Why is Chester our equine ambassador? A question that could easily take pages to explain, said Kelly Saunders, Founder/Chair.
"In 2018, Chester was 1 of 3 horses that came from Kauffman Kill pen, our first three rescues. We nicknamed them the Texas trio. When Chester arrived, my first reaction was what have we gotten ourselves into? I had never in my life seen a more pathetic animal. He was 6 years old but looked like a yearling. We later found out a bit of Chesters history: he had been seized by the Texas sheriff’s department. Tied to a tree from the time he was a two-year-old, Chester was now 6. Four years of nothing. He learned to entertain his little Arabian baby brain by using his mouth. He had no social skills whatsoever. His body was so malnourished, his muscles so underdeveloped that he had to relearn how to walk. As the days, weeks and months passed, I was not sure I could do it. I was not sure I could help Chester ever overcome the neglect and trauma that he had suffered. He was not like any other horse I had ever met, and I almost gave up. Chester, on the other hand, had no intentions of giving up. The most optimistic living creature that ever lived, Chester took great joy in everything; with his first breath each morning he would try so hard to do what I asked but he had no idea of what I wanted. Still, he never gave up, he was never mean, he never ever said “no”, he just said ‘I don’t know what to do”. Everything I had ever learned about horses didn’t work. When his anxiety overflowed (which was most of the time), he reverted to what he knew – his mouth. Not to bite but to try to reach me, try to speak to me. At first, I would discipline him but that only increased the anxiety since he was trying so hard but did not understand. I eventually started to listen. We needed to slow way down, to take tiny baby steps, to many times do nothing but breathe. Chester found a mentor in the herd. He was an old gelding named Pete who had himself been through so much trauma. Pete helped Chester learn herd language, something I could never do for him. He was patient to a point and then he told Chester what was ok and what was not. It was not long before I realized I could never rehome Chester, that he was the one horse that had taught me more then any other. Because of his past, the neglect he suffered and the resilience and bravery he showed me, I became a better person. He was the one that showed me patience – “why can you not listen to me human?” I had to shove everything I had ever learned about horses’ way down deep and open my eyes, my brain and my heart to this little Arabian gelding that will never leave our rescue or my heart.
Chester is going blind from an autoimmune disorder. His body will never carry a human because of his confirmation and deformities. The malnutrition and lack of movement he suffered as a colt caused Chesters body to never develop the way it should have. But, today Chester moves with grace and elegance. When he lets his body take over and doesn’t think about it, the blood of his Arabian ancestors flowing through his body takes over and he could be sailing across the desert, his hooves barely touching the ground. Then, he thinks, and the awkward little creature is back – but now he knows I will listen, now he knows how to be a horse and now he is home. Chester is my mentor, my hero and my friend." Learn more about Bagaduce River Equine Rescue
here .
