FINN
“The Peacekeeper”
Finn's rescue was the first conscious save at auction, and thus marks the symbolic birthday for Rosemary Farm Sanctuary; May 29, 2009. On this date the human who would become The Sanctuary founder, Dawn Robyn, attended her first auction, to learn, and to form her own opinions. Watching the parade of frightened horses and the casual groups of humans enjoying this as entertainment left a strong impression, as did a young stud colt who she met earlier that day. Skinny and alone, this bay colt was the horse she decided to watch, to see what happened. Surely others would see his potential and he would get a great home!
Near the end of the three hours of auctioning, the crowd had dwindled and still no colt had appeared. Then the handlers folded out some huge chain link panels and turned the open floor into a giant cage...what for? The wild stud colt was turned loose inside. He was unable to even safely be walked around for display, so instead, he was frightened into running, to show off his gaits. There was no one interested. As the auctioneer pattered on, and the bored few people left in the stands began to pack up their stuff, the price dropped. Lower and lower, and she watched, until they got to $5. "Just five bucks folks, make him what you want, a bargain".
This was one of those crossroads that one reads about, where in the book the heroine would act decisively, but that often doesn't happen in real life, does it? This night, it did. Our heroine held up her bidding card, and the auctioneer let out a huge sigh of relief, "SOLD!" he shouted, then walked the dazed new horse owner up to the office to pay for the wild bay, so that legally, he was no longer the auction's problem.
Finn transformed from that skinny stud colt to a magnificent gelding, a striking bay with white markings and black 'points' and a black mane and tail, and became co-herd leader with Molly at Rosemary Farm Sanctuary. Together they control and keep the peace over 35 odd horses at any given time, and do so peacefully and with skill. Finn was able to apprentice his leadership skills under the tutelage of a first generation Mustang, Whisper, who was born wild, and was able to share with Finn the nuances of herd communication. Mustangs do not showboat or waste energy that may be needed elsewhere, and from Whisper, Finn learned to communicate with the flick of a precise ear. His save was a significant turning point and The Sanctuary found meaning in 'letting horses be horses'.
Go read Lexi’s story and then Sponsor or Staydopt Finn today!