Moira's Greatest Day

Today is World Mental Health Day. Everyone reading this knows someone with mental health, and surprise - it's you!! EVERYONE with a brain needs to know and think about mental health. Just like heart health, vascular health, and metabolic health, your brain is vital, and mental health affects every part of your body.

Moira, a beautiful mini in our care, came to us malnourished and extremely thin, covered in lice, and with a respiratory infection. The most debilitating of her ailments was that she had been so horribly mistreated that no one could touch her. The fear was heightened by the fact that this little pony can barely hear or see; she is completely blind in one eye, has limited sight in the other, and she has only one ear. The clencher? She came down the auction pipeline from Canada and seems to only understand French.

It took MONTHS to earn even the slightest bit of Moira's trust. The day she started nickering at us as we brought in her food was an incredible win, but to touch her? Absolutely not.

We sat with her every day. We moved as slowly as she needed. One of the therapy clients, we'll call her Mandy, felt a connection with Moira immediately. We allowed her to enter Moira's pen with clear instructions to give her space, which she followed without question. And Moira? She walked over, slow step after slow step, to Mandy and stood with her. They just existed together in silence like that for almost an hour, and every time Mandy returned for a session, she would sit with sweet Moira, and they would just BE together, side by side.

Many more months passed as we tried to gain Moira's trust. Slowly, we were able to catch her, halter her, and teach her that we were safe to follow. We helped her with a nasty eye infection and a laceration after running into a tree branch. She started to realize we would never hurt her, unlike many others in her shadowed past. And Mandy? She still came and sat with Moira every time she was here on the farm.

We had offered her treats, grain, carrots; she seemed not to understand that they could be eaten, as though she had never been offered a treat before. Even when we put them in her bowl, she would leave them untouched in those early days, then she would eat them in secret, but not if we were watching. She would NEVER take them from a hand. And then one day, it happened. It was a Mandy day. Moira was letting Mandy brush her, and when Mandy offered a treat, Moira sniffed at it, pushed it a few times with her lips, and then very gingerly took it from Mandy's hand with her teeth. Mandy wanted to jump and scream with excitement, but she remained calm as her eyes welled up with tears. When Moira was unhaltered and had walked casually away, Mandy squealed with joy and exclaimed, "this is the best day of my LIFE!!" No eyes were dry as we all stood around, feeling the love between Mandy and Moira. It absolutely was the best day for Mandy, but it was probably the best day of Moira's life, too. The day she fully allowed herself to trust and be loved.

Moira continues to improve. In learning to trust and allow love, she can now wear fly gear, be easily caught and groomed, and, of course, have treats when she wants them. She whinnies at us and comes to us when she knows we are near, even when no food is involved. She seems happier, and that is what addressing mental health looks like. It's slow sometimes, and needs a lot of patience. It requires a connection. But connection doesn't always need words, and it can absolutely cross species lines, just as it has for Mandy and Moira.

If you'd like to learn more about Gypsy's Heart Rescue & Sanctuary, our senior and special needs animals, or equine-assisted therapy, please feel free to reach out. As always, we depend on your kind donations to keep this work going, and all donations are tax-deductible. Click the donate button on our website!