Last night, my sweet baby horse Nugget got sick. I thought he had something called colic, which is basically intestinal distress that can quickly turn fatal. I called 11 vets and not one would come out to see him, and I don’t have a trailer so I had no way to get him to the only vet that said they could take him if we could get him there.
In desperation, I made a post in the Facebook group for horsemen in my small, rural county begging for help. I was immediately flooded with offers to trailer, and those who couldn’t sent prayers, good vibes, and uplifting messages. A former mounted patrol officer, whom I had never met, was at my house with his trailer within 20 minutes of me posting. He brought Nugget to the vet, stayed with us through his appointment, and wouldn’t accept a dime of my money for the trailer ride (though I will be making a donation on his behalf to a horse-related charity).
I know animal communities can be prone to petty infighting, but last night was a shining example of what we should strive to be for one another. I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such generous people, and I will be paying that spirit forward for years to come.
