We were just weeks into the rescue when we heard about Tilly from Carrie, a friend who came across her in a field, days away from a trip to the auction. We were overwhelmed with the five horses we had inherited and were racking our brains figuring out how we would pay for them and what our next step should be. Taking on another horse, we agreed, was not a logical next step.
But Carrie’s description of Tilly’s empty field, tattered blanket over protruding bones, bot-egg infested fur, and kind, kind eye stuck with us all, and when Carrie offered to pay the family for the pony, arrange transport, and help with her care, we all caved rather quickly.
And when that sweet little girl stepped off of the trailer, we knew that taking her in was the right step – not just for her, but for all of us as well. At a time when we were stressed, worried, frustrated, and unsure of our abilities and future, Tilly was a bright spot during a difficult time at the rescue from the minute she arrived.
When she first came to us, she had a runny nose and goopy eyes, and so Mike Bitely, Hidden Oaks Farms’ owner, set up a pony-sized quarantine for her, up the hill from the barn, with a tiny shed for shelter and a temporary fence. That sweet little girl would nicker softly anytime a human came up to visit. We won’t deny that she’s a little food motivated (the understatement of the century!) but she also thrived on the company of humans. She stood quietly to have her temperature taken, she let us fuss over her bot eggs and boney spots, and she often times just stood next to her visitors with her head softly resting on whatever body part was closest. She seemed to know that she was safe with us, and in her own way, was saying thanks.
Human contact wasn’t the only kind of contact that Tilly craved. She spent a lot of her quarantine time looking longingly down the hill at the barn, ears perked, and nickering at the horses in the barn. Horses are herd animals and thrive on equine company, but Tilly had been living alone in her pasture for years, and we didn’t know how she would do with other horses. She definitely seemed interested in making new friends.
When the day came that Tilly could be moved into the barn, she walked down the hill like a lady, ears forward, and with a spring to her step that we hadn’t seen since she arrived. She stepped into the barn, looked around at the other horses, and then walked over to Mike and leaned her head against his stomach, just asking to be held and loved for a little while. Despite years of neglect, she held no grudges, and was simply thankful to be surrounded by horse and human companions.
And when the hay rained down from the sky (or, the trap door in the hayloft), Tilly thought she was in heaven. Our sweet girl loves her groceries, and chomps up whatever we put in front of her. As she started to grow stronger, we began turning her out alone in our front paddock and she would canter 3-4 strides to the round bale… and then not move for two hours!
Once she put on more weight, we began turning her out with Boo, and the two just clicked. We turned them out together in the arena first, and Tilly’s shy little glances were heartbreakingly sweet as she timidly reached out to Boo as her first friend. (See the video on Facebook!)
You, her Facebook fans, gifted her with her name. And at our open house, donning some seriously pink hair bows and a pink halter, she met the family that would gift her with her new life.
Ashley and Josh Sherman and their son spent nearly an hour that day getting to know Tilly, petting and talking to her and feeding her treats, and were impressed by her gentleness with their children and her calmness despite the bustling surroundings. They filled out an application that afternoon, and made plans to visit with their three year old daughter to make sure, as Ashley put it, that Tilly could handle Jayden’s “in your face” personality! On their next visit, Jayden in tow, their decision was an easy one as Tilly let Jayden brush her forelock and pick out her hooves – over and over again! As Josh and Ashley watched Tilly munching hay in her paddock, Josh turned to Ashley and said, “Should I just give her a check now?” And that was that.
On Saturday morning, Angie and I drove Tilly to her new home. Ashley and her mom were there to meet us, and Tilly, relieved to know that her new home ALSO had grass and hay, stepped off the trailer and settled right in. The barn’s owners, Cortney and Jim Shipley, were in the process of shortening Tilly’s stall door as they wanted her to be able to put her head over, and Ashley walked Tilly all over the grounds, checking things out. Tilly wasn’t bothered by the weedwhacker, or Jim sawing away at her stall door, but calmly wandered through the barn saying hello to her new friends, and flirting sweetly with her neighbor.
While it’s been a dream of Ashley’s to have a horse of her own, she told us that she’s most excited watching her children grow up and bond with Tilly over the years. The Sherman’s goal is to have a backyard barn and eventually have Tilly at home with them, but for now, daily visits to the barn and lots of loving on Tilly will be the norm. Tilly has brought so much sweet joy to us at the rescue over the last few months with her loving, kind, forgiving personality, and we will dearly miss her gentle nickers and perky little ears sticking out over her stall door. But we can’t be more thrilled about the new lease on life that she’s getting with her wonderful new family. Thank you, Shermans, and enjoy your sweet little girl!
And some other images from the day:
Thank you again for reading about our first intake as Flying Changes…our little Tilly girl! If you are interested in adopting, fostering, or volunteering, please visit our website by clicking here.
Sarah
Flying Changes Equine Rescue 