Miracle Mare Press Exclusive is retired at Equine Advocates
The fact that Press Exclusive, a 17-year-old Kentucky-bred Thoroughbred mare who raced in Canada, has been retired is not exactly news. What is news, however, is the fact that this very successful equine athlete and broodmare was rescued after being nearly trampled to death while on a truck bound for a Canadian slaughterhouse, then made a dramatic recovery after being near death. And then became strong and healthy enough to be returned to the U.S. after all those years and retired at our sanctuary.
The fact that Press survived at all, let alone recovered to where she can now lead a normal life, is nothing less than extraordinary. This remarkable daughter of Press Card and Gosh defied the odds and survived unimaginable pain and suffering. Never mind that she raced 48 times and won $436,810 for her owners. Forget that after her racing career was over, she became a broodmare and gave birth to at least nine foals. Why bother to acknowledge that Press was an equine who did absolutely everything that was ever asked of her? And her “thanks” and payback was a trip to the slaughterhouse.
To quote from ‘Death of a Salesman,’ “Attention must be paid!” No one who knew this mare and profited from her bothered to ensure that she was protected from harm. Nobody who made money with her during her long racing and breeding careers cared enough to make sure that she was retired to a safe and kind home after everything she had been through. According to Mindy Lovell, who saved her life, Press ended up on the Canadian version of Craigslist and ultimately in the hands of a killer buyer. That was back in December of 2012.
Lovell runs a Canadian rescue organization called Transitions Thoroughbreds. She saves horses from slaughter all the time. When the veterinarian pulled Press off the slaughter truck, she could barely walk. Press had four broken ribs, cuts, and lacerations across her entire body, and her head was so swollen and injured from being stepped on that she was not able to open her eyes. Consequently, the veterinarian wanted to euthanize her on the spot and condemn her carcass because of her dire condition, but something amazing happened instead. Lovell convinced the veterinarian to give her a chance to help Press recover, and he did. At first, she would not eat, but then slowly but surely, with lots of love and TLC, Press was on her way to recovery. That, in itself, was nothing short of a miracle!
Fast forward to July of 2013 – Equine Advocates was contacted by Marlene Murray of The Race Fund in Harrisburg, PA, who was trying to help Mindy Lovell place several rescued Thoroughbreds in sanctuaries. Press Exclusive was one of them. The decision was quickly made to give Press the permanent, loving home she always deserved. Plans were made to ship her to the U.S., and on Tuesday, September 10, 2013, Press stepped on a trailer in Canada and arrived at Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary in Chatham, NY that same day.
Since then, Press has been introduced to her two pasture mates at the sanctuary — Sapphire and Femke. They are all getting along very well. We at Equine Advocates hope that the story of Press Exclusive will help educate people and save the lives of other race and performance horses from unspeakable cruelty and slaughter. The horse industry as a whole needs to do much more to take responsibility for the horses it breeds. No horse should ever have to endure what Press went through. As for Press herself, we think she is really enjoying her retirement in the Hudson Valley region of New York State. She is surrounded by people who care for her on a daily basis, in addition to all of her new admirers who come to visit Equine Advocates to meet “The Press!”
