From Kill Pen to World Show Pen- A First Time Trip For Horse and Handler Results in Win

By: Brittany Bevis

When Christyn Unzueta first saw Obviously A Playgirl, aka “Anna,” she was a scrawny, unwanted yearling on a kill pen website, and Christyn certainly wasn’t in the position to take on another horse.

“She was a yearling and looked a little thin, but she just seemed… special,” Christyn says. “My husband said, ‘Absolutely not!’ as we were just getting ready to bring our one horse home to our new property, and we had always boarded before. It was a big change for us and adding another horse wasn’t in the plan at that time. I did purchase a $30 spot in a raffle that was held to get her out of the kill pen, but I wasn’t the winner and she went to Florida.”

A month later, Christyn couldn’t stop thinking about the mare. “I messaged a friend that had also been interested in Anna asking if she had gotten any updates from the new owner. She hadn’t. A week later, she messaged me back and asked if I was still interested. The woman who had taken her in, offered the mare to my friend; but, since she couldn’t take another horse at that time, Anna was offered to me. We found a hauler and, a month later, she was on her way to Washington.”

Christyn had been warned that Anna wasn’t in very good condition at this point. She was very thin, being treated for rain rot, and had scars from bite marks that she sustained during her time spent in the kill pen. “I wasn’t prepared for just how bad her condition was when she arrived in Washington. My husband was worried that she might not make it to the barn. She was tired and defeated. We put her in our barn, gave her some hay and water, and covered her with a blanket. The next day, I gave her a bit of grain. She would try to eat a bite and then leave it alone. A quick feel in her mouth gave us the answer; she needed her wolf teeth removed. A quick visit from our vet a day later, and she began eating.”

Slowly, Christyn and her husband began the process of rehabilitating Anna. They quickly discovered that she was very sweet, loved to lick people, and was good with their children. In January of this year, they began hand walking, and, in February, they progressed to trotting on a longe line. They taught her the basics that she should’ve learned as a much younger horse: getting accustomed to clippers, learning how to stand for the farrier, and how to set up for a Halter class. In April, they decided it was time to attend their first Paint Horse Show.

“She was still thin, but we wanted to get her out in the pen and get her exposed to being hauled,” Christyn says. “She won her Open and Amateur classes and was the Grand Champion Mare and High Point Halter Horse for the show.”

Following on the heels of that success, Christyn and Anna set their sights on the APHA Open/Amateur World Show. It would be the first for them both.

“In July, a family vacation turned into the opportunity to have the last 60 days before the World Show spent with Anna in training with Turner/Henderson Show Horses. Under their care, she has continued to change and improve consistently. She now has her Open and Amateur ROMs, was Reserve Champion 2-Year-Old Mare at the Zone One show, 10th overall in Open 2-Year-Old Mares and Reserve Intermediate Champion in the same class at the World Show, and she’s currently sitting fifth on the APHA Honor Roll for 2-Year-Old Mares.”

Christyn was thrilled with Anna’s performance at the World Show and has plans to start her under saddle soon. But, most importantly, Christyn is excited about how Anna has taken to her children.

“My three-year-old twins love the movie Frozen, and a redhead with a white spot just fit the name. She’s a sweet mare and always ready to lick you if the opportunity arises. She’s the mare in the barn that likes to ‘adopt’ the babies and look after them. She loves any opportunity for scratching and grooming. At the World Show, she was calm and acted as though she had been there a million times.”

“She’s Halter bred but a beautiful mover. We’re close to achieving her Open Superior in Halter and hope to work on her APHA Championship after she’s going well under saddle. Ultimately, our hope is that, after she’s well broke, she will make a youth horse some day and our children will ride and show her.”

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