IPHIGENIA ("EPHY")
“Lady Day”
This senior black Percheron mare has decades of history, but her tale must be deduced, because she can’t relate it herself. Ephy had many owners and many ‘jobs’, when it was likely determined that she was unfit to continue. In very poor condition, old and worn out, she needed help right away. She was first spotted by another rescue group, Maple Hill Farm Sanctuary, who stepped in to help her immediately, then reached out to Rosemary Farm to provide the long term help the mare desperately needed. She was welcomed with open arms.
Ephy’s rehab began right away, in stages. Damage done over years can take years to unravel and correct. Standing 17.1 hands, with a full tail and roached mane, she was wearing recently applied work shoes on very long, thrush ridden feet. Sore, and scared, she just wanted to be left alone. Her body language spoke of a horse that had little positive experience with humans. First, to help her, she received small soaked meals, which slowly increased, then a vet exam, vaccines, and shoe removal. Lots of time just being near a new horse, speaking softly, has value. The horse shoes Ephy was wearing were mismatched in size and type, nailed onto extremely neglected and sore hooves. In her mid-20s, Ephy has the arthritis typical of old work horses, and standing and holding her back hooves up is difficult, but she tried, and seemed very happy to have them removed. Her feet look so much better already, after multiple trims and treatment for deep thrush and infection.
As the weather warmed, Ephy discovered that she liked to be brushed, and her thick old fur began to come off, as she began to trust her new humans. The grey in her face is there to stay, but her mane grew in with thick black hair. Her front teeth are gone from extensive cribbing, but she still has her molars, and goes through large quantities of hay daily, in addition to her soaked meals.
Ephy’s first companion at the Sanctuary was another new arrival, the Saddlebred Patrick, and the two spent a year in Trooper’s Glen, a small, tree filled paddock at Ella’s Place. This was a wonderful safe spot for the pair to continue to heal. After Patrick crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2024, Ephy shifted her affection to the most unlikely of friends, the tiny donkey Dottie! This darling duo are a fixture in the Maple Barn where they delight in life. What a turnaround for this mare who was so deeply sorrowful upon arrival.
Sponsor Ephy today to help us help her enjoy every day!