The Life of Cigar- America’s Horse
Dear Friends,
For those of you who have asked why I am so passionate about horses, here is the reason:
Before there was Saving America’s Mustangs, I bred and raced horses with my late husband, Allen Paulson. Cigar was a world-champion thoroughbred horse that we shared together. Cigar was our baby! We bred many champions and we were blessed with much success.
However, years into our breeding and racing career, I found out horrifying news; that most of the horses that either retire from their careers or aren’t successful in racing go to slaughter. These are champion, thoroughbred horses that have an untimely fate if not adopted or donated to a living museum/horse park after they are done racing. There was nothing wrong with these horses at all! This information made me feel so ashamed, because I never knew in so many years of racing that this was happening. So many Americans were probably in the dark like me, and unaware of the nasty side of this business. We bred so many champion horses, but I often look back and think of what happened to the ones who weren’t near Cigar’s racing level. Chances are very good that 80-90% of horses like that have gone to slaughter.
It was so embarrassing for me when I finally found out, because I never thought living in a civilized country like the United States of America that there would be such inhumane and barbaric treatment of animals!
So, now that I’m equipped with the knowledge, I am doing everything in my power to make sure we speak up for animals. That’s why I have fought so hard for the R.O.A.M Act to be passed and so dedicated to protecting all animals, but especially horses from slaughter. We are now the voices of the horses.
I founded Saving America’s Mustangs in 2008 and for the past two years I have worked so hard to come up with a solution for our wild horses. I am developing a wild horse eco sanctuary for horses that cannot be adopted, the horses in the government holding pens, and any other horses that need to be able to go back to roaming freely, like they are naturally used to.
Cigar is one of the lucky ones. He now calls the Kentucky Horse Park home and has a great setup there. I love going to visit him. He truly still looks as beautiful as the day he was born. He had great lines and we always knew he was going to be a special horse. I’m still very proud of him.
Please enjoy this video that HRTV filmed on the Life of Cigar. It was very emotional for me to watch. He was truly a world champion and a very beloved horse. Let’s put all of our wild horses up on a pedestal like our champion racehorses, like Cigar.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/videos/watch/66AF9D40-6242-4BF3-9E10-5DA876D920D5
Warmly,
Madeleine Pickens
