This is a new feature brought to you by the friendly horses at MVA. Check each month for new stories, interviews and fun with our furry, four legged friends.

This month's featured horse: Drizzle

Breeding horses can be a complicated business. There are so many variables; sometimes it’s tough to keep a good oversight of the program.  The “rules” don’t always apply and some mares take great pleasure in fooling their human families into thinking that they aren’t pregnant.  Katie was a master of disguise.  Not only did she not act pregnant, she didn’t look it either. Imagine our surprise when a vet exam told us that she’d be having a foal in two months.  Little Drizzle would arrive in early July of 2010, much later then our usual foal crop is born.
When he arrived, he didn’t look too special.  A little brown foal with the same big head his Mamma had. Although he was an appaloosa, there was no sign of the signature spots. The puny foal played along with the others but always seemed to lag behind in his development. As winter approached, our concerns for his ability to weather the cold months mounted. All the extra food and attention didn’t seem to be working. When he coliced in January, the prognosis didn’t look good.  However, if nothing else, this little foal was a fighter and he pulled through after endless hours of walking in circles and piles of heavy blankets.
When summer came Drizzle grew stronger again and began to grow. Although still much smaller than his siblings, he was holding his own.  He was friendly and well mannered after all of his handling over the winter. We toyed with the idea of finding him a new home where he would get more one on one attention, but just couldn’t find the “right” fit.  Then one October day, something happened that would change this little horse’s life forever. A careless neighbour had let their llama run loose for several weeks. Seeking company, the llama broke into the field where Drizzle and his siblings were being kept only to find the young horses were terrified of it.  Despite our best efforts, the llama chased the foals around the field in a mad panic. In a moment of pure desperation, Drizzle launched himself through a tightly strung fence and disappeared. 
We would later find him terrified and weak with deadly wounds on his chest and legs. We were sure our frail little colt wouldn’t be able to survive this level of trauma.  However, as a rule, we never give up until it’s over.  Hours of vet care, sleepless nights and wound management began to show us just how tough this little horse was. Though he must have been in excruciating pain, he never made a fuss when we cleaned his many wounds or coaxed him to walk. His determination was strong and our faith in him grew steadily.
Today, almost three months after the accident, Drizzle’s wounds are almost healed. He won’t ever look quite normal due to a deep indent in his chest and a huge scar on his leg but he might still be able to move normally. Only time will tell, but the little horse we thought to fragile for our farm has ensured that this will be his forever home.  He’s proved his endurance and that little foals sometimes have the biggest hearts.