Auggie was born in Lorne Valley, Prince Edward Island on April 28th 2011 to a mare named Ladyville. His father was a successful harness racer named Nike’s Image, who sired many top Standardbreds in Canada. He was named “Villager” and registered with the USTA under this name with the freeze brand 8JR75.  Before he was a full two years old, he was sold to a racing barn where he was trained for speed on the track. His career initially looked promising, but like many horses in the industry, he failed to continue turning in winning times and was eventually gelded and dumped at an auction.

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During his racing career he earned a little over $14,000 CAD, which is not much considering the cost of vet care and feed. At some point, he sustained an injury that resulted in his left front leg being pin-fired; he remained in the racing stable as a stallion, perhaps with the hope that he could be used for breeding in order to turn a profit. By 2016 the decision had been made by his owners to discard him, and he ended up in the United States with the Amish community. His previous owners have never bothered to file the paperwork to transfer his title to a new holder, which would indicate a lack of concern for his safety and well-being.

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“Villager,” as he had been called, ended up with the Amish as a buggy horse. We have no idea how many Amish owners he may have had or what his life was like during that time, but we can imagine that his life must have been quite difficult, as many buggy horses travel miles and miles on the paved roads in all sorts of weather. By the end of 2021, he was found in a Kill Pen in Pennsylvania, discarded once again and facing a very grim future. For whatever reason, he failed out of the Amish life and nobody was interested in buying him.

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Omega Horse rescue found him in the pen and pulled him to safety before he faced a long haul to a slaughter facility in Mexico. It was through Omega and the wonderful work of founder Kelly Smith, that I had a chance to meet “Auggie” and bring him home with me! He was given his new name in honor of Saint Augustine, and has just been “Auggie” ever since. It has been a journey of physical and emotional rehabilitation for him, but he has blossomed into a lovely riding horse with a complex and lovable personality.

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Since coming home with us, Auggie has been started in classical dressage, jumping and trail riding and has shown great talent and athleticism in all three areas. His physical rehabilitation has been arduous and costly, but with time and patience we have solved many of his ailments through a close working relationship with a team of veterinarians, farriers, chiropractors, physical therapists and saddle fitters. He continues to grow emotionally and heal physically from a difficult life and enjoys the majority of days just relaxing!