My Life

Outside our boxes.

- Amy Saydoff

This unexpected journey began with a random viewing of a YouTube video titled “Saddlebred Rescue Adoption Day in New York” a few years ago. I had been surfing the net and looking at horses after putting my beloved gelding down because of a painful neurologic condition. Over the decades I had evented, ridden dressage, fox hunted and trailrode, but as a 57-year-old with neck issues, I was not sure of my next move. Ruled out were any more 4-year-olds or off-the-track Thoroughbreds. Saddlebreds had been off my radar since one had been my favorite school horse as a girl.

But then I came across the video of rescued Amish buggy horses, some of whom had been headed for slaughter. With Saddlebreds back on my radar, I found a rescue organization with a former Amish buggy horse described as a sport horse prospect not too far away from my home in Middletown, Maryland. Asking my good friend to come along for support, we headed up the interstate.