Carrera was a 13 year old chestnut Thoroughbred Mare! She was my mothers first horse and our first rescue!

We met Carrera at a barn I was boarding my yearling, Sawyer at. I have these memories like they happened just yesterday, when in actual fact, it was back in 2014. My mother would come with me the odd day to visit Sawyer. One day there was this majestic mare out in a small grass paddock by herself. My mother, not understanding some basic bard etiquette, went into the field and spent the rest of the afternoon brushing and bonding with this mare. it was such a beautiful sight! I was witnessing soulmates reunite for the first time in this life. 

Sadly, Carrera was quite crippled from neglect by a previous owner. The current owners had rescued her from this horrible scene and were attempting to manage her pain before they considered euthanasia. But the costs were becoming a burden for this young couple and they were being increasingly swayed by the influence of the barn owners to euthanize Carrera. In a last ditch effort to give Carrera a last chance, they asked my mother and I if we would be interested in rescuing her. 

Financially, this was concerning for us but absolutely impossible to pass up. 

Carrera became ours! We learned she had foundered in both front feet and had a completely rotated and chipped coffin bone. The prognosis was grim but we remained hopeful. We learned quickly about her condition and our emergency first aid skills accelerated over the next year and a half. 

We moved both Sawyer and Carrera from that barn to a family friends. Both horses flourished and were clearly very happy. Carrera healthily gained some needed weight, but her feet continued to be a concern. 

There were great days and really bad days. All winter Carrera looked out over the fence into the large open summer pasture. The day we opened the summer pasture for her and her friends Mini, Shawny and Danny, Carrera ran! Not in pain, but out of passion, fun and playfulness. She glided up and down the hills and across the lush green grass! Finally free! Everyone who witnessed were in tears of awe and joy!

We had just purchased a farm to bring Sawyer and Carrera home and everything was looking up! In two weeks the paddocks will be installed and the horses can come HOME!

Unfortunately, after that run Carrera was unable to recover. She was in excruciating pain and at times barely able to get up. Carrera was clear that it was her time to leave us here on Earth and we honoured her decision and made the necessary plans for her departure.

It was our hope to bring her home to her final resting place but that was not an option considering the severity of her condition. Instead, we planned a birthday party for her and her little horsie friends. We picked wild flowers, braided them in everyone’s hair, horses and all. We fed Carrera all of her favourite treats such as oats, molasses, carrots and apples (no longer worried about the sugar intake). When the vet arrived, she was gracious enough to allow Carreras horse friends to remain with her in the paddock. As she lay there drifting into her final slumber, her dear companion Mini stood at her rear end gently massaged Carrera until she passed on. 

It was one of the most pure and heart wrenching things I have ever witnessed. 

To this day I miss Carrera, I believe she is here with us in spirit, running wild and free, protecting her family and her home. 

I know we did not heal Carrera's condition but I know we healed her heart and gave her a family full of love, that she never had before. She passed a whole horse, not a broken spirit. Without Carrera, my family never would have moved to the farm, or have made such beautiful, healthy and admirable life changes.