Sarge's Story

Life was exciting! He had a job that he loved and he had a good owner who admired him and made sure he was well cared for. When the horse trailer was hooked up to the truck, Sarge knew it meant “Rodeo Time!” and eagerly jumped on board.

When Sarge arrived at the arena, the sounds of horses whinnying, steers bellowing, and people cheering made him bounce with enthusiasm. Then he was saddled and led into the arena. His owner mounted, and Sarge crouched slightly, waiting for the signal. The gate of a nearby chute swung open and a horse and rider burst into the arena. The horse bucked and twisted, trying to rid itself of the rider and the tight bucking strap. Loudly a buzzer sounded, and Sarge leapt into action. He galloped at full speed to the bucking horse and rammed it with his shoulder. At the same moment, his owner reached over and dragged the cowboy off the bucking horse and Sarge carried them both to safety. He was sure that all the cheers were meant for him. He was happy and very proud of himself, and took his place to await the next rider. Catch-horses, like Sarge, are the unsung gladiators of the rodeo arena.

But, times change. Age and arthritis began to slow him down, making his job too dangerous for his owner and for him. Reluctantly, his owner sold him to a family with several children, and Sarge began his next career as a trail horse. While it certainly wasn’t exciting, he enjoyed the children and the long rides through the fields and woods. His joints didn’t ache quite so much with this work and the children always seemed happy to share their lunch with him – an apple core or an oatmeal pie.

But, children grow up and don’t have time for packing lunches for a day of riding through the fields and woods on a good horse. So Sarge was given away to a man who wanted a few horses to graze around his house so he could look out the window and admire them. No more work for Sarge. He was now in his mid-twenties, so maybe it was time to retire. He wasn’t sure he was ready to retire, but he did have the company of two pretty mares. Maybe retirement would have some benefits.

But, people are not always trustworthy. Soon, Sarge and the mares found that their feed buckets were often empty and hay became scarce. The grass they had been grazing was all gone. The man stopped looking out the window at them and stopped coming out to see them at all. Their bellies rumbled with hunger, and they began to eat the bark off the nearby trees. In his desperation to reach something to eat, Sarge got tangled in the barbed wire fence. As he struggled to free himself, his right eye was scratched and a piece of wire wrapped around his hind leg, leaving a long, spiral gash. The man did not call the vet. After a few weeks, Sarge’s leg had swelled and was hot and throbbing, making it difficult to take a step. The flies swarmed over the leg, but Sarge had little strength to swat them away. The vision in his right eye was fading as infection spread.

Then one hot July day, a truck and horse trailer pulled up and ladies in USERL shirts got out. Sarge’s ears perked up briefly at the sight of the rig, remembering his glory days. One of the ladies slowly led him to the trailer. Could it be? Was he really going? He swayed for a moment, trying to gather his strength for the effort. Pain shot through his injured leg as he tried to jump on board. The ladies had to gently help him.

After a long trailer ride, Sarge and the mares found themselves on a quiet farm with lots of green grass and lots of loving hands tending to them. They were bathed and groomed, ointment was applied to cuts, scrapes and pressure sores, and Sarge’s leg was thoroughly cleaned and vetted. The slow process of rehabilitation was begun.

Sarge eventually lost the sight in his right eye and needed surgery to have it removed. Thanks to the generous donations of USERL supporters, he had the surgery in the spring of 2011 and is now free of that nagging pain.

Today, Sarge and his two mare friends have all found their “forever” homes. Sarge was adopted by a lady who had dreamed since childhood of owning a brave, rodeo catch-horse. He is loved and treasured. Life is good.

USERL is an all-volunteer organization that functions entirely on donations. Won’t you help horses like Sarge by making a tax-deductible donation today? Mail your check locally to: USERL, PO Box 157, Wingate, NC 28174. Thank you!