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HAIL TO THE MARES |
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“I love to run! I was born to run! I won by running - until the day the pain struck..."
"Racing against the wind, turning down the stretch for home, I could see the finish line. I could feel my speed. I was overjoyed with sensations of freedom and flight. I ran to the cheers, imagining a warm meal later to close out the day. I was winning another. Life was good.
What happened next I had never imagined. A quarter mile to go, no-one in front of me, my jockey sitting quietly waiting to see if he was even needed; and I bobbled. My right front leg stretched in a way it should not have gone. Pain shot up my frame into my brain, nearly causing me to faint from lack of oxygen as I held my breath from the anguish sweeping over me as I tried to slow my pace.
I was pulled up; unaware I had stayed ahead long enough to earn another check as the horse ambulance motored towards me.
The hospital was nice. I liked the people. I was given a lot of attention and medications to dull the pain that never left; but I got sicker anyway.
My injured leg hurt all the time. My ‘good’ leg became frail and full of heat. My weight melted off my bones from lack of exercise, lots of injections; but mostly sadness. I knew I was not to run again. Hard to even care through the constant throbbing that reminded me why I was in a hospital.”
"Racing against the wind, turning down the stretch for home, I could see the finish line. I could feel my speed. I was overjoyed with sensations of freedom and flight. I ran to the cheers, imagining a warm meal later to close out the day. I was winning another. Life was good.
What happened next I had never imagined. A quarter mile to go, no-one in front of me, my jockey sitting quietly waiting to see if he was even needed; and I bobbled. My right front leg stretched in a way it should not have gone. Pain shot up my frame into my brain, nearly causing me to faint from lack of oxygen as I held my breath from the anguish sweeping over me as I tried to slow my pace.
I was pulled up; unaware I had stayed ahead long enough to earn another check as the horse ambulance motored towards me.
The hospital was nice. I liked the people. I was given a lot of attention and medications to dull the pain that never left; but I got sicker anyway.
My injured leg hurt all the time. My ‘good’ leg became frail and full of heat. My weight melted off my bones from lack of exercise, lots of injections; but mostly sadness. I knew I was not to run again. Hard to even care through the constant throbbing that reminded me why I was in a hospital.”
When a lame, emaciated mare came to us as a boarder, little did we know she came to spend her life.
A winning race career, a severe injury, a hospital stay that ended with even bigger problems, led an owner to send this horse to us with the idea one day she could be sold...
After several months non-payment of board we received registration papers in lieu of cash. We had just acquired another family member.
Haili may never be sound enough to ride. She certainly should not be for sale. A badly damaged tendon, foundered during hospital recovery from the incident that ended her career, we came into her life well over a year later.
A winning race career, a severe injury, a hospital stay that ended with even bigger problems, led an owner to send this horse to us with the idea one day she could be sold...
After several months non-payment of board we received registration papers in lieu of cash. We had just acquired another family member.
Haili may never be sound enough to ride. She certainly should not be for sale. A badly damaged tendon, foundered during hospital recovery from the incident that ended her career, we came into her life well over a year later.
"I must pause here before I say how safe and sound and happy I became, and tell you of my third month in my new home.
I was in a large pasture with my two equine companions when I realized how strong I finally felt. I had been through two and half arduous years as I struggled to heal enough to go for a walk. But today, well, today felt different. I walked a little faster to keep up with a bold striding friend. I slipped into a trot to pass a perky pony, I glided into the most fulfilling canter I had accomplished in many a year; and as I sped down the slope of the field towards an oncoming fence-line, my inherent ability to experience one more spectacular thing took me over.
My friends slowed their pace; I accelerated mine; never pausing to think, never pausing to analyze, never pausing in fear of pain.
No, I just sped straight towards that fence and sailed right over!
I heard later it was measured at four-and-a-half-feet-high! I never did want to try it again, but that day did something for me that made all the healing worth while. It gave me my freedom back; it gave me my hope.”
I was in a large pasture with my two equine companions when I realized how strong I finally felt. I had been through two and half arduous years as I struggled to heal enough to go for a walk. But today, well, today felt different. I walked a little faster to keep up with a bold striding friend. I slipped into a trot to pass a perky pony, I glided into the most fulfilling canter I had accomplished in many a year; and as I sped down the slope of the field towards an oncoming fence-line, my inherent ability to experience one more spectacular thing took me over.
My friends slowed their pace; I accelerated mine; never pausing to think, never pausing to analyze, never pausing in fear of pain.
No, I just sped straight towards that fence and sailed right over!
I heard later it was measured at four-and-a-half-feet-high! I never did want to try it again, but that day did something for me that made all the healing worth while. It gave me my freedom back; it gave me my hope.”
Stall rest, bandages, poultices and remedies became her daily routine. Turn out paddocks with a few quite companions came next in the hope she would not overdo.
Moving to our farrier’s farm so he could work on her foundered feet; moving to a breeding farm to wander more comfortably in lush grass in a small confined area; moving to her 'freedom' home where she could reside for the rest of her life.
Haili got to roam over 600 hundred acres with her horse friends, cattle, deer, and a variety of other wildlife -
with no fear of human expectations.
Moving to our farrier’s farm so he could work on her foundered feet; moving to a breeding farm to wander more comfortably in lush grass in a small confined area; moving to her 'freedom' home where she could reside for the rest of her life.
Haili got to roam over 600 hundred acres with her horse friends, cattle, deer, and a variety of other wildlife -
with no fear of human expectations.