Redwings received a desperate plea from one of our partner rescues in December of 2024, asking us to save 2 horses at an auction yard that were in terrible situation. We quickly arranged for the two horses to get on a transport the following morning, and the next morning received a call begging us to add one more horse on the transport to Redwings.

The horse was a beautiful bay Thoroughbred gelding and after researching his tattoo we discovered that he raced in New Mexico and his name was Political Loophole. It was a few years in between the end of his race career and when he showed up at the auction yard, but we don't have a clue where he had been or who owned him. What we do know is that he was dumped at the auction in bad shape. We agreed to accept him too, and that morning he was loaded onto the trailer with the other two horses.

He was very thin and had a puncture wound to his left eye that left him blind in that eye and the remaining tissue in his eye socket was infected. He needed his eye removed as soon as possible to prevent further issues. But he would have to wait for the surgery because he was too sick to undergo the procedure, he was suffering from strangles, a very contagious infection that causes respiratory distress and abscesses. The poor horse had two large abscesses, one under his jaw and the other on the side of his head. The abscesses were painful, and he had a severe cough and lots of nasal discharge. He felt so poorly that he would barely eat.

It will take a few more weeks for Pirate to recover from the strangles but once he does he will undergo surgery to remove the remaining tissue in his eye and he will be available for adoption.