18 Feb 2016 Two horses find a new home through ‘rewarding’ endeavor

Story and photos by Callie Sterling

Nell Sterling has had a passion for horses since childhood. Today she plays “mom” to two rescue horses. 

“I have had many horses throughout my life,” Nell said. “I have always loved horses and animals in general.”

Nell received her first Shetland Pony when she was 3 years old. “I then saved my money and bought one on my own when I was only 16.” 

Nell took a break from owning horses while raising her son. “I have had as many as eight horses at one time,” she said. “As my son got older and more involved in activities, I eventually decided to stop owning horses.” 

Nell along with her husband, Mike, had an empty nest after her son finished college. As a result, she began feeling the urge to get another horse. “I started to want a horse again, but I was unsure of exactly what kind of horse I wanted,” she said. “I saw where the Pulaski County Humane Society was looking for food donations for horses. I then saw all of the horses that needed homes on their website.” 

Nell knew in her heart that she wanted to rescue one of the 28 horses from PCHS. 

“I felt compelled to adopt one of the horses from the humane society, so I filled out the application, and it slipped my mind to tell my husband,” she joked. 

Although the humane society contacted her quickly, the process for adopting a horse is lengthy, but necessary. “I applied and next I got to meet the horses with Mike,” Nell said. “They did a background check as part of the procedure. I also showed them the land where we intended to house them as part of the process.” 

Steele and Mesa were in close proximity with one another while being housed at the humane society.

“The two of them were buddies all along,” Nell said. “Mesa was in the panel next to Steele when we came to see all of the horses. At first we only wanted one, and we chose Steele. We decided to get both when my husband fell in love with Mesa. So we adopted the pair.”  

They were officially adopted on Dec. 28, 2014. They just celebrated their first anniversary with the Sterlings in a cozy new barn. 

Although rewarding, adopting rescue horses is an endeavor all its own. 

“At times we thought we made a mistake because they truly require a lot of attention, time and love,” Nell said. “It was overwhelming at times but very worth it.” 

Although not from the same home, Steele and Mesa were both abused by their prior owners. They were placed at the humane society after being confiscated from previous owners. 

“Mesa was at the humane society for five years, and Steele was there for two years,” Nell said. “They were abused and starved by their previous owners before being taken away.” 

The horses were slow to trust again. 

“It really took them a while to be able to trust humans again,” Nell said. “They had not been truly handled in years other than feedings.” 

With an abundance of patience and love, the pair has made leaps and bounds of progress in one short year.

“We just kept loving on them and they came around,” Nell said.

The Sterlings saw potential in both animals for them to become riding horses. Mesa was recently trained by Roger Nelson and can now officially be ridden. Steele will begin his training soon. 

“We talked with Roger and he said he would take on the job of training them,” Nell said. “Roger trained Mesa for six weeks, where he did a total of 30 rides with her. Steele will be next and will begin soon.”

The Sterlings were uplifted by Nelson. Other trainers would not take on the task of training abused horses. “I had some trainers tell me they were never going to be able to be trained,” Nell said. “It is amazing to see where they are today.” 

Although adopting a horse, or two, was originally his wife’s idea, Mike has loved both Mesa and Steele wholeheartedly. 

“I enjoyed building the barn for them,” Mike said. “We are happy to see it all come together. I like that they feel loved again. In the beginning, you couldn’t touch them. They are really starting to trust people again.” 

Nell urges others to only adopt a horse if they are experienced horse owners. 

“It is a ton of work rescuing a horse but very rewarding,” Nell said. “They come with a lot of baggage. They have issues I would not be equipped to handle if I was unfamiliar with how to care for a horse. I even struggled during the early stages of their care. I wondered if I was doing the right thing.” 

Nell and Mike Sterling now know they have made the correct decision with the adoption. 

“This is their forever home,” Nell said. 

In addition to owning horses, Nell and Mike care for a cat as well as a dog. 

“We now have a house full of love with our two horses, our cat Sam and our dog Sonya.”