{"id":15830,"date":"2025-05-05T16:07:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T16:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mytownnews.ca\/index.php\/2025\/05\/05\/horses-of-unbridled-royal-blood-shared-birthday\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T16:07:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T16:07:19","slug":"horses-of-unbridled-royal-blood-shared-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mytownnews.ca\/index.php\/2025\/05\/05\/horses-of-unbridled-royal-blood-shared-birthday\/","title":{"rendered":"Horses of Unbridled: Royal blood, shared birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Susan Kayne<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Capital Region Independent Media<\/em><\/p>\n

This best-selling art card captures the timeless beauty and quiet dignity of Fudge Ripple\u2019s royal lineage. Courtesy of Holly Scism<\/div>\n

I remember the call about Ripple. August 9th, 2020. The mare with the fractured face on a North Carolina feedlot.<\/p>\n

\u201cSkeletal,\u201d they said. \u201cBlind in one eye,\u201d they warned. The kill buyer\u2019s voice\u2014hard, callous\u2014\u201cYou don\u2019t like it? We\u2019ll walk her out and shoot her. And we\u2019ll send you the video.\u201d<\/p>\n

This thuggery. This hostage-taking. This is America\u2019s slaughter pipeline.<\/p>\n

When you Google \u201cFudge Ripple,\u201d about 1,820,000 results populate your screen: vanilla ice cream swirled with chocolate fudge. Add \u201chorse\u201d to your query and there she is \u2014 a Thoroughbred mare born in Oklahoma on April 29, 1998, a granddaughter of the 1978 Triple Crown winner AFFIRMED and the 1972 Epsom Derby winner ROBERTO.<\/p>\n

Unbridled\u2019s elder stateswoman. Twenty-six years old now. Her wide white blaze runs the length of her delicate face, its smooth descent interrupted only by the bump above her right nostril\u2014that fracture from the feedlot. Her right eye, clouded by a cataract, sees nothing. Her left gradually dims. Yet somehow, she sees everything.<\/p>\n

In the stable, Ripple nests between her best friends, Don\u2019t Tell Dad and Zoom Zoom Zelda. They chat, nibble, nicker. They beckon visitors for neck scratches and treats. At her age, Ripple is mindful of her energy \u2014 naps are essential, REM sleep non-negotiable. But when activity stirs in the aisleway, hers is often the first head to peek out, ears forward, head slightly tilted, compensating for her partial vision.<\/p>\n

Six years after Ripple\u2019s birth, on that same April day in 2004, in Ontario, Canada, Valid Secret gave birth to a long-legged dark grey filly sired by Cat\u2019s At Home. Ormonde Farm named her River Barrow, after Ireland\u2019s second-longest river\u2014a waterway that begins in the Slieve Bloom Mountains and surrenders to the Celtic Sea. A fitting name for a mare born into racing royalty as a maternal great-granddaughter of the Triple Crown winner, Secretariat.<\/p>\n

Despite a wrapped leg, River Barrow\u2019s curious gaze and independent spirit require just a single strap across her stall. Contributed photo<\/div>\n

Racing in both the United States and Canada, River Barrow was stakes-placed at age two. Thirty-five starts. Seven different tracks. $114,825 in earnings. Then breeding\u2014four foals collectively earning over $140,000 on the racetrack.<\/p>\n

And then, like Ripple, disposal.<\/p>\n

When Royal Kraft Sr., River Barrow\u2019s owner and a member of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association, died in December 2020, uninterested heirs discarded her at Dominique\u2019s Livestock Market in Opelousas, LA. Auctioned by the pound. The price of meat. Her fate: Jacob Thompson\u2019s notorious Louisiana feedlot.<\/p>\n

Alone. Frightened. Severely underweight. Her tail cut off. Her foal lost to the stress of the slaughter pipeline. From royal to refuse in less than a month.<\/p>\n

Two mares. Two royal bloodlines. Two rescue stories that should never have needed telling.<\/p>\n

At nearly 27, Fudge Ripple wears her age with the grace and dignity befitting Affirmed\u2019s granddaughter. Contributed photo<\/div>\n

When Ripple arrived at Unbridled, she had already gained 100 pounds during quarantine. She needed 250 more. Over four months, with care and nourishment, she recovered. She let go of anxiety and worry. The security of food, fresh water, love and shelter allowed her to relax, reclaim her dignity, and flourish.<\/p>\n

