Shocking…we know. Hunter had been collected for meat, him and 5 others…Houston, Darby Joe, Dalton, Brooks, and Austin. Those who were involved didn’t feel the need to feed them…the horses weren’t going to be run through the auction, they were going straight to the kill pen. When we rescued them, only hours before the unimaginable, they were emaciated, neglected and somewhere along the continuum of terrified to desperate to hopeless. Hunter was a stand out…craving touch and attention just as much as hecraved the “other” kind of nourishment the nutrition that comes from food. He quickly endeared himself to us, and like so many of his counterparts seemed to easily forgive. He charmed us with his ridiculous (and adorable) insistence for attention. His confidence in himself (and somewhat inflated self-esteem) took on the trajectory of a Fourth of July rocket launcher. He was accident prone and absolutely lacking in even basic judgment…he was dubbed most likely to say “Hey guys, lets jump off the garage roof …I’ll go first”. Suffice it to say, we fell hopelessly in love with a horse that seemed part teddy bear, part chocolate Labrador, with a sprinkling of Bart Simpson and Dennis the Menace. Today, conducting a wellness visit on our horses in pasture, he ran straight over for a kiss and a scratch. Happy…Happy Hunter. We LOVE our job, and those who make our work possible!