Swampin's Story
Swampin, fondly known at Willow Branch as Swamper, is actually a great grandson of Seattle Slew, the famed winner of the Triple Crown.
He was found in 2019 at an auction in Bowie, Texas, bought from the kill pen there, and donated to Willow Branch Horse Haven and Refuge. His journey from Texas to Oregon was fraught with peril. The truck carrying him broke down twice and had to forge through highways threatened by fire. He arrived at Willow Branch at 3 o’clock one morning, understandably distressed. It took a good while for him to settle and begin to trust that he really had been saved.
Swamper came to us, fully trained, and in spite of that rough start, he’s a great riding horse. He is a prime example of how any horse — no matter how good, high-born, or fully trained — can land in a bad situation and end up shipped off to slaughter. Swamper is safe and secure now in a foster home where he’s loved and properly cared for.
