It’s the dark side of horseracing, the fact that not every Thoroughbred or Standardbred ends up retiring from the track to enter a new career as a riding horse or enjoy its golden years in rolling green fields. Indeed, many horses end up in kill pens at slaughterhouses in Quebec or Alberta. For one lucky Standardbred racehorse named Mittcent Vangogh, his life was saved at the eleventh hour through a combination of luck and determination, and of course, love.
Vangogh in happier days. (Tyra Perry Facebook)
Prince Edward Island’s Tyra Perry groomed Vangogh and her father raced him, but the 11-year-old gelding became injured and could no longer make a career on the track. Her father decided to sell the horse back to the dealer he bought him from and after a year, Tyra lost track of Vangogh. Then on November 4th came the terrible news that he was in a kill pen in Pennsylvania. A horse rescue group had posted about him, and the post was sent to Tyra by a friend who knew the horse. That’s the lucky part. Then came the determination.
Tyra posted a plea to her friends: “This morning I saw a post, it was my old horse Vangogh… in the kill pen. This broke my heart, and I immediately knew I had to try and save him. Vangogh was the sweetest boy, he loved kids, and he was so gentle… he is now in Shippensburg, PA. He only has a few days left to be saved… I have a home lined up for him, but I need to get him here first. I don’t like to ask for this kind of help on Facebook but it’s $4,000 to get him home that I don’t have.”