Miss Bette
Age/Born:
Unknown
Arrived:
June 24, 2004
Belgian/? Mare
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Sandy received a call from another rescue organization in Wisconsin asking if she had room for a horse that got dropped off, but that they did not have room for. This horse, whose name was Betty, had been a strong work horse to a farmer for years, but one day she got her left rear leg caught in a cultivator. In spite of that, the farmer kept working her until she "lost her power in the field." She was of no use to him with a leg that was now weakened by the injury so he got rid of her.
The cultivator cut her lower leg down through to her hoof. Because the wound was not cleaned and routinely treated, this mare developed significant proud flesh on that injured leg. But, you would never know that anything bothers her. She is a true work horse. After learning of her story, Sandy renamed Betty. The name she felt that would most appropriately dignify this strong and prideful mare would be, "Miss Bette." It was a name that Sandy felt would add some feminism back into the rugged life she had lived up to that point.
Miss Bette came to Refuge Farms and was given The Three Promises. She has always been rather aloof and pretty much a loner since her arrival. We think her strong work ethic and the fact that she had to work so hard to survive for so long makes her a little short tempered with some of the other horses. But, we are noticing that she is beginning to heal more wounds than just her ankle.
Miss Bette is becoming more willing to come up to the gate to receive your attention and affection. It feels like she is just getting used to being loved because we doubt she ever experienced it before in her work horse days. It has taken some time, but it is becoming apparent that she is learning to trust what love is, and learning to trust that she is safe in receiving it from a human.
It is through the healing process of Miss Bette that she has become a teacher to us about patience, and how a tough exterior does not mean that there is not the gentlest of hearts waiting patiently to emerge. She also teaches us about the courage it must take to risk showing others about a heart that has been so protected for so many years. What a beautiful heart and soul she has, and we are so blessed that she feels safe enough to share it with us.
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