VolunTIER coordinator Peggy sums it up by saying "Max makes you feel special. He makes you feel as if you want to dust of your clothes, kick the dirt off your boots, make sure your shirt is tucked in and that your hands are clean. He brings out the best in you.

Due to changing computers, some data was lost for a long time and has now been recovered.  Unfortunately, we received the information about Maximillan (Previous name: Saber) in February 2006 after he had crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

2/26/2006

Hi Gail-

Here are the photo's of Saber I promised you. 

I know that his life was very good & that he was very loved up until the last 3-4 years ago when I lost track of him.

History of Saber:

-Born on a cattle ranch, an accident from a TB Show Jumper jumping the pasture fence. He was started as a ranch horse. I know from my experiences with him that he did not like cows AT ALL.

-3-4 Y/O Sold at a low end auction. The buyer took pity on him, and outbid the killer buyers. This owner discovered that he was a very talented jumper, and supposedly won quite a bit of showing him.

-8 Y/O He was sold to my friend as a Preliminary level event
horse. She used him for Rainbow Pony Club, and achieved her "B" rating with him as her mount. She & Saber or "Save Her" as he was affectionatly called, went on to Pony Club Nationals (Utah and Kentucky), and won two National Show Jumping Championships. She won every Gambler's Choice jumping class w/ Saber, and Pony Clubbers all over San Diego County loved him. I rode Saber quite often and fell in love with his kind soul. She listed him for sale in Riding Magazine and had many offers. 

-12 Y/O My Grandma bought Saber for me, after my Morgan mare colicked suddenly and died. My friend wanted someone to have him that would love him, her Mom said we could have him for 2000. 

The  next 5 years were wonderful!!! Saber & I did low level combined training, Pony Club, and some local shows. I taught a 5 & 8 year old girls how to ride on him. I'd ride him bareback on the trails, and groom him until he fell asleep. I can't count how many times I cried on his shoulder. He helped me through some of the roughest times in my life, and I will always be grateful to him for everything he taught me.

-17 Y/O My parents went though a very nasty divorce, I tried to keep him and very reluctantly gave him to a 'friend' that I thought had every intention of keeping him. She used Saber as a pleasure mount & a lesson horse. 

-Approx 19 Y/O My 'friend,' inherited some International property, sold Saber to a student of hers and left the country. The student owned a beautiful ranch in San Diego County, and he never went without anything. 

-Approx 22-23 Y/O The kind Lady that had him listed him for sale (also in Riding Magazine). I read the ad and contacted her. She allowed me to come out and visit him, I loved on him for the whole afternoon. She told me the she had already taken a deposit on him, but would give him to me if I could take him. I had just gotten married, and financially could not manage the expense. I was broken hearted. She ended up selling/donating Saber to a "Theraputic Program" in Poway, CA for emotionally disturbed teenagers- thinking that he would get a lot of love and attention. I do not know if she in fact verified that it really was a Theraputic Program, or a horse trader posing as a caring person. 

I am still looking for my 2 favorite pic's of him. One is him grazing & me barefoot, the other is me leaning against the
horse trailer- in a liplock w/ Saber. I forgot to tell you that I taught him how to give kisses )  Elizabeth 

26 Y/O I found him on the TIER message board, and my heart broke again for him all over again. 

Gail, bless you and your wonderful friends for saving this old soul, for feeding him and loving him, and for ensuring that the last part of his life was spent in loving greener pastures- with caring volunTIERs and amazing horse friends. Saber had such a big heart, and he touched so many lives. I will always be extremly grateful for all that you did & tried to do for your
Max, and my Saber.

1/12/2006 - Max passed away sometime during the night.  There were no signs of struggle.  It appears that his great heart just gave out.

It was a perfect time. One of those times that occur every few years when your closest friends come together for the sheer joy of being in each other's company. The anticipation of their arrival from far away has you giddy with expectation. Watching the clock, listening for the sound of a car pulling in the driveway, busying yourself with little things to make the time pass.

Of course, they do not all arrive on the same day, so your expectancy keeps you tap dancing on air for awhile. The first arrival has traveled from many miles & states away and as you hug each other in loving friendship, the feeling that something has been missing begins to subside. You fill up with joy because your friend is there.

Of course, one of the things on her "visitor's agenda" is to attend the auction. You get that uneasy feeling in your gut. You haven&rsquot gone to the auctions in awhile for several reasons. The rescue is not in a financial position to take in another horse, yet you know if you see a horse in need of help at the auction you will mostly likely do your best to do so. You find yourself hoping/praying that the horses you will see that night at the auction will be in decent health and finding decent homes. You tell your friend of your concerns, you tell her you can&rsquot take in another horse at this time, and you absolutely know that if you can help a horse in need that you will try anyway. She understands completely and you make a pact not to bring another horse to the rescue because you must concentrate on funding/adoptive homes for the ones already in your care. A solemn oath.

You and your friend arrive at the auction and begin to walk the rows of pens that house the horses that are being sold. First aisle, first pen and there he is. You know it before you even get up to the pen. Your eyes see him from a distance, your heart begins to get heavy and your gut tightens up. You know the only chance he will have will be you & your friend. You lock down on your emotions, look at him briefly and continue up the aisles. You say nothing as you pass him by, and as you continue on you leave a part of yourself there knowing you will return.

What a magnificent horse he must have been! A huge bay Appaloosa Thoroughbred that had at one time been a friend to someone. He was painfully thin. Old bows were obvious on both his front legs. His right hip was much lower than his left and he had difficulty with the right rear leg. He was lurching around the pen, frightened, disoriented and banging into the rails. You were sure the poor fellow had vision problems. You offered a handful of alfalfa you had found in another pen and he swung his mighty head your way, grabbed the meager offering as he continued to stagger his way on the journey around and around the enclosure. Emotions overwhelm you and you walk to the inside of the auction house to take a seat. Your friend joins you and you discuss the plight of this once noble horse. You both know, but you tell each other that perhaps someone will come to his aid when he is brought through the ring. You know you really shouldn't bring another horse to the rescue, but you cannot walk away. You pray for a good samaritan and kind heart to reach out to help him.

You make a couple more trips to his pen hoping that he has settled down and that you will find someone standing before him saying "You are going home". He is still disoriented and the only folks around his pen are the ones that say 'poor horse' and walk on. Yet, you know. You speak to the auction personnel and tell them that if he doesn't receive any bids when he goes through the ring that you will buy him. You return to your seat where you and your friend discuss which pen you will put him in when he gets home. The poor fellow is in such bad shape that he doesn't even make it to the auction ring. It is the end of the evening, you have seen many horses go through the ring and hope the new homes they will be going to will treat them good. You speak to the auction personnel and make arrangements for the old gentleman to be brought to your facility the next day. You and your friend go to him and whisper in his ear "You are going home". You feel that the very best you can do for this horse that has traveled so far and endured so much is to let him go with grace, dignity and respect. You can at least give him a few hours of knowing that he was loved, that someone cared and that you feel blessed to be able to help him cross the Rainbow Bridge. It's the very least you can do for him as you sense he has most certainly given his all through the years of his existence. You will bring him home and be with him as he leaves this earth with someone at his side. You and your friend will do this for him as he deserves it so very much.

The next day your other two friends from afar arrive!! You are so very pleased that this gathering of the heart is taking place. That something that was missing is almost gone and you are filled with the happiness that true friendship brings. You laugh, hug, chatter, giggle, enjoy the presence of each other. Yet, in the back of your mind and a place in your heart is the sadness of what is to come when the big b