Big Boy was abandoned on a farm which had been foreclosed upon by the bank and was purchased by a retiring couple from out-of-town (Chicago) who had never before owned anything larger than a cat.  It was easy to see why he had been abandoned:  he nipped and balked and was terribly buddy-sour, and his hooves where chipped and long and neglected.  Nevertheless, we persisted with training him (and went through half a dozen farriers before landing a decent one) and in the end he became quite a good riding mount.   When adopted through the Sanctuary, the last heard words from his new owner were:  “I love him!”