Rescued Before Slaughter, Mini Horse Makes Birthday Boy's Day

PAWCATUCK, CT — Many people walk their dogs. Some even walk their cats. Few walk their miniature horses. And even fewer, if any, take their tiny equines on a stroll down an often busy winding roadway. But likely only one ends up crashing, happily, a little boy’s birthday party.

Saphira the miniature horse, who is now a celebrity of sorts in Stonington, Connecticut, was saved from kill-buyers bidding on horses to sell to foreign slaughter markets.

She and her adopted “mother” Rachel Miner Dyer heard the children’s cries as they walked the road, rather an uncommon sight: “A pony! A pony! A pony!”

Dyer led Saphira across the road and was told by a boy: “It’s my birthday!” Saphira licked sticky candy-hands and made the child’s sixth birthday his “bestest day,” Dyer said.

The boy’s dad Rob Wilbert thanked Dyer and Saphira on Facebook: “Rachel, thank you again for stopping by today. My son and his friend really did enjoy meeting Saphira... it was a high point to his day!”

On the same social media community page, Dyer thanked motorists driving along North Anguilla Road for being extra careful as she and Saphira did something they’d never been before. Her post has hundreds and hundreds of 'likes.'

“I want to say THANK YOU to the many travelers in their cars that drove down north anguilla road pawcatuck today. I walked my mini pony on the road today for her first trip so I could surprise some little boy I saw that was having a birthday party. I didn’t know them but what kid doesn't want a pony at their birthday party?”

Dyer said that every driver that passed her and her diminutive horse “drove so slow... or waited for us to walk past... they all waved... and the courtesy was amazing. One driver pulled over and waited as we went by.”

There were no close calls on the roadway on Saturday, thankfully.

Saphira has had the closest of all calls already.

Saving Saphira

Saphira was adopted by Dyer and her husband. It’s not the first time they have opened their home and hearts to rescued animals. Indeed, the couple have 17 rescues: dogs, cats, chickens, roosters and rabbits.

Dyer is a member of a generations-long Stonington family and grew up with horses but was not prepared to adopt any. But her father Randy Miner cleared some land, cut trees and with her husband Earl, a paddock was built. All the while, the Beech Brook Farm Equine Rescue in North Stonington kept Saphira and "big pony May," also a rescue, safe and sound while they waited for their “forever home” to be readied.

This past spring, the Dyers brought the two home. For good. Safe and sound without worry about ‘kill-buyers.’

Saphira and May were rescued before they could be auctioned off to be sold to foreign horse slaughter markets.

Saphira’s story is at once heartbreaking and redemptive

As Dyer tells it, she was a broodmare, “basically a breeding machine.” Every animal she birthed was taken. Dyer says Saphira was “forced to breed with whatever stallion” was chosen and called that process inhumane. But it was her likely slaughterhouse fate that was most horrific, Dyer says.

Dyer says that Saphira was around age 7 when she and her “baby Azul were loaded up into a trailer and packed in a barn with other horses donkeys and babies.”

In a Facebook page dedicated to Saphira, posts are written as if by her: “They push us in and tag us with a number. We are weighed for meat prices for dog food etc... well, the heavier we are the more money the humans get. So you see I was bred beforehand... with a belly... and set aside with my son. I guess that tips the scale. I’m not not sure. Not too many people ever loved me. I wasn't really loved and lost all my babies... and so i don't like to trust people much. But my new mom... she and I have a great bond... but wait until I tell you about the organization that raised money to get me my son and my unborn baby. That's when my life changed forever.”

Saphira's pregnancy was closely monitored. In the spring of 2018, she gave birth to Acorn, the colt who almost didn't get the chance to be born.

Dyer explains: Both Saphira and May were saved at the auction block. Saphira was pregnant with Acorn, as the heavier the weight, the higher the price.

“To think this girl was gonna be slaughtered and now she is bringing joy to others.... it's so heartwarming,” Dyer said.

In April, Saphira and May went home with Dyer.

Saving equine lives

Horse slaughter is illegal in the U.S. but not so on our northern and southern borders in Canada and Mexico, as well as booming markets in Russia, Japan and across Europe. Brokers are also known as kill buyers.

Non-profit rescue Beech Brook Farm Equine Rescue has been saving equines for years, from Tennessee Walking horses to mules and donkeys. As noted on its Facebook page, the rescue helps horses “through owner surrenders, neglect cases, local auctions outbidding kill-buyers, buying sick or injured horses and purchasing directly out of kill pens. Our goal is to save as many lives as possible.”

Dyer said that the selfless work of saving equine lives at Beech Brook, under the direction of founder Deborah Finco is inspiring. And done with mostly volunteer labor and very little funds.

One incredible rescue story from Beech Brook is that of Cocoa. She was saved at auction but had developed "raging pneumonia." Staff, all volunteers, spent months treating the pregnant mini mare with antibiotics to clear her fluid-filled lungs. Many people followed her progress on Facebook and prayed she'd deliver a healthy foal. In a comment, Beech Brook asked if people would consider giving just $5 as donations were then, and often are, "down."

Puff was born to Cocoa (smile inserted here) in April of 2016.

Since its founding in 2007, Beech Brook has taken in more than 160 horses, donkeys and minis, and has placed more than 140.

Sadly, as hard as they work, mostly with volunteer efforts, they "just can't catch a break." The recent Nor'easter took its toll.

"Storm did some damage last night taking out fence panels. Limb from neighbors tree. Seems right now we just can’t catch a break. Luckily no horses were in this pen ..."

And earlier this month, while picking up rescues, a flat tire on the trailer.

"We luckily limped along," to a repair shop but the cost has put the rescue in a bind. "Any donations to help would be super as this was not in our budget for this year."

Visit the Beech Brook Facebook page to learn more and its website to donate.

The rescue gets high marks on non-profit monitoring agency GuideStar.