Wiatt

Wiatt is a Bay Shire Gelding bred by the Amish in western Pennsylvania. He was born on April 15, 2017. We are not sure if he was bred specifically for driving or work, as Shires have a great capacity for pulling plows and performing other forms of heavy farm work, especially where pulling is involved. A good friend in western Pennsylvania, who found Wiatt, helped us acquire him and kept him until we were able to ship him to the sanctuary. Upon his rescue, Wiatt was very much underweight and deficient in vitamin E, selenium, and potassium. He also had a small cataract on his right lens and tested positive for worms during an examination at Cornell University Hospital for Animals before arriving at Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary on September 25, 2020. All these conditions were curable, and Wiatt now leads a normal and healthy life. Equine Advocates has rescued countless horses and mules from Amish and Mennonite farmers, as well as saved them from slaughter auctions. We are so happy Wiatt will never be discarded and experience the horror of horse slaughter like so many other draft horses do.

Wiatt is a sweet and playful gelding who fits the description given to many draft horses as “gentle giants.” He resides in our “Splendor in the Grass” pasture with other horses. Wiatt was named for Jim Wiatt, a former high-powered Hollywood agent who once represented Willie Nelson, our 2020 Safe Home Equine Protection Award honoree. Fun fact: The Shire, a British breed of draft horse, is the world’s tallest horse breed.

Wiatt is proudly sponsored in full by a foundation based in Clifton, New Jersey.

Photo credit: Kara Heniges