It is believed that draft horse Big John has worked for most of his life as an Amish workhorse.
He probably worked up until the day he was brought to the auction house.
When he first arrived at Colby’s Crew Rescue, he had a dull look on his face and scars all over the front of his chest.
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Big John was one of the biggest horses Ally had ever seen or been around.
According to Garden & Gun, Big John is 6’8″.
So, she was a bit intimidated to work with him. Big John perked up a little bit when he was unloaded from the truck.
He somehow sense that he finally made it to retirement and plopped on the ground and rolled around a bit as he groaned happily.
Big John now had wide open space to roam and be himself.
He got his feet fixed, as well as pain medication for his arthritis. Big John also gets to kick back with a brewski every day.
“Big John was having a little trouble sweating. We asked our vet and she said try to give him a beer. The ingredients in been help horses sweat,” Ally said. “He absolutely loved it. We also noticed he was sweating better.”
Ally will even bring Big John different beers so he can see which ones he likes best.
“He cracks a beer everyday day. He’s living that retired life,” she said.
Over time, Big John got to become a true horse. And not just a workhorse.
“We thought we would never see him canter ever because we thought he physically couldn’t. To see him do that was so incredible. He loves everything about his life now,” Ally said.
One of the things that Big John loves about his life is that he gets to be best friends with a miniature donkey.
They spend their days following each other around and playing.
After seeing how well Big John was doing, Ally said it opened their eyes to draft horses and starting the Big John initiative.
That initiative has helped save the life of at least seven horses.
If it wasn’t for the Big John initiative, these horses would have been sent to slaughter.
“Since we’ve got him, he’s been through so much and he probably has a million stories to tell but he really just wants to be loved,” Ally said. “He’s changed out lives forever.”
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A video about Big John’s story has been viewed more than 600,000 times on YouTube.
“It’s absolutely obvious to see the difference in Big John’s personality ever since his transformation while living at the sanctuary (Colby’s Crew Rescue). Big John transformed from a life of hardship & despair to now living a fulfilling & joyful life, including the indulgence of a daily can of beer! Big John paid his dues to society by being a hard-working horse for over 20 yrs. It’s now society’s turn to let Big John live the best retirement life he truly deserves! Colby’s Crew Rescue deserves all the thanks & gratitude for helping Big John find true happiness,” wrote one commenter.
Check out the video for yourself below.
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