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Thursday, August 09 2012 / Published in Sidelines Feature

Rescuing Royal Wildcat

By Maria Holman

Wildcat’s show career – off to a great start!

Melissa Raffaeli already had two horses and a newborn baby when she spotted a picture of Royal Wildcat online. A five year old, 16.1h, Off the Track Thoroughbred gelding. Royal Wildcat was rescued from the kill pen at the New Holland horse auction in Pennsylvania. During his racing career, Wildcat had competed in six races, losing his first five and winning his last. As much as Melissa, 27, of Beckett, Massachusetts, wanted to take him home, she told herself it was simply not possible to take on another horse.

The more Melissa looked at Royal Wildcat’s picture, however, the more she thought, “Wow, why would someone dump a horse like that?” She contacted Another Chance for Horses, Inc. (AC4H, Inc), the rescue organization that had Wildcat. Even after talking to them, Melissa was still not sure she could take on the responsibility of owning three horses. She also knew that her husband would not be happy. After making the decision to not take Wildcat, she was told that another rescue, Hope for Horses, was willing to sponsor him during his quarantine, paying his travel fees, grain, hay, shavings and vet bills for two weeks before he would arrive in a new owner’s care. “When they told me that they would sponsor him for those two weeks, I told them I’d take him and I didn’t even tell my husband!” Melissa said laughing. “But he knew right away after talking to me that I had another horse. I just told him, ‘When you married me you signed up for this!’”

In Melissa’s care, Wildcat has flourished and has no quirks or bad habits that are often related to being on the track. He is a kind, quiet, young horse. After a few weeks of letting Wildcat “be a horse,” Melissa started riding him and to her pleasant surprise discovered she had adopted a wonderful horse. On their first ride, Wildcat walked, trotted and cantered on a loose rein. “Someone obviously had taken care of him at some point. I was asking him different things to see how he would respond and he was fabulous,” Melissa said.

 

Wildcat’s adoption photo.

One month later they entered their first local show including a trail class in which Wildcat had to walk over a bridge, stand while opening a mailbox and other similar obstacles. He was perfect. They also entered an English pleasure class, which Wildcat and Melissa won thanks to Wildcat’s fluid extended trot.  “Judges typically come up and give you advice on how to improve,” Melissa said. “But the judge just said, ‘…it was wonderful, I don’t have anything to say.’” Melissa still has trouble understanding how such a great horse was only seconds away from slaughter.

Luckily for Royal Wildcat, AC4H, Inc. and Melissa were able to give him a second chance at life and a new career. Royal Wildcat is now a happy, spoiled, loved horse, that Melissa says, “Will definitely be sticking around.”

Editor’s Note: Melissa loved this article on Wildcat but wanted to add: “Royal Wildcat was spotted and identified by his tattoo by Another Chance 4 Horses broker Assistance program and listed as such. They contacted the breeder (Taylor Made in Kentucky) with a request for help with bail, Taylor Made Sales paid his bail, courtesy of Mr. Ben Taylor. At that time is when I decided to offer a home for Wildcat. Vetting (coggins and health certificate) and transport to Hope 4 Horses quarentine facility was paid for in part by some very generous horse lovers.”

About the writer: Maria Holman is a graduate of Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She has a degree in Communications with an Equine Studies minor. Maria has been an avid equestrian since she was 11 years old. She recently purchased her first horse, Herin, and is looking forward to entering her first event with him.

Double D Trailers Info

Tagged under: Another Chance for Horses, Hope 4 Horses, horse rescue, horse slaughter, second chances, Taylor Made Farm, Taylor Made sales

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Entrigue specializes in equestrian social media and rider management! We help equestrians handle the daily posting to Instagram and Facebook, handle boosting and engagement ads, and can help trainers and barns maximize their sponsorships, keep websites up to date, and PR! Your barn is a business too and as a rider or barn your digital hoof print counts!

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#equestrian #sponsoredrider #socialmedia #equestrianmarketing #equestrianreels #horsesofinstagram
Yay for June! We have another great edition for yo Yay for June! We have another great edition for you all that we can't wait for you to read. Up first are Evan and Ashley Donadt a dynamic duo that has won the hearts of many! Stay tuned for many great stories like this by following us on Instagram and Facebook or subscribing to get your very own copy of Sidelines Magazine!

