Mabel came to TMMES in April 2008 after being rescued from a feed lot where she was bound for a Canadian slaughterhouse. The vet estimated that she was around 30 years old at that time. Mabel was severely undernourished, but had a beautiful spirit that was obvious despite her poor condition. She is gentle, loving and just the sweetest mare.

 

With time, love and attention, Mabel improved little by little until she didn't even look like the same horse. As her condition improved and she lost the shaggy hair that many undernourished horses grow, we discovered a tattoo under her mane. At first, we thought it might be a BLM tattoo or a Forestry Service tattoo, but it was neither. We finally discovered, after doing a great deal of research, that it was a tattoo put on solid-color Appaloosas for identification purposes. We were fortunate enough to finally get in contact with her original owners who told us they had given her to a family member as a pasture companion. These original owners were horrified to find out that Mabel, whose registered name is "I'm Sitting Pretty," was sold to the feed lot by this family member who was supposed to be caring for her. We learned that she is an award-winning show horse with 45 halter points and that she is actually 27 years old. In addition, she has produced award-winning foals with halter points who earned Register of Merits in arena events.

 

Today, Mabel is a healthy, happy, active 32-year old, thanks in large part to good care and a large dose of love.