Spirit
Age/Born:
14? 16 months in 09/07
Arrived:
September 20, 2007
Quarter Filly
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The temperature was in the low 80's and that was odd for late September. The winds were picking up and Sandy received a call with a tornado warning in the area. Sandy hurried to close the doors of the new barn and headed quickly down to close the entry door of the old barn.
Not going in to the old barn, Sandy slid the doors closed. But something caught her eye. She noticed that something had been touched in the barn. A box stall door was closed and Sandy could tell that someone had been in there. Some kind of a rope was on the box stall door panel. And, two little ears were sticking up above the boards in the stall.
Sandy wondered, "Who in the world put Gracie up here?" Going in to the barn in the semi-darkness, she opened the stall door and her mouth dropped open. It wasn't Gracie at all! It was a little filly!
When the lights came on, Sandy soon realized why this little filly had been dropped off at Refuge Farms. Her right hind leg was suffering from scarring...or infection...or both. She had a badly untreated wound with proud flesh. But then Sandy's eyes went to the front legs and her heart broke in pieces for her. This little filly had a left front knee the size of a cantaloupe. And a lower leg that just kind of hung there. This was a three-legged horse.
After only one day, what we have learned from Spirit is that she knows how to drink from a stock tank and she poops frequently. Sandy de-wormed her and she took that treatment rather politely. Her demeanor reminds Sandy of Ima. This filly has the same gentleness, patience, and politeness as Ima. And she seems very willing to do whatever you ask and is an easy keeper...just like Ima.
But that front leg will get assessed from Dr. Brian and our time with this precious little manger Spirit will truly be taken one day at a time. Every moment that we are blessed to know her we will be reminded of the words in the Mission statement of Refuge Farms, "...and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak...I will watch over..." And in whatever time we are to share with her, she will continue to echo the message to us of one who was as large as she is small..."Enjoy today! Be happy today! Don't fret today! Enjoy today!"
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