MADEMOISELLE COCO
“chouchou”
A story; this begins about 14 years ago...about the time when the black Percheron mare Molly was rescued, pulled out of the line of horses loading a truck bound for a Canadian slaughterhouse and brought to Rosemary Farm. There was another black Percheron mare, younger, but remarkably like Molly, who was welcomed into another home in western New York State. That owner was a kind senior with a beautiful barn she designed herself, with stalls surrounding an open middle area, similar to the design created at Rosemary Farm's barn, Ella's Place. That mare, like Molly, had mental baggage and was unfit to be a riding partner, but settled into a life of happy socializing with other horses and her human.
Years passed, as they do. There were some medical issues with this other mare, and later, with the human; aging is a natural occurrence, the peach left on the windowsill ripens, the bloom slowly fades. The woman crossed into her 90's and as her personal needs increased, her son moved back home to care for both her and the dwindling number of horses remaining, out of love. When the woman crossed the Rainbow Bridge in the Summer of 2023, the home became the property of the bank. All remaining had to go.
The son, a senior himself, began reaching out for help with the mare. Technically mares, plural. Another senior mare, an abandoned boarder, was the the last companion to the black Percheron, but a week after the woman passed, that mare did too. This left the black Percheron, now 19 years old, alone. A son and a mare, both grieving, both having to leave.
The video that arrived showed her as she wandered in the barn, walking in and out of stalls where her many friends had once lived. A home, now empty. Despite some health challenges, she looked beautiful, cared for over the years...but like a ghost in an abandoned house. The remaining family was prepared to euthanize her if no safe shelter emerged, and one by one, rescues and friends were unable to welcome her.
The story was very moving, and every horse deserves the chance for life, but no rescue can welcome every horse offered, so it is critical to gauge what is best. The mare, in decent health at 19 year old, would have been considered a 'premature euthanasia'. But to pass at home, where one has enjoyed happiness, is not the worst outcome, and it was discussed extensively. She was reported to not be a super tame cuddle bug (also like Molly, who can be... 'impressive') and vet records were requested to help determine if she was a fit for the Sanctuary and if it was a fit for her.
A phone call to the long time DVM, who shared her records and chatted about the woman and the horses there:
“She had slid into dementia," she said.
”She couldn't go down to see the horses often," she shared.
”It was a few years ago that she went down late one night, by herself. It may have been 10pm," she began. "She put a mounting block beside the mare, to groom her. They had a bond. The dogs were with her and it was a chilly night. As she climbed up to brush the mare, she slipped, and fell beneath the horse. She broke her pelvis and couldn't move. She lay on the barn floor all night, and the dogs stayed with her. And the mare stood over her, and kept her warm and safe. She watched over her, until she was found in the morning."
Many years ago, when Molly was new to Rosemary Farm, the Founder’s mother was visiting and went out in the paddock to meet the new horse. And that day, she stepped wrong, and went down, right in front of the new black Percheron mare. It happened so fast, and in a moment, things could have gone terribly wrong. The mare Molly, before the slow humans could even react, stepped back and around, to avoid harming the human on the ground, choosing to not step on her that day.
Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that speak volumes about one's character.
And so Mademoiselle Coco, the other black Percheron mare, with spirit and intelligence, from a home of kindness and patience, with her grieving heart, came home to Rosemary Farm Sanctuary. Initial intake exams revealed a serious founder in her left front hoof so she is being monitored carefully to attempt to save her life. As she settles in and recovers from recent years of missed vet care, we hope she finds a fraction of the love she has known, and will one day say to the others here, “Je suis aimé.”
Coco’s story certainly tugs at the heartstrings. Sponsor Coco today today to let her know she is loved and cared for at Rosemary Farm.
Mlle Coco is:
• a black registered Percheron Arab cross mare
• welcomed to The Sanctuary in September 2023
• a New Intake
• in transition *
• fun fact; Coco’s arrival created a first for Rosemary Farm, two horses with the same name! After reflecting on the two, the black Percheron Mlle Coco kept her name and our white Appaloosa Coco became Coconut Cream Pie.
* Any equine that we are still evaluating and getting to know following arrival, is in training, or is changing in some way, is in transition. Please feel free to send an email to inquire about their status and future possibilities.