had gotten him on trade for another horse and after working with him she deemed him unpredictable, untrustworthy and unsafe. However, he did have a [competition] passport. She lived locally, so I informed her I would be right over to pick that up,” she continues. Passport in her hand, Gracie
discovered that the horse had a name, Uro, and he had a history. He had great breeding. She was shocked to see his sire was Indoctro. She wondered what had happened to change his life so dramatically. Gracie set out to find his
breeders and says she did what any respectable horsewoman
would do in this day and age: she “Googled” the horse. There on the breeder’s web page was Uro’s photo. The breeder was Mark Rossolatos of Riverbend Farm. “I called and left the message, ‘I think I have a horse you
bred, Uro. He was at a meat auction,’” she says. Mark’s wife Julie quickly returned her call and offered to buy him back. “I already had two other offers to purchase Uro, but I felt he needed patience, kindness and time. Once again, I followed my gut; Uro had to go to his original home to heal—to be where loving owners could help him become the incredible horse they remembered so fondly.” Gracie felt Uro was suffering from a broken heart and that his is a modern Black Beauty story. “I believe he found his own way home and I am just fortunate to have been able to play a part,” she says.
FULL CIRCLE Mark Rossolatos had no idea that Uro had ended up in poor circumstances. “We had kept track of Uro as he changed hands a few times, but we were shocked when we received a call from Gracie saying that she had just rescued him from the OLEX auction in 2011. We immediately wanted him back and Gracie obliged,” he says. In the two years since coming home to Riverbend, Uro
has found old friends and is starting to show successfully. “He was a little damaged but we turned him out with his best friend, whom we still had, and he has almost returned to his happy self. Uro’s rehabilitation included easy, quiet
Above, top: Uro and his breeder’s wife Julie Cull showing in their first show together in February 2012 after his return home to Riverbend Farm. Above, bottom: Uro gets a kiss from Julie for a job well done at his first show. Right, top: Uro jumps his way to a ribbon in the 1.0-meter jumpers with Julie Cull in the irons at a Southeast Trillium Show last summer. Right, bottom: Uro sporting his snaffle-hackamore combination bridle at a Trillium jumper show with Julie Cull in the tack in the summer of 2012.
rides. We switched him to a loose-ring snaffle and a soft hackamore combination. He quickly relaxed and was much happier. We entered him into a small winter schooling jumper show in February 2012 and he was perfect in each class. We then did three shows in the Southeast Trillium Zone where he ribboned in each 1.0-meter Training Jumper class entered. We plan on showing Uro again this summer. He is a fun, sensitive horse who requires patience, kindness and confidence from his rider. I hope that soon I will be able to transition him to junior riders with a little more work,” says Mark. “We would really like to thank Gracie McDuffe
and Oendale Yard for saving Uro and taking the time to contact us as his breeders and for allowing us to take him back,” he adds. “He is a special horse who fell into a very bad situation. He was very lucky that Gracie was at the auction that day or his fate would have been much worse. It makes us sad to think about how many horses like him fall through the cracks.”
Warmbloods Today 19
Photos by Mary White/Lone Oak Equine Photography
Photos by Norene Hyatt-Gervais
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