Heathers Rescue Mission

In 1998, my parents Craig and Helen Shellenberger bought me a horse called Josie, a registered Quarter horse mare. It was not the type of deal however, where you look at several horses before buying one, it was more an urgent rescue mission!...You see, Jocie had been found in a desperate emaciated state without food and water by a lady named Holly, whose two horses Rova and Buddy lived next door to Jocie.

It was while checking over Rova and Buddy that Holly decided to look in on Jocie and found her so thin that her ribs were popping out, with deep cuts on her legs from the barbed wire fence and overgrown hooves.

Holly was so shocked that she contacted Jocie's owner and demanded an improvement or she would report it to the authorities.

The outcome was that Holly eventually rescued Josie and sold her to us! At first I couldn't even look at Jocie because she was terribly unkept but after the vet had given her the necessary injections I started to feed her properly and dress her cuts and bruises, resulting in a gradual improvement until she was fit and well again.

Since then I have entered her in Western Pleasure and won first place repeatedly, graduating to grand champion.

Jocie is 27 years old now and I am so proud of her(and myself!)

Sincerely Yours

Heather Shellenberger
Aged 13