Making 'Magic' Happen

A terrible situation led to one woman finding the magical bond she'd been seeking.

- BY ELIZABETH KOPRAS

Magic and Kopras have done it all together, from working cows to jousting. Right: Advice and help from good friends helped Kopras build a forever relationship with Magic.

I wasn't looking for a life partner when I saw the first photos of him—“Magic”—while following his neglect case from the kitchen table of my friend Deb Noem, owner of Sunrise Ranch in Morning View, Kentucky, where I'd been riding horses for several years. She helps horses out of bad situations and finds them new homes by volunteering her talent and horse trailer to rescue groups like Speak Up for Horses with the goal of saving just one more animal.

I was blown away by Magic’s stance and beauty. I asked Deb if she was bringing him to the ranch.

“Probably not,” she replied. “He isn't even gelded yet, and I don't need that kind of nonsense at a barn with kids. I'm going to focus on the babies, and maybe the mares.”

In this case, the owner was found guilty of animal neglect in May 2009. After 30 days, she was released on probation, which required her to disperse all but five horses and to stop breeding. She didn’t comply. She also didn't pay her rent. When the farm was foreclosed upon in November 2009, the sheriff arranged to transfer the herd to a local sale. Speak Up worked with the sheriff to stop the transfer.

Transporting and caring for 48 horses, including pregnant mares, isn't easy. Deb and several others retrieved the horses before the auction. Deb brought home a couple of the mares and a baby. Early in 2010, our 4-H kids earned volunteer hours by mucking their stalls, moving hay, and trying to gentle the horses that had yet to find homes. I checked the Speak Up blog regularly to see which horses had been adopted. Every time I opened the page, there he was. His distinctive blue eyes staring right into my soul.

Making a Resolution