"Villager" What is in a name?

 Auggie's file from the rescue included his registration papers from the United States Trotting Association (USTA) as well as his medical record from intake. Because he had a visible freeze brand on his neck, Kelly had been able to look up his history on the USTA website to find out who he was in his past life. The papers contained his pedigree going back 5 generations, number of starts, earnings, record times and the time and place of his birth. The names of his former owners and breeders were listed as well, which raised more questions for me about the circumstances of his situation.

The number 8JR75 corresponds to the registered name of "Villager."

I looked more closely at the papers and noted the date of his birth; April 28, 2011 in a place called Lorne Valley, Prince Edward Island. I had never heard of this town before, so I had to look it up. From the information I found, Lorne Valley was a small idyllic place with a tiny population in a rural setting. Since the time of Auggie's birth, the town had been combined with 6 other municipalities to form a town now known as Three Rivers.

    His racing record was not particularly great; with only two wins, two second places and 6 thirds between 2013 and 2016, he hadn't earned enough money to pay his keep. He was gelded in 2017 and somehow ended up in Pennsylvania with Amish after that. His Canadian owners are still listed on his paperwork, as they had not transferred his registration after his career ended.

 Somehow Auggie made his way south after being gelded, probably by way of an auction, and ended up going to work for the Amish in Pennsylvania. The details of this part of his life are murky and we can only guess what might have happened during those years. The Amish love to use Standardbreds to pull their carts, as these horses have good temperaments, solid hooves, a lot of endurance and training under harness. Despite having been bred for the job of pulling things very quickly and efficiently, it's a difficult life to live for these horses.

By the fall of 2021, Auggie was in bad shape. According to the story, he had been picked up from New Holland by and elderly Amish man who somehow got in contact with the rescue. That is how Omega Rescue had found him; his teeth were unkempt, his coat was matted, and he was looking thin. Remarkably, he was sound and lively enough to be successfully rehabilitated at the rescue facility through the winter and spring that followed his pick-up.

Obviously, Auggie was out of luck by the time Omega got him. He hadn't been any good at racing and apparently, he hadn't been very good at pulling a cart for the Amish either. To be discarded at the age of 10 without any obvious signs of lameness is not the norm among the Amish community, so something had gone very wrong with his second career to have landed him in such a predicament, potentially headed for slaughter. Fortunately, Kelly saw a spark in the horse, and he headed on to his third career under saddle.

    Auggie was starting over; much like his namesake, Saint Augustine, he would be making a major change in his life. I had no idea what he would turn out to be, or if he would be any good at jumping. As far as riding went, he was a blank canvas, and we had a long way to go before we even knew what his abilities were. I couldn't expect him to be the next Snowman, but sometimes we drift towards secretly hoping for a miracle like that, something that can lift us up and give us hope for a better life.