06/14/2026
You were the first horse I rescued.
And not from some cutesie rescue that had already started your rehab where I got some cute backstory. You were a gaunt shell of a horse I found after driving for what seemed like hours by nothing but sun-wrecked brown fields.
From a farm in the middle of nowhere gone bankrupt. You were in a herd of starving horses and you were by far the saddest looking one.
The horse no one was coming for in the eleventh hour. I looked at you and my heart sunk. You looked through me like I was made of cellophane, you were giving up.
I drove home and made some calls. I picked you up the next day - you were terrified and shaking as you got in the trailer, still willing to walk onto it in hopes you would end up some place better.
I spent a year rehabbing you and you blossomed from the ashes. A beautiful chestnut mare with a personality larger than life. You were stubborn but so sweet. You loved salt and vinegar chips, and had a deeper neigh than any I’ve ever heard in my life. You were kind, but with strong boundaries.
You helped me start Salty Horse Stables. My first lesson horse. You taught countless kids how to ride and gave so many young riders their “first ____”. You made me laugh and you made me bang my palm against my forehead more times than I can remember. You were the most dependable horse and the amount of lives you touched is immeasurable.
You will live on in so many memories, and dreams, and stories told for generations. Despite being so mistreated before I found you, you were a horse with a heart of gold who still gave people a chance 🧡
Here’s to you, Polly. I hope you’re eating all the sweet feed and alfalfa you can get up in the heavens 🧡 I love you forever, you big orange queen.