A Fantastic Pony and a fantastic story...

I am sure that a number of horse lovers all over the world have received an e-mail with the above title and found this information enclosed ... I was so touched by the story, that I felt I should share it with those who perhaps have not seen it...

I was very uplifted to think that there are still some people in the world that put kindness before monetary considerations.  I am sure that it would be very difficult to put a case to some people, that the investment of surgery and the prosthesis, plus on-going care and attention was 'worth it' for a rescue pony.  It is  nice to know that there are still some lovely and genuine horse people left in the world.

We hear so much doom and gloom - this story did my soul good and I hope it does the same for you.

Berni Saunders.
Cyberhorse

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A Fantastic Pony,  Check this out!!!. This is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meet Molly. She's a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when
Katrina hit southern Louisiana, USA . She spent weeks on her own
before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals
were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and
almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to
LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case.
You know how that goes.

But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how
the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to
get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her
injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn't overload her
good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial
limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins
there.

"This was the right horse and the right owner," Moore insists.

Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but
sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she
understood (that) she was in trouble. The other important factor, according
to Moore , is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated
to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse.

Molly's story turns into a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana . The
little pony gained weight, her mane felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer
built her a leg.

The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly's
regular vet, reports.

And she asks for it! She will put her little limb out, and come to you and
let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to
take it off too." And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. "It
can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse", she
laughs.

Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner,
started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation
centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went,
she showed people her pluck. She inspired people. And she had a good time
doing it.

"It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in
life", Moore said,   "She survived the hurricane, she
survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others."

"She's not back to normal," Barca concluded, "but she's
going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself."

This is Molly's most recent prosthesis. The bottom photo
shows the ground surface that she stands on, which has a smiley face
embossed in it. Wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind!

© Cyberhorse 2008 Berni Saunders