BLUFFTON, Ohio —
A horse who once was waiting for slaughter has become an award-winning barrel racer.
T F Bar Dash Freckles, also known as Texas, was in a kill pen in Texas three years ago waiting for final auction.
The horse was malnourished, underweight and had issues with his feet. Schuyler Unruh, owner of Ace Performance Horses in Bluffton, decided to rescue him.
"I thought this horse may never make anything but I can certainly get him healthy," Unruh said.
As Unruh began to work more with Texas, the horse showed a lot of potential.
"He kept showing signs that he was different," Unruh said.
Alivia Cox, a 16-year-old student at Eastwood High School, has always loved horses.
"One time we went to a festival, and they had ponies and that really started it because it just kept progressing," her father, Gary Wagner, said.
Cox competed with a few different horses before Texas, and met Unruh when her other horse got loose at a competition. Unruh and his fiancé, Clair Sample, offered to help Cox with her horse. From there, they began working with Cox.
Cox and Texas became a competition team two years ago. The two participate in barrel racing, racing around three 100-gallon barrels in a clover pattern. The goal is to run the course in the fastest time.
Over the past few years, they've won countless awards. Texas holds three arena records and made it to finals of huge competitions.
Cox and Texas have now qualified for the Hooey Junior Patriot National show next month in Fort Worth, Texas. The two are resting to prepare for the competition.
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