The starving and helpless horse
Sue Weeding, the founder of a horse refuge in Spain, has repeatedly observed it: after being mistreated or abused, a horse’s eyes lose their sparkle.
The mare, now known as Tamarisk, and a second, younger horse arrived last month after being taken from their owner by authorities who was effectively starving them.
Rescuers determined Tamarisk to be roughly 20 years old due to her awful condition.
They then learned that she was just nine years old.
Rescuers were concerned that Tamarisk’s hip bones may pierce her skin, so they forbade her from even lying down in her new stable.
She also had the physical degeneration of a mare who had lived her entire life being used for breeding and was covered with wounds.
Tamarisk’s unwillingness to look people in the eyes worried me the most since Tamarisk needed to emotionally heal.
Time and patience were once more needed.
For months at a time, Weeding has had to wait for the horses to trust her.
She stayed close to Tamarisk for a long time, petting her hair as she had scars, which had turned white.
When Tamarisk lifted her head high enough to look the woman who had saved her in the eyes, something very sweet occurred.
