Saving Blaze and Maverick

Lauderdale couple Michael and Jessica Smith have been working for months to become the owners of two draft horses named Blaze and Maverick. The horses were once a part of the police patrol but were defunded back in August of this year.

The couple says they bought the horses because they wanted to keep them in Meridian.

“We’ve seen these horses numerous times downtown” stated Mrs. Smith. “They are such an asset to our city. The kids love them. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Meridian to have such an awesome thing like this so we knew we had to keep them here.”

The couple put up more than $3,000 of their own money to keep the horses in Meridian. They started a Facebook where the public put up the rest totaling over $7,000.

The couple said people from all over contacted them asking how they could help.

“It went across the United States. It was so amazing and astonishing to see the people who were contacting us”, said Jessica. “A week in a half later we turned in our bid and paid for these guys last Tuesday.”

They are hoping to keep the horses in public viewing by participating in parades and events in Meridian. You may be even able to the horses at an event later this month.