Meet Big Mama: Massive draft horse rescued from slaughter is 'ready to be loved on all day'

CHARLOTESVILLE, Va. — Big Mama is one of the world's largest female horses — and she was days away from slaughter when a Charlottesville, Virginia, rescue organization pulled her out.

The 6-foot-7 draft horse was discovered at a slaughter holding facility by staff from Colby's Crew Rescue, who immediately noticed both her extraordinary size and a serious injury to her back leg.

"We saw her there and we were like, 'Oh my gosh, this horse is huge.' Second thing we noticed is that she does have an injury to her back leg. She has CPL, which is a medical condition that is chronic," Allison Smith told WCAV's Brielle Phillippe. "Unfortunately, she's not a candidate for adoption, so she does live in our sanctuary... She was an Amish workhorse, so she's had a pretty hard life."

CPL, or chronic progressive lymphedema, is a degenerative condition that affects a horse's lower limbs.

When Big Mama first arrived at the sanctuary, she avoided her rescuers. Over time, that changed.

"We don't really know what these horses have gone through when we get them, but she really wanted nothing to do with us," Maria Kipper said.

Smith said watching Big Mama, who is believed to be 15 to 18 years old, open up has been one of the most rewarding parts of her rescue.

"She used to be kind of hard to catch in the fields," Smith said. "Now she walks up to the gate every morning. She says she's ready for breakfast, and she's ready to go in and get groomed and be loved on all day. She's very docile. She's very sweet."

Big Mama is one of several horses Colby's Crew has rescued from the horse slaughter pipeline. Kipper said the work of rehabilitation is what drives the organization forward.

"They've gone through really terrible things most of the time, and so to rehabilitate them and see them flourish and then go into their new homes is an incredible experience," Kipper said.

The rescue takes its name from its founding horse, Colby, who was pulled from the slaughter pipeline in August 2020 after a life of abuse and neglect. His transformation from fear of humans to trust and companionship — and the bond he formed with his trainer, Ally — inspired the founding of the organization dedicated to giving other horses the same second chance.

"My wife and I, Olivia, started it in 2021 with the horse Colby," Smith said. "These horses are in terrible shape when we get them, and we really strive to give them the absolute best care that we can. Every single one that we rescue is an individual to us, and saving them and seeing where they come from, all the way through adopting them into their new homes — that's why we do it."