This is Lucas, a 7-year-old Thoroughbred Cross horse rescued by World Horse Welfare.
He was found as a foal during the winter season with his mother and a group of horses, emaciated, starving, and near-frozen.
World Horse Welfare rehabilitated them to good health so they can be rehomed.
Equestrian Colleen Macrae from Scotland was looking for another young horse to take in and train.
She found Lucas on the World Horse Welfare website and thought he could be the horse she needed.
Colleen needed a horse that can do everything, riding club, eventing, and showing.
According to Colleen, he looked like he could do it but she needed to make sure.
Colleen arrived at the farm so she can properly assess if Lucas is the horse she needed.
“We went out to the field to see him and put a head collar on him,” Colleen recalled. “[They] said ‘Just walk him around and spend some time,’ which we did. He was so interested in everything in my pocket, including my gloves. I’ll throw a glove and see what happens… He went trotting off like a dog, picked up the glove, and came back to me. And I thought, ‘He’s my horse.'”
Even though he was still a young horse at that time, he already has a strong personality.
He really knows what he wants and doesn’t want.
And what he doesn’t want is showing.
He was good at it but he didn’t like it.
What he did like is jumping and cross country.
Colleen understood that and helped him focus on what he likes so he can do it the best way he can.
Since then, they’ve been joining different competitions, where Lucas keeps improving because of their hard work and persistence.
Do you know who else is proud of Lucas’ achievements? World Horse Welfare.
In 2019, the organization chose to highlight World Horse Welfare Lucas, who went from an emaciated foal to a cross-country star.
They highlight the horses through their regular event, World Horse Trail.
“The World Horse Trail tells the stories of horses which we have helped as well as highlighting other areas of our work with horses in sport. The unique designs for the sculptures were kindly created by artists, celebrities, students, and members of the public and inspired by the stories or names of the horses,” World Horse Welfare explained on their website.
There will be forty sculpted horses, all sculpted by acclaimed sculptor, Judy Boyt.
The large and mini sculptures will be designed and painted by a leading artist, equestrian personality, or celebrity.
“The horse sculptures are a fantastic visual way to show all the different aspects of how we help horses both in the UK and around the world, as well as celebrating some of the inspiring stories of rescued and rehomed equines,” Emma Williams, World Horse Welfare Director of Fundraising, explained.
Judy traveled all the way to cold but sunny Fife, Scotland to meet her muse, Lucas.
“I did a small maquette of him in wax, to use later for scaling up to the larger version, 1.20 m tall… He did inspect the sculpture while I went along, checking out his rather large ears! He was brilliant to work with,” Judy shared.
The World Horse Trail is definitely a great way to highlight what the organization does and the horses themselves, raise funds for its projects and connect with the community.
Would you like to learn more about Lucas and his story? Watch the video below.
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