Stories of abused, neglected, and abandoned horses unfortunately abound. Often, through no malice on their part, people find themselves either unable or too inexperienced to adequately care for animals. This is one such story:
Snowbird’s mother was pregnant when she was rescued, along with many other animals, from a farm in a rural valley. The owners of the farm were getting older and did not have the money or physical strength to properly care for their stock. All the animals were in poor condition from neglect and lack of food; they were moved to a rescue facility to be cared for until adopted into new “forever” homes.
Snowbird was born, weak and wobbly, at the rescue facility. Over time, she and her mother both began to gain health. Snowbird’s mother was adopted when her daughter was just over a year old. A few months later, Snowbird also found a home. Sadly, it was not to be her forever home.
Bad luck struck Snowbird’s new owners; They fled their home with few possessions, leaving Snowbird behind in a small paddock to fend for herself. Without access to regular water or food, Snowbird quickly lost not just weight, she lost her spirit and will to live. She was discovered several weeks later by a neighbor who immediately contacted the local authorities. An equine rescue was called. When they arrived, they found the filly standing in the center of the paddock, head down almost to the ground, hips and ribs visible under her skin.
Snowbird offered no resistance to getting into the trailer. She hardly seemed to notice. Due to her weakened condition, she was sandwiched between two boards and practically lifted into the trailer. The boards were then used to make sure the filly stayed on her feet for the short journey. Discussing her condition once at the rescue, they knew they would most likely be putting the poor emaciated creature down the next day. They called their veterinarian and told them about the situation. The vet agreed to come the next day.
When the folks from the rescue went out to the barn in the morning, Snowbird had not moved from where she stood. The veterinarian was not able to come that day due to an emergency, so the fateful moment was delayed. It was a Friday, and there was no way to get the vet out on the weekend. Each day they checked on Snowbird and placed a fresh bucket of water and flake of hay next to her even though she hardly noticed. There was still no change in Snowbird.
On Monday morning, the rescuers found Snowbird in the same spot, only this time she was slowly chewing on some of the hay they’d left for her and had at least a few sips of the water. Surprised, they called off the vet saying they wanted to give the filly another day or two. By Tuesday, Snowbird was still eating hay, slowly, but enough to clean up whatever she was given. She began to drink steadily from the nearby bucket, too.
Day by day, her caretakers spread the hay out more and moved the water supply farther from where she stood to try to encourage Snowbird to walk a few steps. With painful-looking progress, Snowbird started to move around the pen. She was also now drinking and eating regularly.
Over the next several weeks, Snowbird started to come out of her fog. When she had been in shock from her trauma, she was easy to handle—almost too easy. As she gained strength, she became fearful, shying away from anyone who tried to approach. Working in shifts, her caretakers would spend hours each day just sitting in her pen, talking quietly. They moved closer by one step every day. When Snowbird began to approach them cautiously, they allowed her to explore them without making any moves to try to touch her or interact.
The patience paid off, ten-fold. After two months, Snowbird was eating well and clearly putting on weight. She was not only more relaxed around people but would approach them when they came to care for her. Four months after she had been rescued, Snowbird was a willing student, learning to be groomed, have her feet picked and tended to by the farrier, and even seemed not to notice when given vaccines by the vet.
With help from the people at the rescue, Snowbird found her forever home around the time she turned two years old. Now she is four years old. She and her new owner spend hours trail riding through the woods and galloping across fields. Sometimes, it takes a few tries to find the happy ending.
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