Willow (formerly Mary Anne)

Breed:

Thoroughbred

Color:

Grey

Mary Ann arrived at PHH with her best friend Ginger after their owner made the difficult decision to close her breeding business. She is out on pasture for her third summer with us. Being a Thoroughbred, she just keeps growing, and growing, and growing. It is not good for their joints to be started under saddle while they are still growing, so we’ve decided to wait to start her until the fall. If you like a large horse then keep her in mind; she is already well over 16 hands!

When Tiffany read some of the stories of abuse and neglect that the horses in our care had experienced, she knew she had to do something.  An experienced horse woman, she had owned many wonderful horses over the years.  But when she came to PHH and was introduced to Mary Ann, there was a special spark between them that was different than any she had experienced before. 

In Tiffany’s own words:

I have had the unbelievable privilege of growing up riding and showing Hunter/Jumpers from a child through my adult life, a life that children dream of.  I’ve had more horses than I can count that have come from all across the country and from abroad. Most I remember, some were special and only a few touched me in ways I can never explain and they will never be forgotten.  I’ve spent many a years trying to replace that bond to no avail.

About a year ago, a friend forwarded a newsletter to me about a story on a horse.  The horse itself I don’t remember exactly but why the story was written broke my heart.  I had to read further about this horse’s story, where he came from, where is he now, who wrote the story, etc. There was a website, People Helping Horses (PHH), it was their newsletter and one of their horses that was featured.  I looked into their website and found Lucky, a tragic story of an amazingly beautiful creature. I wanted to know more so I continued reading. I read their website and the stories of each horse every day for months before I had the courage to contact them.  I finally wrote about Lucky, just an inquiry.  I was not ready to meet her or make a commitment but I wanted to know more about what they do, how they do it, how are the horses adopted out and what could I do to help. I talked a little with the adoption coordinator and before I knew it I was introduced to Mary Ann, a 3 year old thoroughbred.

She’s a beautiful grey with the sweetest, kindest, calmest temperament I have ever seen in a 3 year old thoroughbred.  I kept asking “are you sure she’s only 3?”, it just didn’t seem possible.  Mary Ann and I have spent months working together and getting to know one another and she has that special something, she has the look in her eye that says “I know…..I understand”. She wraps her head around me and she hugs me, as if to say thank you.  She and I have the connection that I had with those few that touched me in a special way.  Mary Ann was delivered to me last week and we have an incredible journey ahead of us.  If she’s willing, we plan on entering the showing world of Hunter/Jumpers. I do know that no matter what she and I will be forever connected by this experience and our past lives.

Mary Ann is not the last horse that was remaining at People Helping Horses, there are many more (like Lucky) that need to be adopted that are amazing loving animals. Mary Ann’s story was not terribly tragic, but some of the stories are almost unbearable. People are doing horrific things to these beautiful horses and they need to be stopped, the horses need to be rescued, they need to be adopted to loving homes where they are safe and cared for and we need to support People Helping Horses to continue their work to save the horses. An animal should not have to suffer in its life. I changed Mary Ann’s name to Willow because it means ‘Strength and Flexibility’. I think every rescue horse has to have strength to make it through the situations they survive in and they have to be flexible to the ever changing surroundings they are put in, she is both. So please put an end to their suffering and help save a horse like Willow, we did, you can too.

 Tiffany, Dave and Willow