18/05/2026
POPPY ❤️
I purchased Poppy and her c**t from the auctions in November - Though honestly, I think they chose me.
I originally made the bid for the c**t, who is an absolute dead ringer for a heart horse I had when I was younger. But standing beside him was his mum - a barely handled broodmare carrying a lot of fear and trust issues. Having her foal at foot seemed to be the only thing making her feel remotely safe.
At the end of the sales, I stepped into the pen to try and halter her. I was expecting it to be difficult, but not quite THAT difficult. You could stand close to her - the pens are tiny - but the second you lifted a hand to touch her, she was gone. Eventually, after a lot of patience and quiet persistence, I got the halter on. To my surprise, she led pretty well and they both walked straight onto the float together.
She was in very poor condition and quite badly underweight. I had never owned a broodmare or raised such a young foal before, so this was all completely new to me. I spent days researching, learning and trying my absolute best to keep her healthy while feeding her up properly.
While Bub was still attached, I spent time loving on her and allowing her to settle in, but it wasn’t until weaning that we really started our journey together.
Weaning hit her incredibly hard. She lost a dramatic amount of weight, and I lost a dramatic amount of hope. She looked sick, old and completely run down, and there was a moment where I truly thought it might be the end for her. But through persistence, consistency, groceries and a whole lot of time and patience, she slowly started to trust, put condition back on, and eventually started to love life - maybe for the first time ever.
After lots of work, I was finally able to pick up her feet and give her what I assume was her first trim or her first in many, many years. That moment felt monumental for us. Once we crossed that hurdle, everything else started to come more easily.
Now the mare that once couldn’t be caught or touched waits for me at the gate. We’ve built such a beautiful friendship, and it brings me to literal tears seeing how far she’s come. I’m just so happy that she is happy.
I can’t wait to continue making memories with her until the day she’s ready for her forever best friend. As much as I wish I could keep them all, unfortunately I can’t - but knowing she’ll eventually leave here loved, understood and set up for a beautiful future means everything to me ❤️
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