TULIP

❗️For Tulip. For his life. A $300 USD deposit needed by the end of the weekend.

We arrive to see the pony. The yard is full of cars, movement, loading. In the back, another animal is being led onto a transport, step aside here!, move back there!. Yelling echoes across the yard. Everyone has been stressed and in a rush since morning. The November cold creeps under our jackets, our hands grow numb, and it becomes harder to hold the phone. And right into the middle of all this, they bring out Tulip for us.

A small, spotted pony. He stands before us with a rope around his head while loading continues behind him. We can barely take a good look at him before we have to start talking business. The dealer has his own affairs, his own temper, his own mood. He’s not going to pause the entire yard just because we showed up for one pony. And Tulip was caught right in the middle of it all: the noise, the haste, the harsh weather, and a man who decides how much time we get.

We try to agree on terms. We need to take photos, show Tulip to you, and manage to tell his story before the decision is made for him to leave. Raised voices still surround us, and trucks wait in line behind. It’s so hard to focus on a single animal when everything is rushing you, distracting you, demanding attention. Yet he is the sole reason we came. Now he has to fit into a negotiation about money, into the dealer’s patience, and into whatever time we manage to beg for.

We have this weekend. We need a $300 USD deposit. By Monday morning, we must be back at the dealer’s to pay for Tulip.

Tulip stands close, within arm’s reach. You can touch his neck, brush the mane away from his forehead. We are right beside him, yet we still cannot take him away. The dealer is waiting for the deposit, and we are only just starting to raise it. In a moment, we will drive off and spend the whole weekend trying to turn these few photos into help for this one pony. He will remain here, where truck after truck pulls up for animals.

And then he’ll have to board wherever he is ordered.

Loading continues right behind his back. That is precisely why it’s so hard to hear that we still have the weekend. Right here, you can see how quickly a horse can vanish from the yard. One moment he was standing next to a human; the next, he’s already inside a transport. A vacant spot is left behind, and it’s on to the next deal. Tulip could leave just like that, too, sent to slaughter, if we fail to halt his sale.

We take photos amidst all the chaos. In them, you will mostly see the pony: the white patch, the messy mane, the pink spot on his muzzle. You won’t hear the shouts off-camera, nor how the conversation about his life has to squeeze through the dealer’s ongoing tasks. That’s why we are writing: so that what matters most isn’t lost behind the picture: Tulip is still there. And we must return to him with the money.

We so deeply want his next loading to be the beginning of his rescue to be able to calmly lead him into a trailer and bring him to our rescued ponies. Once he arrives, to let him rest, provide him with care, and check his health. To finally focus on Tulipan himself, giving him as much time as he needs. Today, in that yard, that time has to be fought for.

That’s why all weekend long we are raising funds for his deposit. Five, ten, twenty dollars, whatever you can spare. $300 USD will allow us to place the deposit and buy time to complete the buyout. It is the first step we must take so Tulip has a place to go to live.

When we drive away, he stays behind. We leave with the photos, an agreed deadline, and the responsibility for what we do next. In a moment, we will show you this little spotted pony. Please, pause for him. Help us take this story further than just a visit to a dealer.

WE ARE LAUNCHING A HUGE WEEKEND CAMPAIGN FOR TULIPAN. A ($300 USD) DEPOSIT NEEDED BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND. WE MUST PAY THE MONEY ON MONDAY MORNING.

DONATE WHAT YOU CAN. SHARE. HELP US RETURN FOR HIS LIFE. ❤️