COALITION TO
BAN HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES

CARRIAGE HORSES
Happy Endings

TEDDY - THE GENTLE GIANT

Teddy, a grey dapple Percheron gelding, is about 10 years old and is a former carriage horse who has lived at Central New England Equine Rescue (CNEER) since November.

Although a relatively young and strong boy, he had bloody sarcoids all over his body, including a very large one on his sheath. Sarcoids are benign lesions or tumors that involve connective tissue. They are persistent, but very treatable. These sores were unattractive however, and in the carriage industry - a death sentence - not to mention an unwelcome expense. In a world where one NYC driver paints her horse's hooves with purple metallic paint - prettiness is the name of the game. With this strike against him, if Teddy had gone on to the auctions - chances are, he would have been bought by the killer buyers.

But the good folks at Central New England Equine Rescue stepped up to the plate and rescued Teddy, providing him safe haven. He has had successful surgery but is still under treatment.

Teddy's vet thinks he must have been drugged frequently when pulling the carriages since he requires such a large dose to go under for any of the treatments. She believes he was probably drugged every time he went out on the streets because he is a bit edgy - not a desirable quality in a carriage horse. Teddy remains terrified of Bob, the blacksmith who is a very kind and patient man with a horse whisperer's voice. Poor Teddy breaks into a terrified sweat when Bob puts on his blacksmith apron or picks up the rasp to work on the horses and of course, everyone wonders what they did to him in his former life to make him act this way.

But Teddy is a sweet, gentle giant and likes to act like a mischievous little boy. Vicky of CNEER says "he enjoys playing with the other horses and likes to get his pals running and cavorting and then stands and watches them - I swear he is laughing at them! Teddy has a long way to go but he is getting to trust a bit more each time someone goes to him with a gentle pat and a kind word" -- something he probably did not get too much of in his previous life.

Another fan, Helen, describes a situation one morning in the bitter cold as she tried to budge the frozen stall door. All the horses were eager to get out of their stalls for breakfast. "Every time I tried to open it, Teddy would bump me with his big head and toss me a few feet. I kept pulling on the stall door and he kept bumping me until he clear knocked me over. I was laughing and laughing and he definitely had a twinkle in his eye." Helen then describes Teddy as he tears out of his stall running like the wind and bucking -- "then he stops dead - looks back at me with a twinkle in his eyes for sure; lifts his head up and does a rubber lips, which sure looks like he is laughing. Then he walks over to munch on his hay."

Teddy will remain at CNEER until he is ready to be placed in a good home.

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