A Baby Beat the Odds
In racehorse breeding there is a saying, “breed the best to the best, and hope for the best.” Many owners try, many have it work gloriously for themselves and the horses propagated for their dreams. Many, do not.
In 2010 a beautiful mare was bred to a handsome stallion, each with a pedigree and race history that certainly appeared to be “the best”. The young stud was on his way up with foals who already showed promise. The mare had famous parents and a family history of soundness. The match with this striking sire seemed ideal.
Picking bloodlines is only the beginning. One day a foal is hoped to appear. This one almost – did not.
Food is an amazing necessity. This broodmare was no exception. Missing meals from an uncaring, greedy new ‘owner’, put her in such a state that she was sent into our hands with a meager hope for survival.
When a kindly transport driver unloaded her, I was given only registration papers, no hint that she held a baby inside.
Our holistic and conventional medicine veterinarians agreed survival would be a nearly unsurmountable challenge. On day three of her time in our rescue sanctuary, I sadly contacted both vets with the news the mare was… pregnant. Their hope for her dwindled further. Prognosis lessened as they awaited to see if stupendous bloodlines and a desire to live would be enough, added to new medicines and nourishment.
Within three months of the horse’s arrival, she produced a tiny baby, amazingly without complications. All body parts appeared intact and although we went through a myriad of feeds and remedies for mother and daughter, the duo made it ‘out the other side’.
It is now fourteen years later. Named Trankwil Mhelodi (nickname Mheli), this filly has grown into a lovely, kind, athletic mare in her own right. Her mother was able to spend the rest of her life with her 10th foal. For many years they frolicked together as a doubled living testament to quality care, and a ‘will to live.’
Not all neglected animals are so lucky when the odds are stacked against them. For Mheli, human intervention contradicted human abuse and this time, there was a happy outcome. To witness a horse like this gallop through fertile pastures, play with various species and live alongside of her dam, is a joy in itself. To know that the farm where her sire stood at stud would never have allowed an emaciated mare in to be bred, as well as being highly unlikely she would have even gotten in foal in the horrific shape she came to us in, tells us that a year earlier, this horse was in the best of shape, then sold to someone with more greed than compassion in their heart.
Mheli’s attitude since day one has been of gentle appreciation. On a recent visit to our haven by three friends, Mheli singled out one of the women. From the onset, Mheli gravitated to our visitor, at times stepping between her and the herd to ‘keep her as her own’. Her attraction to this lovely lady was not surprising as Mheli is prone to know kindness when she meets it. What was different about this connection was the demeanor and expression Mheli showed to pasture-mates. She made it clear that her new friend, Kathleen Carfagno, was special, and deserving of collective gratitude.
If that name seems familiar, well it should! Kathleen the owner, publisher, and editor, (yes, you guessed it!) of Feather Sound News!! Opening her kind heart to us in July of 2024, she has welcomed the adventures of our Forever Home sanctuary residents onto the pages of her magazine.
Besides offering a voice to charitable organizations like ours, FSN is interesting, colorful, easy entertainment even for readers far outside of Florida!
Mheli hopes Kathleen and her friends will return soon. In the interim, she was thrilled to share the bags of treats brought in their honor!
Any donation towards the well-being of animals like Mheli is always appreciated. Check out our non-profit website: EquestrianSpirits.ORG. Many thanks for reading and enjoying our critter stories in Feather Sound News! Happy October!
