made The Derrick paper today, way to go Aemilia Hopkins Having a Dream: 4-Her, mom rescue horse from slaughter Having a Dream: 4-Her, mom rescue horse from slaughter Kim Hopkins gives Tomorrows Dream a treat after exercising the horse Tuesday outside their barn along Bredinsburg Road near Seneca. Hopkins said the horse weighed about 700 pounds when it was rescued and now weighs a healthy 1,200 pounds. (By Jerry Sowden) Posted: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 3:00 am | Updated: 9:27 am, Wed Sep 10, 2014. By TRACEY BALDWINStaff writer The animals at Forget-Me-Not Farm in Seneca have all been given a second chance at life. Kim Hopkins leases the farm on Bredinsburg Road to house four horses, a dog with one eye, a mule and several cats, chickens and ducks she adopted. I named my farm Forget-Me-Not because ... all my animals are animals nobody wanted, said Hopkins, who moved to the area from Cleveland. Hopkins, who lives in Franklin, has recently added to her collection of misfit animals. Before Hopkins mother died she had one wish - Make sure my babys happy, referring to Kim Hopkins daughter, Aemilia. Hopkins took her mothers words to heart and started searching for what Aemilia wanted - a horse of her own. Hopkins started adopting horses about four years ago, and they frequently had health issues. Her first rescue horse, Buddy, was 22 years old and had heaves. Another horse she adopted was Jake, an old quarter horse no one wanted that had blown out a knee. Hopkins also took in a horse that had been tied to a truck in the Corry area and left for dead and traded a saddle for an unwanted mule. Hopkins began her search for Aemilias horse by contacting End of the Line Horse Placement in Harmony, which tries to place horses that are going to slaughter. The nonprofit organization was started by Rene Koroly, and the organizations Facebook page states: ... we are not a rescue, we are a placement. We do not own these horses ... there is no application process, we have limited time to place these horses or they will be tagged for slaughter ... Hopkins hoped they would have a horse suitable for Aemilia to ride. She explained Aemilias riding ability to Koroly and the type of horse she was looking for - a calm horse Aemilia could ride that wasnt flighty. Eventually Koroly found one for her that seemed to fit the bill, but there was a problem. Hopkins, a single mom, didnt have the money needed to adopt the horse. The facility requires bail money - which is set by the owner and is the amount a meat buyer would pay for the horse. The bail money for Aemilias horse was $285. Hopkins explained her situation to Koroly, who put out a plea for help. Six people pitched in and paid the fee for the horse. The horse was now Aemilias. She is one lucky horse. She was on her way to slaughter. She was really sick, Amelia, a sixth-grader at Central Elementary School in Franklin, said. Aemilia named her new horse, a chestnut thoroughbred quarter horse cross, Tomorrows Dream. Dream weighed 700 pounds when they got her. The prior owner had not fed her and she had a severe bladder and uterine infection that had destroyed part of her tail. This one was an extreme case, said Hopkins. We thought we would have to put her down. Hopkins said Aemilias paternal grandmother stepped in and paid the $700 to have the horse examined and cared for by the Allegheny Equine Facility and a veterinarian. Dream started getting better and gaining weight, eventually reaching 1,200 pounds. When we first got the horse, we didnt know if she could do any 4-H shows. But it was my daughters horse and she wanted to use her, said Hopkins. Aemilia is in the Ruff Riders 4-H club. Aemilia, who had always ridden Western style, told her mother she wanted to learn to ride in the English riding style with Dream. In English riding the saddle is smaller and lighter than that used in Western riding and the rider has direct contact with the horses mouth via the reins and uses the reins to aid speed and direction. Thats the discipline she chose, so I said OK. She wanted something more refined, more disciplined, said Hopkins. Hopkins said Aemilia then basically taught herself to ride English style. I was kind of nervous just because (Dream was) new and I didnt know how she was. She is very, very, very sweet, said Aemilia. Hopkins said Aemilia watched a lot of YouTube videos and read books to teach herself English riding. She didnt have a trainer, she just learned by watching others, said Hopkins. A few 4-H club members have helped her a lot. Aemilia disclosed her technique, saying she taught herself to ride English by shedding her saddle. I pretty much started to ride bareback and riding English is kind of like that, said Aemilia. Eventually, Aemilia and Dream were ready to start competing in shows. At the Venango County 4-H show, Aemilia and Dream took first place for beginner trail, beginner pleasure and beginner equitation and second place for showmanship. Aemilia ended up qualifying at the Venango County 4-H shows and moving up to the district shows, where she competed against people from seven counties. She placed sixth for pleasure and show, seventh for pleasure and equitation and eighth for trail. Aemilia also won first place in a costume contest where she dressed Dream as a carousel horse. Hopkins is proud of how far Aemilia and Dream have come. She still placed - not enough to go to state but she placed, said Hopkins.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 14:07:04 +0000
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