08/13/2025
Having lost so many incredible souls, we understand the pain that comes with choosing your pain over theirs. Loving horses is the most amazing feeling especially when you know that they loved you in return. Seven was a a blessing and everyday he was on this earth all of us learned something more about how to better care for the creatures they bring us so much joy. I appreciate Katie Van Slyke sharing her journey with all of the equine community and hopefully one day we will be able to better understand and assist the premature foals that fight so hard to live.
“Baby Seven”
February 15,2024 - August 11,2025
Yesterday, we had to say goodbye to Seven sooner than we expected.
While we knew that we didn’t have years or even many months left with our sweet boy, we had hoped for more sunny days of watching him graze in the pasture. We had hoped for more mornings being greeted by his sweet, cheerful whinny. We had hoped for more evenings feeding him his favorite banana treats. We had just hoped for more.
This hot week proved hard for even healthy horses, and Seven started to show signs of colic, which led us to make the difficult but quick decision that he needed to be humanely euthanized.
If we had been able to see the full picture from the start, we might have made different choices, but life isn’t lived with the benefit of hindsight. We took each day as it came, guided by the experts who cared for him alongside us.
We have loved Seven fiercely from the moment he was found…standing…whinnying out in the middle of the cold, muddy pasture that he was born in at 286 days gestation. Anyone who dealt with Seven on a personal level knows the fight and LIFE that he exuded every single day. He WANTED life. He FOUGHT for life. He was a joy, and though he wasn’t able to be a “normal horse”, no one can say they didn’t fight for him to have that chance.
Regardless of what was learned from Seven’s journey, he will be paving the way for future equine veterinarians for years to come.
This year, the “Seven Scholarship” was created to give $7000 to 7 3rd year Equine Vet students and the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. That’s $49,000 directly from Seven’s legacy that goes directly back into veterinary medicine every year.
We have also started an endowment to ensure that this pledge continues, which I will leave a link below to donate towards if you wish.
Regardless of what anyone on the outside thinks, we just wanted Seven to have a happy life. We wanted for him what he desperately kept fighting for. We, as the ones who saw his life start under a microscope, wanted to make sure we gave him ever tool in our power to have the chance to thrive.
With that being said, life and decisions you make along the way don’t always work out the way you plan. With the curveballs, you still have to continue making the decisions you feel are right, which we did for Seven 100% of the time.
Thank you to Dr Christine and everyone at Tennessee Equine Hospital who saved Seven’s life and spent countless hours with him at the beginning of his life. Thank you for making his final moments peaceful and easy as well.
Thank you to Dr Ursini and everyone at UTCVM who loved and cared for Seven for so long, and truly gave your all into his wellbeing.
Thank you to everyone who loved Seven. We will miss him so much. Truly.
Please be kind, and please keep the Running Springs Family who loved & saw Seven daily in your prayers.
Comments have been turned off so this post can remain a peaceful space to honor Seven’s memory.🧡
