Famous Horse Was Discovered Neglected And Saved By A Rescue

Excerpted from an article by D.K. Wright for WTRF.

On August 18, a draft horse rescue in Cambridge took in a black stallion. They knew his name was Ollie, and he was in bad shape, with two teeth knocked out, sore feet, a skin infection, dull hair and malnutrition.

“He was probably 400 pounds under where he should be,” says Lisa Gordon, of Frog Pond Farm Draft Horse Rescue.

Ollie thrived at Frog Pond Farm. He came around quickly on his rehabilitation diet of five meals a day, gradual gentle exercise, and vet and chiropractic care. Ollie was shockingly charming and polite, and quickly became Lisa Gordon’s favorite.

“I always tease her about favoritism, how she favors him over everybody else,” said Emmi Gordon, Lisa’s 15-year-old daughter.

Then Lisa discovered something amazing. Ollie wasn’t any old draft horse. He was Fox Valley Oliver, champion and reserve champion in the United States and Canada. Of all the Shire breed, he was a rock star among horses. He was chosen by the prestigious Breyer Company to be the model for their special edition Breeds of the World toy model horse.

But since then, he had gone from rock star to rock bottom.

Read the rest of the story (and watch a video about Ollie) here.