Shelley Abrams from Pennsylvania pictured with "What's Your Wish" who was
recently saved from Slaughter.
My good friend Shelley Abrams from Pennsylvania is nothing less than extraordinary. As you continue reading, you’ll understand why I admire her and why I am so proud to call her my friend.
Shelley is a true animal lover through and through. Her animal family consists of her dog “Buddy”, her recently rescued barn cat “Batman” and her recently departed cat “Thunder”. She also owns three thoroughbreds under her Smarty’s Gift Stables; Ironclad Alibi, Bright Nickel and the famous “Mr. Boxcar” all stabled at Philly Park . Her two retired thoroughbreds, I'ma Wild One and My Jester Girl now have wonderful new forever homes.
I have met many animal lovers in my lifetime and have had my own love affair with thoroughbreds yet, I have never witnessed such uncontested love of thoroughbreds like I have with Shelley. She talks horses 24/7 and will tell you it all began with Smarty Jones, the 130th Kentucky Derby winner.
When I became acquainted with Shelley, she was campaigning like so many of us lending a voice to help end the brutal slaughter of our American horses for human consumption overseas. I was moved by her will to succeed and her relentless spirit to make a difference. Her passion has led her all the way to Washington DC and today has transpired into leading her own crusade to help save our American horses from slaughter.
While campaigning to end horse slaughter, the need to do more preoccupied her. She launched her own program called Horses Helping Horses in which Smarty’s Gift Stables donates a percentage of any winning purse to rescue a horse from slaughter. So far, Mr. Boxcar's earnings have helped to rescue four horses (Nickname, Dixie Rap, Quality and the latest, What's Your Wish, a stakes winner who earned over $245,000 in his own career and ended up in the hands of a killer buyer
For those of you who don’t know, many thoroughbreds at race tracks across the country are being sent to auction once their racing careers are over. Some of these thoroughbreds end up being placed in good homes, some are rescued but many of them end up being slaughtered. True to her passion, Shelley is working very hard to help place thoroughbreds from Philadelphia Park whose racing careers are over. Recently, Mr. Merenda, was a recipient of Horses Helping Horses when her program paid for his transport from the track to a safe new home. This new program will be created with the hope that it will inspire other horseracing tracks across the country to do the same.
So, here’s to you Shelley… You are a true inspiration. And as we journey through life, we may never know when we’ve just encountered greatness, witnessed a miracle, or stumble upon a brilliant spirit at work. Most, will miss this part about people. I’m one of the lucky ones.
To learn more about Shelley Abrams and all the work she is doing for our horses, you can log onto www.smartysgift.com
