Fala (Dronefal) was a beautiful gray Thoroughbred mare with a severe right hind injury and wracked body. Nonetheless, she was mostly bright and curious, in that Thoroughbred way. She arrived in SAFE’s hands through a series of mishaps. A friend of SAFE’s with track connections had heard about a supposedly “perfectly good mare” who was in imminent danger of being put down the next day.

There was much wringing of hands, and rapid phone calls between maybe a dozen people, which yielded a place for her to stay while arrangements were made. A kind horsewoman sacrificed her time to haul Fala to her foster home.

When Fala walked off the trailer, her foster was surprised and appalled—her right hind hoof was virtually gone and there was almost nothing left but curled horn. She was essentially walking on her joint, and the horn of her hoof acted like a big callous. She did not bear weight on it when standing, and used it like a pitiful cane when she walked or trotted.

Her compensating hind leg had a sunken pastern, sometimes only inches from the ground, and she stood with her right hip twisted so that the gaskin pointed almost at her tail. Her whole musculature was misformed, and she moved laboriously at times. Mechanical founder was a certainty. Both vets involved felt strongly that it would be the humane thing to do to end her pain — and all parties involved agreed to let her go.

We later learned that she’d been injured in a pasture; she was found 3‑legged lame, but literally missing her hoof, which was found embedded in the fence. Her owner loved her and, as the story goes, did not want to hear a vet tell her to put her horse down. So she doctored Fala herself, and brought her to the point that Fala could bear weight on it enough to get around in a fashion.

When her owner passed away, her kids didn’t know what to do with this sad girl, and were going to put her down. We suspect whoever first went to bat for Fala had not seen her in person, and didn’t know how badly she was injured.

Fala was very sweet and “in your pocket”; obviously she had been a pet. In the week she was with her, her foster “mom” treated her royalty, as she deserved. Godspeed, Fala! May you run pain-free and fast.