When River Barrow arrived at Unbridled in January 2021, along with Beauty, Censored, and Joy, she too began a journey of healing. No longer a commodity or a production tool, she was recognized as a sentient being deserving of care, dignity, and respect. With countless hours of attention, gentle care, and doses of Adequan to alleviate her lameness, she regained her strength and spirit.<\/p>\n

BEMER therapy blanket and leg wraps offer comfort to Fudge Ripple\u2019s aging joints, part of Unbridled\u2019s comprehensive senior care. Contributed photo<\/div>\n

Both Ripple and River are favorites of students in our Read To The Rescues literacy program. They freely offer snuggles and make memories to last a lifetime. River, with her warm, dappled silvery coat and kindly eyes, invites visitors to simply be with her and reflect on the majesty of her being\u2014and question how she could ever have been treated with such indifference.<\/p>\n

These two mares, born on the same day, rescued from the same fate, remind us of what we stand to lose when we view these majestic beings as commodities. They represent thousands of Thoroughbred mares who, despite giving years of service long beyond their racing careers, find themselves without protection from slaughter.<\/p>\n

Volunteers learn the gentle art of mane detangling as River Barrow stands contentedly on cross ties, savoring the attention. Contributed photo<\/div>\n

At Unbridled, we exist to champion change\u2014to protect horses from exploitation, suffering, and slaughter. Without a say in their fate, they rely on us to be their voice and to safeguard their future.<\/p>\n

On April 29th this year, we celebrated the birthdays of Fudge Ripple and River Barrow. The elder turning 27, the younger 21. We offered carrots and apples, extra scratches, and whispered promises that they are home, that they are safe, that they are loved.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019ll recommit ourselves to the work of ensuring that no more horses with royal bloodlines\u2014or any bloodlines\u2014are discarded like refuse when their \u201cusefulness\u201d ends. Because in the end, the measure of our humanity is not found in how we treat those we deem valuable, but in how we protect those we\u2019ve rendered vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Fudge Ripple nestles deeply in her bedding during one of her daily REM sleep sessions, a luxury earned through survival. Contributed photo <\/div>\n

Ripple. River. Royalty. Not by pedigree alone, but by the majesty of their spirits, unbroken despite all attempts to break them.<\/p>\n

On the same day that we celebrate our birthday girls at the sanctuary, they will also be well represented in Albany in the hall of the Legislative Office Building on Animal Advocacy Day. Unbridled Sanctuary, with our team of dedicated volunteers, will be present, giving voice to horses on this important occasion.<\/p>\n

New York State Animal Advocacy Day, which took place on April 29, 2025, brings together animal welfare advocates with legislators to discuss and advocate for animal protection policies. This bipartisan event focuses on raising awareness about animal cruelty prevention and offers a unique opportunity to advance the cause of those who cannot speak for themselves\u2014including horses like Fudge Ripple and River Barrow, whose stories illuminate the urgent need for stronger protections.<\/p>\n

Vibrant health radiates from River Barrow\u2019s expressive face, a stark contrast to her condition when rescued from a Louisiana feedlot. Contributed photo<\/div>\n

As we cut carrot cakes at the sanctuary and carry their stories to the capital, we renew our pledge: to be their voice, to tell their truth, and to fight for a world where royal bloodlines\u2014or any bloodlines\u2014are never again discarded when their \u201cusefulness\u201d ends.<\/p>\n

Susan Kayne is the founder and president of Unbridled Sanctuary, an equine rescue on the border of Albany County and Greenville.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Susan Kayne For Capital Region Independent Media This best-selling art card captures the timeless beauty and quiet dignity of Fudge Ripple\u2019s royal lineage. Courtesy of Holly Scism I remember the call about Ripple. August 9th, 2020. The mare with the fractured face on a North Carolina feedlot. \u201cSkeletal,\u201d they said. \u201cBlind in one eye,\u201d… Read More »Horses of Unbridled: Royal blood, shared birthday<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","neve_meta_reading_time":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_ti_tpc_template_sync":false,"_ti_tpc_template_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-upstater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mytownnews.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mytownnews.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mytownnews.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mytownnews.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mytownnews.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15830\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mytownnews.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mytownnews.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mytownnews.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}