When it comes to horses, Gabby Drury is up for just about any discipline, on any mount. The 15-year-old is equally comfortable in an English or western saddle—or no saddle at all—and has dabbled in everything from speed events to jumping to saddle seat. She admits she particularly enjoys riding green, quirky, or “spicy” horses—and values connecting with each individual animal to learn what equestrian sport they most want to do.

As an example, in 2023, Drury began leasing a National Show Horse gelding and planned to compete him in country pleasure and saddle seat classes the next show season, despite being more interested in trying her hand at eventing.

“I was doing it more because I loved that horse, and I wanted to ride that horse, not because it was my favorite discipline,” she said. “I’ve always loved eventing, jumping, dressage—that kind of stuff—but I loved that horse more. That was the horse I was using, and I went with the discipline he was going in.”

When the lease came to an abrupt and unexpected end before they ever set foot in the show ring, Drury was left both horseless and heartbroken. Her mother, Monique Drury, felt her daughter’s pain as if it were her own. So when a friend tagged Monique in a social media post about a potential eventer available for adoption from Colby’s Crew Rescue in Charlottesville, Virginia, she shared it with Gabby.

“I don’t even know what I was thinking—here we are in northern Michigan, and he was way down in Virginia,” Monique said with a laugh. “We don’t have a trailer. But I showed her this post, and her eyes lit up.”

The striking black Dutch Harness Horse gelding, named Watson, was fairly green, approximately 5 years old, and had done a few local schooling jumper shows and one starter horse trial with Colby’s Crew co-founder Ally Smith in the irons. The rescue pulled him from a kill pen late in 2022 and adopted him out a few months later; unfortunately, the partnership didn’t prove to be a match long term, and he was returned to the rescue in late 2023.

“Watson had a ton of talent,” said Olivia Smith, Ally’s wife and co-founder of Colby’s Crew. “We try to get our rescue horses out to shows and events so they are more marketable, and as a young Dutch Harness Horse, he was extremely competitive and flashy. It was clear he enjoyed competing and had a promising future career as a show horse, if his future adopter wanted that too.

“Talented horses also end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Watson was one of them,” she continued. “He wasn’t trained under saddle, and had been handled roughly, so he presented as if he was more horse than he truly was. He blossomed in training here.”

What the Drurys didn’t know was that, since returning to Colby’s Crew, the gelding had received more than 500 adoption applications.

“We reached out to Colby’s Crew, and they were looking for a very particular adopter for him,” Monique said. “In my mind, I was thinking there was no way this was going to happen. But we just kept walking through the process.”

On New Year’s Day 2024, mother and daughter made the 13-hour drive from their home in Grawn, Michigan, to meet Watson in person. Gabby admitted she was nervous; she worried rescue leadership would think she was too young and not experienced enough to work with a green horse. But the moment she walked into Watson’s stall, Gabby knew she had found her next equine partner. 

“He was so sweet, and so silly,” Gabby recalled. “I could definitely see us growing together. I helped get him all tacked up, then Ally hopped on first. You could tell he was very forward, and overjumped everything.

“When I hopped on, yes, he was green, but I knew this was the horse I was looking for,” she continued. “I knew I really wanted him, but it was nerve-wracking because I didn’t know how it would all play out.”

When Ally and Olivia watched the pair together, they also knew Watson had found “his” person.

“We wanted someone who would appreciate him,” Olivia said. “The kid sat down on his back and lit up like a Christmas tree. She suited him, and he suited her.”

Welcome To A Winter Wonderland

When the Drurys got the call later that night confirming their adoption of Watson had been approved, they were ecstatic. Just 10 days later, he arrived at The Still Point Farm in Thompsonville, Michigan, a small boarding facility the Drurys own. After his two-day journey, a fully clipped Watson had to adjust to the depths of a snowy Michigan winter; despite the dramatic change in climate, he remained the same sweet gelding they remembered.

“He would jump, and kick, and play in the snow,” Monique said with a laugh. “It was a big life change for him, and he was a little nervous, but he was always so affectionate, adorable, and playful. He was a like a big puppy dog.”

Gabby spent the next several weeks getting to know Watson. With no indoor and wintry conditions prevailing everywhere, instead of riding, she spent hours grooming her new horse and taking him for long hand walks in the snow. 

“It was kind of good I couldn’t jump right into riding him, because it gave me time to really connect and bond with him,” Gabby said. “He was so silly and goofy, always looking for things to put in his mouth and chew on. Or he would grab things and toss them around.”

When not at the barn, Gabby learned everything she could about Dutch Harness Horses. Though not registered (and according to the Smiths, most likely cast-off from an Amish breeding program), Watson exemplified most of the defining physical characteristics of the breed: a dark coat, four tall white socks, a wide blaze and a white spot on the belly.

“He is the textbook Dutch Harness Horse,” Gabby said. “They are bred for pulling carts, and they want that white spot on the belly to be seen when they lift their legs as a ‘pop.’ He has a bigger stride, and he holds his head higher, so a lot of people think he is 16 hands plus. But the last time we measured him, he was only 15.2.”

“He just has a big personality,” Monique added with a laugh.

As the youngster continued to settle into his new home, Monique worked to find the right trainers to help Gabby develop a strong partnership with Watson. Monique serves on the board for Horse North Rescue, a non-profit organization based in Interlochen, Michigan; she turned to the group’s training director, Marian Vermeulen, for guidance.

