraged both him and his mother to step in.

The horse, Karazan, a 17-year-old thoroughbred former race horse, came to the attention of Brandon and his mother MJ after being listed online at a site called Need You Now Equine, (NYNE), a horse placement service that gives slaughter-bound horses one last chance at a loving home. MJ became aware of the site through a friend and of Karazan's likely fate back in August 2014, just when Brandon's ninth birthday was approaching.

After seeing the horse on the site, Brandon commented on the beauty of the mare, (who just happens to share Brandon’s hair color) and begged his mother, in lieu of a birthday gift, to put the money towards saving the horse.

He said, “I just wanted to help save the horse because no one else was doing anything, so I asked my Mom if I could use my birthday money and donate it to help to save her.”

MJ not only did that, she went one step further after realizing that no one was stepping up to purchase the horse. She put up the additional money, a total of $650, to purchase Karazan and gave her as a birthday gift to her son. Karazan arrived at their Harrowsmith home on August 22, 2014 and you can imagine Brandon's shock and surprise. “I was so excited when my Mom told me that Karazan had found a new home and was even more excited when I found out that that home was mine.” When she arrived she was lot skinnier and was a bit rough around the edges but Brandon spent hours grooming her and now she stands tall, healthy and proud.

Brandon was busy feeding Karazan carrots and apple treats when I interviewed the family last week and she was enjoying the company of four other horses and one donkey on the property, some of which were also purchased through NYNE.

Brandon, who has been riding since he was four years old and who now rides and shows competitively, regularly rides Karazan, who was formerly trained to jump and show. She was first ridden by Brandon's sister, Kristen and immediately started showing off her show riding abilities. A vet check also showed that she has a tendon issue that makes her now unable to jump.

Brandon described Karazan as “a nice horse and a real big cuddle bug. She loves her treats and is really good at riding.” Horse love goes deep in this family of six children, the older of whom own and ride their own horses. Their common desire to save sound horses from slaughter also runs deep. MJ has no doubt instilled in her children a love for animals and a desire to get involved to help them. “I want my kids to know that there are horses and other animals that need help and that they themselves can make a difference”.

Kristen, Brandon's eldest sister, bought Zaphira, a 14-year-old grey brood mare from NYNE also in August 2014. Kristen recalled writing a school project on the fate of slaughter bound horses and she continues to raise awareness about the often inhumane treatment and slaughter of these worthy animals. “It's really sad when you become aware of what happens to so many unwanted horses; horses that have been used up by their owners, who can no longer make a profit from them or just no longer have a use for them but the horses still have so much life and goodness in them.”

NYNE is a not-for-profit feedlot rescue community that was set up in December 2011 by its founder and director Tracey Hoogeveen, whose goal is to find homes for horses that are “sound, sane and offer the best chance of a useful future in a new home, and which are currently at direct risk of being shipped for slaughter.” NYNE is not run as a “rescue” operation per se; rather Tracey visits the lots where the horses are held as they await shipment to a slaughter plant and she takes down information about the animals and photographs them. She then posts those on the NYNE site. She and her crew at NYNE never actually own the horses but instead facilitate purchases directly from the dealers. To date NYNE has placed more than 500 horses in new homes. Some of us who love animals do not have the means or property to have horses, but some in the community do and may want to look into giving a new home to one of these animals. For more information visit needyounowequine.com