Olivia - By Marie of Brimfield Massachusettes

Marie purchased Olivia at the auction December 2004 and she passed away unexpectedly December 2010.

Here is her story:

There's nothing like the spirit of a horse...... and Olivia had so much spirit. Horses never feel sorry that their lives were used and discarded after years of unconditional love to us humans. They seem to have the dignity that we all strive to have, I'm not sure how they find that secret so elusive to us. Olivia didn't have a birth date so I don't know how to tell you how many years it took for her to acquire that wisdom that sparkled from her eyes every day and every night. Horses that end up at the auction are usually headed for the slaughter trucks so birthdays aren't on the sales slip you get when you outbid the meat buyers but Olivia was happy when we found a reason to celebrate someone's birthday often. I want you to know what it's like to be happy for each day, as Olivia was; how she found something deep inside despite the fact that her halter was imbedded in her skin and face bones because nobody seemed to notice that she got bigger each year. Maybe when her owners led her on the trailer for her last ride to the auction house they noticed, maybe not. But it's what I noticed, the pain in her eyes at that auction, because those nerves on a horse's face are so sensitive that companies actually make halters with knots in those sensitive places to 'get a horses attention' in those training classes. It seemed like the ultimate indignity for her to endure 5 days on an overloaded slaughter truck with that halter causing her pain with each truck bump as the horses slammed into one another on their journey to an inhumane ending anyway. I imagine she was some kid's birthday present so many years ago when that halter was new, surely she didn't deserve this ending.....so she came home with us on December 2, 2004, (my mother's birthday), how spectacular is that? Last night at 11pm I went to tuck her in the barn and wish her a happy birthday month and she was gone.....without a sick day or minute, she was gone forever. She will be missed......every day, it was an honor to have her call this barn home."