Equine Rescue

HPD Adds Deaf Horse to Patrol

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Source: Photos by Mayra Beltran / Houston Chronicle

“Smash”, a deaf horse, is the newest member of HPD Mounted Patrol. Special needs girls handed a $10,000 check to the Houston Police Foundation to sponsor “Smash” for two years, and girls plan to continue to fundraise money for the deaf horse.

Click on Image to view more photos of "Smash"

Click on Image to view more photos of “Smash”

Katherine Richards, 24, embraces “Smash” after giving the Houston Police Foundation a $10,000 check to sponsor “Smash” to become a the newest member of HPD Mounted Patrol on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, in Houston. Katherine Richards spearheaded the fundraising efforts with her other special needs friends. The funds will sponsor “Smash” for two years, and girls plan to continue to fundraise money for the deaf horse.

Click (HERE) to visit the Houston Chronicle and to view more photos of Smash

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Categories: Equine Rescue, Horse Health, Horse News, The Force of the Horse

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  6. What one considers broken-is perfect to someone else,
    What one considers imperfect-is whole to someone else.
    What we see within each other, is better when we look within ourselves.
    The Deaf hear more than we, the Blind see more than we can believe,
    So who are you to say, that we can’t find the good in the least of these?
    This is the most beautiful article, finding a renewed hope for a horse, trusting her to perform her job, understanding her and giving her a chance. To those beautiful girls, beautiful job, I hope God blesses you for giving the same hope and compassion to someone else. To the police department for acceptance of this horse into their program, make sure that when she retires this horse goes to the best possible home this planet can offer her. I had a horse that was blind and she was the lead mare, she memorized fences, never bumped a board, rail, or doorway, she cried with me with my mother died, she raised foals on scent, whinnies, and smells, her last colt a strong rowdy boy remains with me. She stunned an audience when after winning her first Cutting Event we revealed she was fully blind! She proved her worth was above the value of gold! So cheers to the broken, imperfect horses, because she was whole I my eyes. Good luck to this mare and I know she will do well, her instincts will see to that.

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  7. http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/Blind-horse-unit-makes-history-at-local-parade–224806762.html
    Blind horse unit makes history at local parade

    SPRING VALLEY, Wis. (WEAU) – It was a sight to see in Spring Valley. Sunday the small town held its annual “Dam Day” parade and celebration but one of the units in the parade was turning heads and making history in the process.
    “It’s our goal to be the only fully blind parade unit and its our goal to be sitting in Pasadena California one of these new year’s days with our parade unit,” Refuge Farms executive director Sandy Gilbert said.
    For Gilbert and the other volunteers at Refuge Farms, Sunday was their chance to show people that blind horses still have a purpose.
    “We wanted to show off the fact that just because the horses are blind doesn’t mean they are disposable,” volunteer Dan McCargar said.
    The riders and horses had a little help in their first parade appearance on Sunday. Spotters helped make sure the horses stayed calm and a perimeter unit allowed people to see the horses up close without startling them.
    “It’s a challenge because we have to have eyes all around us,” Gilbert explained, “we have to anticipate what the public is going to do.”
    Through research Gilbert and the rest of the Refuge Farm board of directors believe their horse unit might be the first to make an appearance in a parade.
    “It’s exciting, we are making history,” Gilbert said.
    Riders say while there were several things they couldn’t anticipate before the parade, one of the biggest might have been the connection they would form with the horses.
    “When you have something that’s blind and they are able to do something that maybe even the sighted horse wouldn’t allow you to do its very heart warming,” McCargar said.
    “I firmly believe that somewhere along the line there are going to be horses’ lives saved because we are out there riding blind horses and that’s what we are trying to do,” Gilbert said.

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