Hey All!
I rarely get to come to the A Home for Every Horse faithful followers in first person, but I am so excited to do my first personal blog post right before the holidays! For many of you, we have met in person or via a phone conversation; but for those of you that haven’t met me, my name is Mariah Hammerschmidt. I have been the program coordinator of A Home for Every Horse for four years. This program is one of the most rewarding programs I have the opportunity to work on. I am so honored to be able share the tough times that turn into the most gratifying moments with over equine 600 rescues each year.
A Home for Every Horse allows us come together as a community to help rescues through many programs, like the Equine Comeback Challenge. But there are also those once-in-a-lifetime programs that leave me feeling inspired and astounded at the sheer generosity of spirit that AHFEH generates. I am speaking, of course, about the Clydesdale Surprise that myself and my team got participate in in early November of this year.
In the spring, Purina, A Home for Every Horse’s title sponsor, contacted us about the opportunity of a lifetime. We had the opportunity to present a very special equine rescue with a very special surprise. After months of planning, many secretive phone calls and visits, the big day had finally arrived.
On what was the first very cold day of the winter season, the A Home for Every Horse team (myself included), the Purina team, a video crew, and a very special group of eight celebrity horses, made their way up to Fairplay, Colorado to visit the Far View Horse Rescue. We were met by a group of over 30 rescue volunteers who were more than willing to show us around their rescue and give us a view of “a day at the Far View Horse Rescue”. As the snow fell the volunteers worked tirelessly doing daily chores and working with the rescue horses.
As the day was nearing an end, Purina had one more surprise (other than their visit) for the volunteers at Far View Horse Rescue. After gathering all the volunteers together, thanking them for their hard work and dedication over many hours throughout each year, a full Budweiser Clydesdale hitch arrived, pulling two tons of donated Purina horse feed.
It was an inspiring sight: The Budweiser Clydesdales moving down the hill as the snow began to fall. The gentle giants stood quietly at the gate as the Purina feed was unloaded. The Far View Horse Rescue volunteers were incredibly surprised and amazed at the generous donation, as well as its stunning delivery.
To say that it was an honor to be involved with such an amazing surprise, really does the amazing day no justice. If you missed the video, please make sure to go and watch. Not only do you get to learn about the work Far View Horse Rescue does for their horses, and the Budweiser Clydesdale horses are as majestic as ever. We are so excited to have been a part of this, and thank Purina for their endless dedication to rescue horses.
