COOPERSVILLE, Mich. -- Winning Edge Training Center in Coopersville offers lessons and training for all ages, and they specialize in Arabian horses.
Chris Daling, the owner of Winning Edge, says she has been passionate about the breed her whole life.
After Hurricane Harvey hit the gulf coast of Texas, many people were forced to evacuate the area and left behind their belongings and even their pets. Some of these pets were rescued right away, while others were brought to slaughterhouses and killpens.
Daling kept seeing posts on different Arabian Horse Rescue pages on Facebook after the hurricane, and saw the many horses that needed homes. One horse in particular caught her eye.
She says that this beautiful grey Arabian just called to her.
Through a fundraising group on Facebook, she and her family were able to get the funds to bring the horse from Texas to Michigan.
They decided to name him Harvey, after the hurricane that coincidentally brought him to their barn.
When he got to West Michigan after his 28 hour trailer ride, Harvey took to the barn and all of its members. Daling says that he fit right in.
With Winning Edge being a training center, they knew he would have to be part of lessons. Daling and her daughter saddled up Harvey and to their surprise, he was very well trained.
"My daughter's rode him a couple times and we used him in a group lesson the other night with 5 kids and he was perfect for every single one of them," Daling said.
She went on about his characteristics and how it was unfortunate that he was left behind after the storms. "He definitely was show horse in a previous life. I don't know how he ended up there or what his circumstances were but he certainly knows his job and he's being rewarded for it," Daling explained.
Now, Harvey is available for lessons and training at Winning Edge, along with the over 20 more horses they have at the barn. To sign up, you can visit their website.
Winning Edge is located in Coopersville at 6415 Leonard Street.