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Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Glenda Smith

www.equestrianinc.com

Every horse has a story.

Glenda Smith with equine friend TerrificGlenda Smith leans on the wood post fence and surveys the herd grazing on the parched pasture, rattling off each sad tale.

- Lucky, the appaloosa quarter horse abandoned at a stable by an owner with a drinking problem.

- Victoria, the gray Arabian that arrived rail-thin after her owner fell on hard times and couldn't feed her anymore. - Bella, a thoroughbred that came with frightening scars and a fear of humans.

Glenda Smith with equine friend Terrific >>

- Odie, trapped in a stall with his stallion father, kicked so hard that he suffered serious facial deformities. Nobody wanted such a cosmetically imperfect horse.

"Now he's one of our best boys ever," Smith, 57, says proudly. "He trained like a dream and he's wonderful with kids."

In the distance, a donkey makes its presence known with an extended bray.

"How can I forget Eeyore?" she laughs. "He was destined to be somebody's lunch. The neighbors owned him and were ready to send him off to the meat market. We bought him just in time and he's our comic relief out here."

Lucky, the appaloosa quarter horse"Out here" is Equestrian Inc., a 15-acre rural swath of paradise on the outskirts of very suburban Carrollwood Village. This is where Smith, who grew up on Davis Islands and attended the University of South Florida on a tennis scholarship, has evolved into a full-time horse rescuer and rehabilitator.

<< Lucky, the appaloosa quarter horse

It's a job rescuers say is increasingly in demand. Owning a horse can be expensive, and as the economy continues to flounder, more and more of the animals are abandoned, neglected or even, occasionally, set loose to fend for themselves.

At Equestrian Inc., none of the horses are for sale. Some are adopted out after an extensive process that assures they go to good homes. Some are leased; for a monthly fee, sponsors can visit and ride as much as they want. Others are retired permanently because of injuries or old age, living out their lives in pastoral peace.

The parcel is home to 29 equines, including Eeyore and three miniature horses; a feral feline community with some two dozen cats (all spayed and neutered); and five rescued dogs. There's a trail that weaves through the surrounding woods, a spring-fed lake, one main barn and two outer barns, a caretaker's apartment, and five rings for lessons and training.

EeyoreIt wasn't something Smith planned to do. For the first chapter of her adult life, she was a professional tennis player and private instructor, giving lessons to well-connected clients. Now she wears worn jeans, gets dirt under her fingernails and shovels manure every day. She's blissful. She couldn't imagine any other life.

"It just got in my heart and took hold," she says. "I guess this is what I'm meant to do."

Eeyore >>

It started more than 30 years ago. Don Smeltzer, a horse trainer and friend of Smith's, warned her not to do it.

"We heard about these abandoned horses and she wanted to save them," he says. "I advised her that wouldn't be such a good idea."

But there was no stopping Smith. A longtime horse lover who took her first riding lessons at age 5 at the Tampa Yacht Club, she dabbled in the Arabian breeding business in the 1980s. When the market became glutted and the economy took a nosedive, breeders ended up with more horses than buyers.

After learning about 42 malnourished horses that were left tied to trees in Ocala, Smith stopped breeding and started rescuing. She gave many of those horses a home on the 12-acre Land O'Lakes farm she owned with her then-husband. The rest she found other homes for.

Victoria, the gray ArabianSaving horses isn't like taking in stray dogs and cats Caring for a horse typically runs about $300 a month — and that doesn't include emergencies or boarding costs, for those who don't have the land. The couple paid the bills out of their own pocket.

It began to take a toll on their marriage, which ended after 16 years.

<< Victoria, the gray Arabian

"It becomes an all-consuming passion. There are no days off when you take care of horses," Smith admits. "But I can tell they're grateful for what we do for them. I just feel blessed I'm able to do it."

Keeping up with the Land O' Lakes property on her own got to be too much. Twenty-two years ago, she moved the rescue operation to Timberlan Street off of Gunn Highway. The current owners ask her only to pay the taxes. Every year, she frets about making the deadline.

Last year, it was $10,600. This year, with the decline in rates, it's $7,400. On top of that, her monthly expenses come to about $2,700. The rising cost of hay, medications and grain are constant worries.

So are the increasing numbers of neglected and abandoned horses. Not a day goes by that she doesn't get a call for help. She has no more space, so she gets on her cell phone to network with other rescue operations like Save The Horses in Georgia or TROT (Thoroughbred Retirement of Tampa).

Sometimes, it is owners who can no longer afford to feed the animals. In extreme circumstances, it's an urgent request from Hillsborough County Animal Control about an abused or neglected horse. Or, it may be someone trying to find a home for a retired horse that can't be ridden anymore.

Odie, trapped in a stall with his stallion father"That's why I consider this place a sanctuary," Smith says. "It's a safe haven."

Smith gave up tennis to devote her time to horse rescue. She depends on fundraising, boarding fees and donations. She sponsors birthday "pony" parties on the property, yard sales with donated items from the public, riding lessons and trail rides.

Odie, trapped in a stall with his stallion father >>

One of her top priorities is saving for the $1,300 fee to apply for nonprofit status in early 2011. Smith is hoping that will bring in more contributions to keep the all-volunteer operation afloat.

Though she gets help from volunteers and her 14-year-old daughter, Smith feels the well-being of the animals is her responsibility. And that doesn't take a day off. When her grown daughter in South Carolina became a mother last year, Smith couldn't leave the farm to travel. She had to wait until her daughter came here three months later to meet her grandchild.

"You have to have a lot of faith that things will work out," she says. "Somehow, so far, they always have." Just in case, she's gone back to school to get her business degree, to give her some training in writing grant proposals.

Smith says she depends on her "angels." People like Leigh Ann Querirolo and Charles Rooney.

Queirolo, a mother of four, grew up with a horse. When one of her daughters, 13-year-old Sarah, expressed an interest in learning to ride and possibly owning her own, Queirolo went on a mission to find an affordable stable in the area.

DieselNo luck. Boarding costs were prohibitive in South Tampa, where the family lived. After searching the Internet, she found Smith's place, about a 25-minute drive away. The minute she walked on the grounds, "I knew this was a special place."

"All the animals are so friendly here. You can tell they're well cared for and very happy," she says.

<< Diesel

She and Sarah fell in love with Odie. They now pay $250 a month to lease the gelding, which pays his expenses. Every Saturday, mother and daughter come to the farm — Sarah for lessons with the volunteer trainer, Lauren Dudley, and Leigh Ann to just hang out with the animals.

"Having a horse is the best memory of my childhood," she says. "I'm so thrilled I can make this happen for our daughter. It's productive, it keeps her busy and it gives her something to look forward to."

As for Odie, who still bears the scars of being kicked in the face by his father, "he's beautiful. He's got a sixth sense to be gentle with Sarah. We love him."

Rooney, a retired corporate architect from New Port Richey, and his son and granddaughter board three rescued horses and one colt at the farm. The family visits often, bringing carrots and lots of attention to their adopted equines.

Equestrian IncHe feels a sense of tranquility whenever he is here. And he knows the animals feel secure as well. He gives the credit for that to Smith, whose compassion and communication with the horses caught his attention right away.

"She's a real special lady, a regular horse whisperer," Rooney says. "What's she's doing is incredible work that most people would never commit to. It's a sacrifice to do what she does, but she doesn't see it that way.

"This is all about love, and it shows."

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