Story shared by Cyndi Young-Preston
At times known as Sloppy Joe, Spooky Joe, Stinky Joe, and (always) Saint Joseph.
Smokey Joe was born in Indiana on April 6, 2012. At two years old, this beautiful bay Standardbred became a harness racer. He raced for three years but wasn’t very good at it. He was kind of like Ferdinand the Bull, who didn’t want to fight; he just wanted to sit under a tree and smell the flowers.
But in harness racing, winning is everything. There’s no place for a gentle giant with not a drop of competitive spirit. He was sold to the Amish, where he was rode hard and put away wet. He apparently had an accident; instead of doctoring him, they sent him to auction in Pennsylvania.
But a miracle happened. Colby’s Crew Rescue, a 501(c)(3) in Charlottesville, Virginia, raised enough funds to clear the pen. SJ and the other thin, scarred, terrified horses were taken to quarantine, where they received medical care and unconditional love. After a year of rehab and training, he was put up for adoption. A wonderful 78-year-old doctor took him. Unfortunately, a few months later, she fell at home, broke her hip and entered assisted living. Smokey Joe came back to Colby’s Crew.
I adopted him April 9, 2024.
Driving back from Charlottesville to Fincastle, I had to stop for gas. Massive construction was going on beside the station, and the noise was overpowering. I opened the door to the trailer manger. Smokey Joe was terrified and shaking violently. I wondered if he thought we were back at the auction house.
We reached my best friend Leah’s farm … and he didn’t want to get out of the trailer. Leah and I coaxed him. He looked around at the green pastures and grazing horses and instantly relaxed. This wasn’t an auction… this was a home.
It has been humbling to watch him learn to trust. He has come to realize that when we leave the barn, we return to the barn. Instead of flinching when someone innocently raises a hand, he expects kindness. He has every right to be sullen, yet this loving, gentle guy is so willing to give humans another chance.
Here in Virginia, we trail ride two or three times a week … sometimes off-site but often on the farm trails. SJ is the quiet, confident big brother the other horses rely on. When six-year-old Remy gets rattled, Nancy puts his nose on SJ’s tail and Remy calms right down. When eight-year-old Beau is sure the neighbor’s cows are going to devour him, Leah puts him behind SJ, who nonchalantly strolls past the cows as if they weren’t there.
There are so many more good things I could say about SJ, but it would just get repetitive. At 74 years old, I have known many horses. But Smokey Joe is special … very, very special. I thank God for him daily.
