Rehab for Race Horses
Rehab for Racehorses
12:52 PM Mountain Standard Time on Thursday, March 18, 2004
By Steve Bodinet / News Channel 3
Racehorses are among the best-trained athletes in the world. When they run, it almost looks like they're flying.
But what happens when one of these amazing athletes stumbles and crashes to the ground in mid-flight?
If they’re lucky, they end up at Horse Rescue of North Scottsdale. Opacity, a former racer, was lucky.
"He came into Horse Rescue with ... a broken ankle," explained Holly Marino. "A lot of time with horses on the racetrack, when that happens, they have to put them down."
Marino said ending a horse's life doesn't happen very often at her rescue facility. Their goal is to get each hurt horse up and running again. It's no easy task and in many cases, like Opacity's, it can take a lot of time.
"He had to do three and a half months of strict stall rest so that his ankle would heal," Marino said.
His racing career is over, but Opacity's healing time is paying off. He's getting stronger, faster, and feistier every day.
"I'm so excited about him," Marino said. "This is what it's all about. It's a great success story."
Opacity's story isn't the only one. And because the busted-up horses keep coming, Marino is sure there will be more success stories in the future for Horse Rescue of North Scottsdale and its charges.
She'll settle for nothing less in her quest to help these special animals in the race toward a different kind of finish line because to Marino, these horses are more than just racing machines.
"I love them," Marino said. "There's a lot you can learn from horses. They're very giving and kind. They give unconditional love. They're gentler with each other than humans are. If I can help them, I'll be there for them."
The Horse Rescue of North Scottsdale
* RescueaHorse.com
* (602) 689-8825
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If you’d like to help Holly brush, clean, groom, clean stalls or ground exercise these horses, call her at 602-689-8825.
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