We recently lost an old friend — at the grand old age of at least 30, former SAFE horse Sarah was humanely euthanized due to her declining health. Sarah left this world surrounded by the people who knew and loved her — her adoptive family at Bedlam Farms. In honor of this great mare’s passing, we’d like to share her amazing story with you again.
This was our first look at Sara, abandoned in a dark, filthy stall at the auction
It was in a cold, dark cattle stall in the back of an auction barn where we first laid eyes on Sarah. She was a skeletal bay mare with filthy, matted fur, bald spots, burrs in her mane and tail, and a hugely enlarged front knee. She stood facing the back of the stall with her head down, and would not even look at us as we peered through the wooden slats at her. She seemed to have decided she was ready to die.
We soon learned that the mare had been abandoned at the auction, and had been living in that stall for nearly two months. At first the only comfort we could offer was to gently groom her and try to get her clean enough to be able to put a blanket on her. But as we brushed her and pet her and spoke quietly to her, a light slowly started to come on in her eyes. By showing her just the simplest kindness, we got to see this sad little mare come back to life just a little. And having brought her that far, we had no choice but to save her. While one SAFE volunteer persuaded the auction owner to give the horse to us, other members of SAFE were busy arranging transportation, vet care, and foster care. And when all the details were in place, Sarah left the auction barn on a windy Thanksgiving morning to start her new life.
Sarah captured the heart of fellow rescue Oliver Twist
Once in foster care, Sarah had a long road back to health but she was a sweet girl who seemed to appreciate everything that was done for her. She greeted her caretakers with a nicker, and everyone who met her fell in love with her, humans and geldings alike. Her knee was enlarged due to arthritis, and she was almost always stiff in the morning, but after a quick roll to shake things out, she could often be seen frolicking in the pasture, or at least doing a good impression of frolicking. Her newfound love of life was evident in everything she did.
In early February 2006, Sarah was moved to a new foster home at a small barn called Bedlam Farm in Bothell WA where the barns owners and some of their boarders had chipped in to offer Sarah two months of free board. It was less than two weeks later that SAFE received the following message from Melanie Baird at Bedlam: “Ok, so we didn’t really win the lotto, but we would like Sarah to spend the rest of her life here with us. So, business sense be damned, the farm will support her. Assuming y’all agree, she can retire here.”
Sarah transformed, at her home at Bedlam Farm
At Bedlam Farm, Sarah’s transformation continued until she became a mare who looked nothing like the horse we first met in that auction barn. Her bright bay coat became dappled and her eyes shine. She became best friends with the mare in the stall next to hers, and they could often be found “chatting” late into the night. She spent her days as part of a band of mares, and she loved to take a swim in her water tank on hot days, just so long as she could blow bubbles.
Over the years, Bedlam Farms took tremendous care of Sarah, providing her with excellent vet care to make her bad knee more comfortable. Melanie sent us this update in late 2010, “Sarah is doing great…she’s at least 30 this year and looks PHENOMENAL!…She is a pretty happy pony; she’s on Adequan, Naroxin, MSM and gets touched up by our chiropractor & massage therapist. And she gets around just fine, thank you very much!”
In fact, Sarah’s health and condition was so exceptional that she was featured in an article written by Dr. Ron Colton DVM on managing quality of life in the older horse. The article, called Live Long, Live Well, was published in the December 2009 issue of Northwest Horse Source.
But several weeks ago, we received the sad news from Melanie that Sarah’s health and quality of life were in decline. Recurring bouts of cellulitis were causing her increasing pain, and her vet believed that her lymphatic system was failing. She started eating less, lying down more, and withdrawing from her friends. “We have loved her for 5 years,” Melanie told us, “and now it’s time to let her go.”
Rest in Peace, Sarah
We are sad at Sarah’s passing, but there is no better end to an elderly horse’s life than for it to go peacefully surrounded by people it knows and trusts. Sarah’s story is truly a fairy tale, right up to and including its final chapter. She is a testament to the power of love and kindness, and we are all thankful that our paths crossed on that long ago Thanksgiving.
