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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Alyssa R. set out to adopt one horse and came home with two. The ASPCA’s May 13, 2026 feature on her adoption of Sadie and Gracie, a bonded pair of Thoroughbreds, shows how a match can depend on more than a horse’s riding ability: the pair’s bond, the horses’ different histories, the distance between Alyssa and the horses, and the time it took them to settle into a new home.
How the match came about
Alyssa found Sadie and Gracie through myrighthorse.org, the adoption site the ASPCA describes as featuring adoptable equines from ASPCA Right Horse Partners. When she learned the two mares were bonded, she chose to adopt both rather than separate them. The pair were adopted on June 10, 2025, and the ASPCA published their story on May 13, 2026, nearly eleven months later.
The account frames the decision as a fit among three things: the horses’ needs, Alyssa’s experience and expectations, and the home she could provide. It is a story about one adopter and two horses, not a general guide to adopting a bonded pair.
Two horses, two different histories
Sadie and Gracie arrived with very different backgrounds, and the differences shaped how Alyssa thought about each of them.
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- Realistic Horse Toy Set: Includes 12 different breeds of horse figurines, with an education booklet that teaches children about the habits, characteristics, and natural habitats of each horse
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| Detail | Sadie | Gracie |
|---|---|---|
| Age (as reported) | 10 | 14 |
| Breed | Thoroughbred, formerly registered as Cosmoheart | Not stated |
| Past work | Barrel racing, then a planned transition to show jumping that did not work out | Experience working with youth and providing therapy to adults with disabilities |
| Reason for relinquishment | The show jumping transition did not work out | Not stated |
| Known history | Racing and jumping background as described above | Little was known about her past |
| Placement described by the sanctuary | Companion horse or light trail horse for an experienced rider | Not stated |
Sadie: a racing and jumping background
Sadie spent her career in barrel racing. When a move into show jumping did not work out, she was relinquished. The sanctuary offered her as a companion horse or a light trail horse for an experienced rider, which set the expectations Alyssa brought to the adoption.
Gracie: a steady history with people
Gracie is described as 14 and experienced in working with youth and providing therapy to adults with disabilities. Her past before that work is largely unknown, so Alyssa was working from what was observed rather than a detailed record. According to the story, both horses were healthy when they arrived.
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Distance and the transport stipend
Alyssa lived about 600 miles from the horses, a distance that could have ended the adoption before it began. The ASPCA account says a transport-to-adopter stipend helped make both adoptions possible.
The article describes stipend eligibility as applying when horses are more than 250 miles away or are companion horses. Those are details reported in this story, not a current statement of program policy. Program terms may have changed since the story ran, so anyone considering a long-distance adoption should confirm eligibility directly with the organization before planning around it.
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Settling in: confidence, pasture, and patience
Alyssa’s first priority was building Gracie’s confidence. Her account emphasizes steady, consistent work over dramatic progress, and that approach frames the adjustment period in the story.
A move to more space
The pair later moved to a property with spacious pasture. Alyssa observed that Sadie and Gracie seemed more settled within weeks of the move. This is her own observation of the two horses, not evidence that a change of pasture produces the same result for other horses.
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Living apart, but together
Sadie and Gracie live in a separate pasture from Alyssa’s two other horses. They socialize with those horses over the fence, which is how the story describes their day-to-day contact with the rest of the herd.
The goal: solid, enjoyable trail horses
Alyssa’s aim is to develop both mares into solid, enjoyable trail horses. She describes that goal as a longer project than a single riding season.
Best Value
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Alyssa says: “Consistency matters more than intensity; progress doesn’t always have to look dramatic.”
Alyssa is the adopter, not a trainer or veterinarian, and the ASPCA does not present the quote as expert advice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the story does and does not establish
- It establishes Alyssa’s account of how she chose to adopt a bonded pair, the horses’ histories as reported, the stipend’s role in her case, and her observations about the horses’ adjustment.
- It does not establish general veterinary, behavioral, or training guidance for bonded horses or for horses with racing or jumping backgrounds.
- It does not recommend specific tack, feed, transport services, or care products.
- It does not show outcomes beyond the period Alyssa describes.
Inspired to adopt? Adoptable horses are listed at myrighthorse.org.
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