What happens when a horse-crazy equestrian girl meets a never-touched-a-horse-before guy? If you’re Ashley and Evan Donadt, it might just be the beginning of a happily-ever-after that includes a solid dressage program and extremely popular social media channels featuring good-natured humor and horses.

Ashley, a lifelong equestrian, began her horse experiences with the local 4-H club, progressed to lessons with the local dressage trainer when she was 10, then her own pony when she was 11. Conversely, Evan grew up in Massachusetts, without any horse experience to speak of. The odds of them meeting were fairly low, until fate landed them both in Southern California.

Evan knew from the start that spending time with Ashley meant spending time at the barn. In fact, Ashley told him straightaway, “The horses come first always; you’re going to be second!” Evan wasn’t deterred, and instead found the loophole: spending all his own free time with her at the barn.

Read Ashley and Evan's full article in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine! You can also click the link in our bio. Don't forget to subscribe to get your very own copy delivered right to your door! Thank you Evan and Ashley for allowing us to share your story!
📸Portraits by Jeni Jo Brunner

#sidelinesmagazine #sidelines2023 #forhorsepeople #abouthorsepeople
As we head into June we wrap up our May women entr As we head into June we wrap up our May women entrepreneur, edition. We were so lucky to be able to feature so many amazing women within the Horse industry. We have one more to share with you, and if you missed any of the women entrepreneur stories head to our website for all of our past issues! Enjoy! 

Hurry Up and Wait” is a familiar saying at hunter-jumper competitions. Unlike other disciplines, where 
riders are assigned specific ride times, hunter-jumper riders typically must check in with the starter at 
the in-gate throughout the day to determine when they will show. In 2019, Emma Fass decided to put 
her computer science background to use in the show industry and created RingSide Pro to allow riders 
to be “ringside” wherever they are.
Throughout high school, Emma competed at horses shows on her horse Son Of A Sailor, aka Ernie, 
oftentimes trailering Ernie into the show for the day with her mom. “That was stressful because we 
didn’t know how the show was running until we got there. Even once we were on the show grounds, we 
struggled to find information. It’s a hike to the rings and the speakers in the barns tend to be 
unreliable,” Emma said. “I would think to myself, There’s got to be a better way.”

For more information, visit www.ringsidepro.com

Read Emma’s full story at sidelinesmagazine.com, and never miss an edition of Sidelines magazine by subscribing. 

@ringsideproinsta @emmafass 
📸Photos by Kirsten Konopnicki, kkonophoto #Sidelines #sidelines2023 #sidelinesmagazine #magazine #forhorsepeople #abouthorsepeople
The June issue of Sidelines Magazine is here!!! G The June issue of Sidelines Magazine is here!!! 
Get ready to meet the cutest, funniest and very talented equestrian couple from California - Evan Donadt and Ashley Donadt. Thanks Jeni Brunner for the great cover photo! 

Evan is a Tik Tok and social media star, along with several of their horses and ponies. So get ready to laugh, and also be inspired by their relationship and Ashley's dressage goals - she's headed to the top! You will love them and their story will make you want to follow them on social media! 

We also feature hunter-jumper rider Will Baker who has a new farm near Ocala, Florida, complete with a cute donkey (and lots of amazing horses of course), equestrian artist Jan Lukens of Jan Lukens Fine Art (if you were a fan of Gem Twist you will love his paintings!), talented Texas dressage rider John Mason who has a great story, hunter-jumper rider Addison Reed who is now showing in the Grand Prix, and we catch up with the amazing Kate Egan and her larger-than-life horse and her story about how she won a car!

Former eventing groom Courtney Carson tells us about her new career, eventer Nicole Zardus shares her story of retraining racehorses for the eventing and foxhunting world, and we catch up with the very talented rider Luke Jensen who is now a professional rider for North Run's Missy Clark and John Brennan. Don't miss Luke's touching story about the horse Jamaica! 

We feature Robert Crandall in our Unbridled column, along with our great columnists who share their wisdom: eventing with Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing, dressage with George Williams, hunter-jumper with Rob Jacobs R.L. Jacobs and sports psychology with Margie Sugarman. Also enjoy the Show Time pages from The FEI World Cup Finals and the American Equestrians Got Talent competition. It's another great issue!!

Don't forget to visit our website and order a subscription - one year for $14.95 - you can't beat that! In the meantime, enjoy the June issue. Link in bio! 
#Sidelines #sidelines2023 #sidelinesmagazine #magazine #forhorsepeople #abouthorsepeople
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