Horse Saved From Certain Death Ends Up In Winner’s Circle

When Amber Keller of Akeller Performance Horses saw the picture of Molly on the Double S Kill Pen Horses Facebook Group, there was something about her that made Amber stop and take a better look.

“I've never rescued a horse before, I had always grown up on well-bred show horses,” Keller told iHeartHorses. “But there was something about Molly. I don’t know how to explain it, but I had to save her.”

So, Keller bought Molly for just $650 from the Thompson kill pen in Louisiana on April 9, 2015. Her case was an interesting one. Her mom had been brought to the kill pen pregnant and Molly was born right there at the feed lot. Instead of selling her, she was kept and Keller was told they broke her in and used her to herd the cattle at the lot – she has the white scars from saddle sores to prove it. Keller’s vet estimated she was around 5 years old. She was also about 200 pounds underweight.

Her start to life gave Molly some large hurdles to get over. Since she was used to run the cattle, Keller said all she wanted to do was run.

“Whenever we first tried to ride her all she wanted to do was take off,” she explained. “I spent several days just swinging my leg on and off of her so she would learn that every time I rode her she didn't have to take off. If we walked five steps and stopped I was happy.”

Molly was also lacking any type of ground manners, so Keller started working with her in that area too.

“Little did I know she would end up being really good at it,” Keller added.

Molly started to flourish under Keller’s care, and in September of 2015, Keller posted on Facebook that she was available for lease. Erin Pantalone was looking for a horse for her 11-year-old daughter, Keely Maier when she saw Molly.

Maier, a beginner rider, started to take lessons on Molly and pair proved to be a winning combination. They competed at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in Houston, Texas and took home a second, two thirds, and a fifth.

Maier and Molly were featured on the local news station during the rodeo - watch the entire segment below:

Not bad at all for a little mare that was destined for a far worse fate. And now, Molly has a bright new future ahead of her. Maier and her mom are in the process of purchasing Molly from Keller, how awesome is that? Kudos to the winning team as well as Keller who took a chance when no one else would. It just proves you find talent anywhere, if you have the eyes to find it.