It can be a scary world

If elephants can be afraid of mice, Redwing, the horse, sees no reason why she can’t be terrified of potbellied pigs. Yeah, she outweighs them, and yes she could outrun them with her eyes closed, but still. They’re different!

A lot of things are different to Redwing, it seems. Here’s another one. She does fine walking into a trailer, but getting back out of one? Holy cow. Stand clear. "She ejects," Best Friends’ horse manager Jen Reid explains. That tendency, by the way, is the exact opposite from most horses. Gotta’ love a girl who does her own thing!

Redwing is an eleven-year-old horse who suffered a serious knee injury some time back. Her family did all they could to care for her, but her leg would always require constant attention. She would probably never fully recover, and it was more than they could keep up with indefinitely. Fortunately, there was room for her at Best Friends, where she’s sure to receive all the medical care and TLC the caregivers can provide. They will do everything they can to keep her comfortable and happy.

For now, her pain is under control. No pain meds, even, and that’s a great sign. She’ll probably need those pain meds some day down the road, but in the meantime the staffers have been able to keep her relaxed and feeling good. Well, maybe not always relaxed ....

From pigs to horse trailers to anything else that strikes her as shocking and unsettling, Redwing has quite the knack for developing instant phobias. Even so, she’s a real sweetheart in her own way and loves to say hello to new faces. Just don’t be offended if she sees doomsday written in your particular shade of mascara.

Welcome, Redwing!

Story by David Dickson
 

Photos by Molly Wald

Care for Redwing and her many other sanctuary residents is made possible through your support. Thank you!