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My name is Desiree Walling. I've always been one to pull for the underdog, so when choosing my animals, it's no different. All of our dogs & cats are adopted or are strays, so when I went looking for a companion for my lonely gelding in April of 2006, it was no different. I searched online through several local horse rescues. I came across Blaze's Tribute Equine Rescue and was impressed with their web site. I looked at their available animals and found a sweet donkey named "Donkey" who would soon be available for adoption. My husband Brian & I made an appointment to meet "Donkey." We were greeted by Shawn & Natalee Cross and their daughters Dakota and Kaitlyn. I have to say we were blown away by the dedication this family of 4 made to these horses who had found themselves in unfortunate situations and ended up at Blaze's. They showed love and dedication to each one & had a fine tuned routine that involved the whole family caring for the horses. We ended up adopting Donkey, but I wanted to do more to help Blaze's. Sometime later I saw them on the news where they were involved in a large horse seizure. I rallied my troops at home and we got a couple of tons of feed donated to them. I started brainstorming ideas to help them raise funds because I believed very strongly in what they were doing and I wanted to be involved. I began coordinating fundraising events at the fairgrounds and various other events. In 2008 I was asked to join the Blaze's team as the Volunteer/Fundraising Coordinator. I glady accepted!
Since first meeting the Cross' family and the horses at Blaze's in 2006, we've adopted 6 more horses. One of those horses was "King." In May of 2009, I met "King" at Blaze's. He was an extremely emaciated 24 year old gelding that Blaze's had just picked up as a cruelty case. I don't know what it was about him, but I was drawn to him. He sure wasn't a looker, quite frankly he looked awful, standing off by himself with this look in his eye that said he was defeated and life just wasn't worth living anymore. I asked Natalee about him, asked her if she would let me take him home as a foster and rehabilitate him. She agreed and off to our house he went. In the beginning, I looked at it as we were helping him out. We were helping him gain weight and get his feet & teeth in shape. Little did I know this little gelding would be helping me more than I could ever imagine. I had been in a riding accident back in 2008. It shook me up pretty good and diminished my confidence in the saddle. I knew when the time was right, I'd get my confidence back. That confidence came courtesy of "King." I never dreamed what an amazing horse he was, he would do anything I asked of him and he was incredible under saddle. We ended up officially adopting him. We were best friends and had many good times together. Sadly, I lost him due to colic in November of 2010. I'd give anything to spend another day with him. I'm thankful to Blaze's everyday for bringing my teacher, partner and best friend into my life. We are so Honored to be a part of the Blaze's family and help advocate for these wonderful horses. When I look out at the pasture and see "Donkey" today, I have to laugh because I never dreamed he would lead me to where I am now!
Please call or email to schedule an appointment to visit the horses currently available in our rescue program. We are generally available by appointment Monday - Thursday after 5:30 and anytime Friday - Sunday. We do maintain full time jobs, so we are not always available on weekdays. Please be patient with us and we will return your call/email as soon as possible.
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