Ten years ago, Shelton was working on a thoroughbred farm when he went to an auction just to watch the action. When he asked why she was being crammed haphazardly into a truck with six other mares, he was told they were being shipped to a slaughterhouse in Texas to be turned into dog food or exported to dinner tables overseas. Shelton was horrified. The broodmares are heavier and bring more money than the geldings. Then, holding her on a rope while standing in a phone booth, he called farms and ranches in the yellow pages, looking for someone with a trailer to take her in.
Singer wound up safe in a warm barn, and that was just the beginning.
Now Shelton has his own ranch, breeding new racehorses and saving old ones. More than 100 horses have passed through Shelton Farm, with up to 25 living there at any one time. Some of the mares are more than 20 years old. Their hefty veterinarian bills are financed in part from selling racehorses. Because Shelton's business is for profit, he has trouble attracting donations and can't attract many donors who seek nonprofit organizations for their donations.