Couple rehabilitates horses originally sent to slaughter
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA - When Allison Smith met Colby the horse, her life changed forever.
The avid horse rider bought Colby from an auction which saved him from being sent away to be slaughtered. He'd been given up by previous owners for his sporadic behavior and distrust of humans.
"He was wild. He bit, he struck, he kicked, he just, he hated everyone and getting him to really come around and trust me was something that really sat with me," Smith said.
With a lot of tender love and care, Smith was able to win Colby's heart. He's now a champion show horse. Smith and her wife, Olivia, came to the revelation that if they could rehabilitate Colby, they could rescue and rehabilitate any horse and give them a second chance at life. Thus they founded Colby’s Crew Rescue, a nonprofit horse ranch.
Through their organization, the couple purchases horses from auctions where they will likely be sent off to be slaughtered in other countries for human consumption. Each equine will get a forever home after being rehabilitated, whether it's on the ranch, or through adoption.
The couple created a TikTok account to showcase all the horses at the ranch, and eventually posted about their former Amish workhorse, Big John. Big John took the internet by storm because of his large size and silly personality.
"We really didn't expect him to be like some phenomenon around the world, but everyone just fell in love with him through the computer, which is amazing," Smith said.
Big John's stardom helped put Colby's Crew Rescue on the national map. Smith is just happy to get to share her horses' stories of triumph with the world.
"We always strive to be kind to everyone. We just really think kindness is such a powerful thing for any animal or any human at all."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Couple rescues horses from slaughter
