These Two Horses Were In Trouble For Very Different Reasons

This is probably one of the odder introductions I've written but just bear with me. Today, we have a tale of two horses: one is named Joe, and one is named Gardy's Legacy. With names like that, you've probably already guessed these horses are in different professions, and based on the two stories I have for you, you will soon learn they are also in two very different types of trouble.

Joe The Horse's Precarious Perch

Have you ever seen those videos of people finding cats stuck in the strangest places? Well, this isn't one of those, but Joe the therapy horse did find itself in a place that horses have no business being in. Joe was returning from a day in the pasture when Morgan Fields, a worker at Exceptional Equestrians Unlimited (EEU) which provides equine therapy to kids with disabilities, noticed he was not moving.

Upon further inspection, it was discovered that Joe was stuck in a tree. You read that correctly. More specifically, his hoof was caught in the tree, alarming the workers for the EEU. They contacted 911 and fellow equestrian workers to help keep Joe calm while workers tried getting his hoof freed.

Joe eventually passed out from exhaustion. While that is obviously not a good thing, the silver lining of this was that it allowed the workers to free his hoof without fear of Joe lashing out. The horse experienced some wounds on his leg but is now on the road to recovery. The tree has been removed to prevent anything like this from happening again, and the EEU is requesting donations to fundraise for a new shelter from the sun. You can donate here.

Gardy's (Tarnished) Legacy

Race horses are known for their speed. But what if the racehorse is ON speed? That's the controversy currently rocking the harness racing community. Gardy's Legacy took first place in a race back in September at MGM Northfield Park. Upon completion of the race, a blood sample was collected by the U.S. Trotting Association, where it was discovered the horse was under the influence of meth during the race.

According to Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for The Stronach Group, blood testing after a win is customary.  The horse's harness trainer, Samuel Schilliaci, was suspended from racing by the Ohio State Racing Commission for one year and was also fined $1000. There are also calls for the trainer to be indefinitely suspended. Sports doping has gone to another level, and, sadly, these horses are involuntarily being drugged as a result.

So yeah, at the end of the day, one horse became a drug mule while the other learned it is better to keep all four hooves on the ground. There is probably a lesson to be learned from all this, but I shall leave that up to you to figure out.