Written by: Morgan Offutt, Equine Trainer

When you walk through the front door at CHR, you see a sign that says, “the only difference between a rescue horse and any other is a set of circumstances.” This rings especially true for Harry Trotter, a horse I knew as “Sunny” five years ago. On my very first day as a new equine trainer at CHR, I walked into the West Gelding’s pasture to meet the horses. To my surprise, I was met with a familiar face—a horse I had once ridden and trained for over a year. I recognized his markings and conformation immediately, and after a closer look, I was certain this was the same horse.

How did “Sunny” end up at a horse rescue? What had happened to him? Five years ago, as a student at CSU, I met a couple who owned a few trail riding horses but struggled to find the time to exercise them consistently due to their busy schedules. I offered to help, spending a few days a week giving the horses regular attention and miles under saddle. He was the sweetest horse, and he liked to move out on the trail. Sometimes he was a little too forward, so our hope was that consistent riding would help slow him down. He was an absolute pleasure to ride, but his unique conformation made him prone to lameness issues. Some days, we focused on groundwork and massages when he wasn’t sound enough to ride.

One day, his pain became more apparent, leading to a difficult lesson for me about the pain/training cycle. I planned a short, easy ride, but it was clear something wasn’t right. After just a few minutes of walking, Sunny suddenly bolted—running as fast as he could with me hanging on for dear life. Despite my attempts to slow him down and execute an emergency stop, he braced against me and kept running. We approached the fence with no sign of him slowing down. I held on and prepared for him to jump. Amazingly, he cleared the fence, but stumbled on the landing. I flew through the air and landed with a bang. We both were miraculously unharmed, but I couldn’t shake the guilt of riding him when I knew he was off.

That day, I had a tough conversation with his owners about his chronic lameness, which made him unsuitable for the long, all-day trail rides they had envisioned. His lameness had led to back pain, and his outburst was his way of telling us he was in pain and couldn’t escape it. With heavy hearts, they decided to rehome him, finding someone interested in using him for leadline riding lessons, where he would only carry lightweight kids in an arena. I thought Sunny had found a good retirement home and wished him well.

I’m not sure what happened with his new owners or how many times he may have been rehomed before being surrendered to CHR. His intake information noted that he was no longer sound enough to ride and would need to be a companion horse. When I heard this, everything I knew about Sunny’s backstory made sense.

This story is a powerful reminder that any horse can end up at a rescue due to circumstances beyond their control. I’m sure his old owners have no idea he ended up here, and it’s not uncommon for horses to change hands with the best intentions, only to find them in uncertain situations later. Fortunately, Sunny didn’t end up at an auction. Instead, he found his way to CHR, where he is now known as Harry Trotter.

I’m thrilled to be reunited with Harry Trotter and grateful that he’s in caring hands at CHR. I believe he’ll make someone a wonderful companion horse, and I’m sure he feels equally fortunate to be here. If you’re interested in giving a sweet, gentle companion horse a forever home, consider adopting Harry Trotter.

To learn more about Harry Trotter,  click here for his adoption listing on our website.