“Marian has worked with a lot of horses that have been rejects, traumatized, and all of that,” Monique said. “So she was very focused on the rescue aspect of his experience, and helping Watson transition to a different life. Her impression was that he had a lot of anxiety, but no real baggage.

“He has always been really friendly with people, and thankfully doesn’t seem to have an abuse history,” she continued. “He was just really green, and a little nervous about the newness of such a different life.”

In fact, the only aspect of Watson’s care and training which proved to be an obstacle related to the shape and quality of his hooves. When Watson first arrived in Michigan, he wore a full set of shoes—but icy conditions dictated he would be safer barefoot, so they pulled the shoes. It was only then that the Drurys realized Watson’s feet would require some careful attention to encourage the growth of better quality hoof. 

“His hoof journey has been a big thing,” Gabby said. “We want his hooves in a natural state, where he doesn’t have to wear shoes, and has correct angles. But his feet were flared, almost like duck feet.”

“We have a great farrier, and we have worked through a lot of that,” Monique added. “He’s come along really well, and our farrier has helped Watson correctly grow his feet out. That was the only real ‘problem’ we ran into.”

As the weather and footing improved, Gabby began taking mounted instruction with Josephine Wright, as well as dressage trainer Betsy Morath and jumping specialist Melissa Hirt. With patient handling and training, Watson quickly gained confidence in new situations as he better understood what was being asked. 

“He is so willing, and a quick learner,” Monique said. “Even if he doesn’t know what’s going on, the way Gabby has worked with him, he just keeps trying. She is a young rider, and we have a whole team of appropriate trainers, and that’s helped a lot. They are coming along really well.”

“Even if he knocks a jump, he’s game for the next one,” Gabby added. “He’s never given me an ‘I don’t want to do this’ sassy moment. Sometimes he’ll have fun and kick up his heels. But he never says no.”

Into The Show Ring

In May, Watson and Gabby made their show ring debut as part of the Kingsley Equestrian Team, riding for Kingsley High School, where she is a freshman. The show offered everything from showmanship to western and English pleasure to jumping, with each team trying to garner the most points. Gabby competed in saddle seat and English classes, jumping, and for fun, a few speed classes like the flag race.

“It was Watson’s first show, and we did it for fun,” Gabby said. “I was going for the total experience, not the showing or winning aspect of it. If I had to stop in the middle of the round, that was fine by me. I had no idea how it would go.”

From start to finish, Watson was a gentleman, she said, handling a new environment and new tasks with ease. Despite doing all of his speed classes at a trot, Watson’s long stride meant he was as competitive as those horses who cantered tighter turns. Later in the season, the pair entered their second show at the Stepping Stones schooling series, turning heads as they competed in dressage and jumping classes.

“I was trotting down the long side of the warm-up ring, and three people in a row said, ‘I love your horse, he’s so pretty,’ ” Gabby said. “He’s definitely a looker. It’s crazy to think he was destined for the slaughterhouse.”

“It just astounds me he was simply thrown away,” Monique added. “To find this beautiful gem of a horse, who is so sweet and funny and willing—and the joy he has brought to our family—it is remarkable.

“Everywhere we go, there are always people who are struck by him,” she continued. “In fact, one lady commented, ‘Daddy bought her a fancy horse,’ and I just giggled, because I know his story. When people find out he is a rescue, their jaws drop. But the fact he is a rescue is one of the many reasons why we love him.”

At home, Gabby and Watson have enjoyed spending time exploring the trails, and they perhaps dedicate as much energy to “goofing around” as they do to serious training.

“Yes, there is the show world—but it’s also about just throwing a lead rope and halter on, and playing around,” Monique said. “As a parent, it is beautiful to see the time she has invested in him paying off.”

Monique noted that the team at Colby’s Crew have stayed in touch. They are thrilled with how well Gabby and Watson’s partnership is growing.

“He was a much more expensive horse than his adoption fee suggested, and that was set on purpose,” Olivia said. “We wanted a kid or adult who might not necessarily be able to afford that $40,000 horse from a private home to find it in a rescue with a reasonable adoption fee. The fact that it was a horse truly bound for slaughter? Even better. So many people say they are ‘there for a reason’ or ‘have no value’ and it’s just not true.

“The pictures and video updates we receive tell us we chose absolutely correctly,” she continued. “She adores him, appreciates him, and he lives a life that we wish for all of our horses.”

Looking forward, Gabby is hoping that 2025 will bring the opportunity to compete in her first-ever horse trials. While the closest event is more than three hours away, she has plenty of local venues where she and Watson can hone their skills in the jumping and dressage arenas. In the future, Gabby hopes they may even be ready to compete at well-known facilities such as the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (Michigan) and the World Equestrian Center (Ohio). However, more important than any competition is respecting and growing their partnership.

“I definitely want to keep building our bond, and bringing ourselves together as a team more,” she said. “I’m game for anything, but I’m not going to push him past what he can do. I’m a bold rider, and I’m not afraid of much. He’s a bold horse—so we are a good team, together.”

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Do you know a horse or pony who has been rescued from a dangerous situation to become a healthy, trusted competition partner today? If you think you have a good candidate for “From Rescue To Ribbons,” let us know by emailing mwright@coth.com.