Mel sees a sad, fly-infested, emaciated pinto horse in a muck-filled paddock surrounded by barbed wire. Concerned, she rushes to inform Gramma of the horse's plight. Gramma calls the Humane Society; fortunately, the animal workers convince the owner to relinquish the horse. One of the horse's hooves is infected, but he is treated by a vet for that, and he is also dewormed. His teeth and floated, and his hooves are trimmed.
The horse, whom Mel dubs Lucky, turns out to be very calm, so he is sent to a horse rescue ranch, where he works as a therapy horse. Mel visits Lucky at the ranch, and she dreams of adopting him, but looking at the costs of such a venture gives her a reality check. However, the staff allow her to groom Lucky, since he is easy to handle, and they also recruit her to be a volunteer. She cannot believe that she will be able to see Lucky, and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to learn more about horses.
Call the Horse Lucky by Juanita Havill, 2010
The book has lovely illustrations, including the beautiful overo horse on the cover. Not surprisingly, the author has rescue dogs and cats in her home. This book reminded me of the picture book entitled Butterscotch that I created when I was a kid.
Books about horsesHumane Society of the United States