Love arrived at All About Equine (AAE) on January 24, 2014 in very poor, emaciated condition.
Her head hung low as her weakened being ambled across the paddock. Her desperate eyes yearned not only for food, but for the care and kindness she once knew. Her leathery hide clung tightly to her bony skeleton. She had a large bony growth that protruded from her mandible like a big wart on a witch’s chin.
We learned that Love was just a few months shy of her 24th birthday. She was typical of many old horses: she served her owners until she was used up then thrown away like a piece of trash. Love had been taken to a hidden pasture to live for the winter, but her family never returned. They didn’t pay the landowner for board, and the landowner didn’t have the resources to buy her food, so she resorted to asking neighbors and community members for help. Love was discovered by a previous owner, but she was unable to provide for her.
Once at AAE, Love was slowly transitioned to a normal senior diet, and she thrived with plentiful food. Life began to fill her eyes, and flesh slowly filled in around her bones. She was dewormed, and her vaccines were updated. Her hooves were trimmed, and her teeth were cared for. In a matter of a few months, Love was alive again. Her eyes were bright. Her fleshy body moved like a young mare again. She moved effortlessly across her paddock. In time, she was strong and bold, and she was turned out.
One by one, she met the rest of the herd. She ran proud, her head high, her eyes big, and her tail curled. She floated across the pasture like a deer. Love was back! There was only one step left before she could find her forever home. The bony protrusion was removed from her mandible, and her ageless beauty said it was time.
Her kind heart and gentle soul spoke volumes to all of the volunteers that tended to her during her journey at AAE, but we knew it was LOVE at first sight when she and her adoptive family met. She picked her little girl. It was obvious as Love walked gently by her side while her tiny frame led her across the arena. Love is one of the lucky ones; her fairytale came true.
Love was adopted July 16, 2014 and is now living happily ever after with her forever family! Love is teaching her little girl how to ride.
Love before rehab
Love with her new little girl
