SHERLOCK
“Nickname”
Rescued in partnership with our trusted friends at Little Brook Farm, Sherlock is a dreamboat of a horse, so handsome and so kind. He handles beautifully, and that is a testament to early training. He surely was a good stud horse and made many beautiful babies, but remains in control, as safe as a stallion can be.
This dear gentleman, who was described at rescue as a 15 yo stallion, we now know is a 25 yo cryptorchid stallion with cancer. It’s required a complete shift in our thinking, and in his care going forward.
In his old age, when cancerous lesions appeared and he was beyond use, he was not wanted. And horses, as sensitive as they are, understand this betrayal. Too strong a word? How would you feel if at 80 yo, you lost your home and your humans and all that you knew?
Here at Rosemary Farm, Sherlock is now on a daily med to suppress his cancer growth, and spends his days in a paddock with his lady friend Blossom near (but in a stall!). Neither is fit for adoption, and both are considered “hospice”, but they don’t know that. What they do know is that here, they have grain, and unlimited clean hay, fresh water anytime (this is new for them) and no work.
Sometimes we say Rescue is difficult but that is only true from the human point of view. From the horse’s perspective, rescue is life saving and wonderful. Look at that face, with a trusted hand at his side. If we weren’t here, his diagnoses would not change, but his final chapter would have.
So let’s rejoice and share his happiness at finally being loved, and cared for. We hope he has months or even years here, and he can greet visitors this summer, proud and happy.
Lucky us to have such a beautiful elegant new horse as Sherlock, part of our family.