Help give Mina a new beginning

We’ve rescued blind Mina from neglect and loneliness. Please join us in giving her a new beginning.

How we found Mina

We first saw Mina alone in a field along a busy road in Normandy, France — no shelter, no other animals. She was running in compulsive circles.

Only in Normandy for ten days, I visited her everyday, bringing her apples from our yard and talking to her. One eye was completely white and her head was covered in flies, but she responded to the company.

In those ten days, I sought information about Mina. I learned from neighbors that she had been alone in that field for ten months. A stable owner had noticed she was unwell during the summer and tried contacting the owner, but received no response. Others had put up a sign on the road asking for a companion and shelter for Mina.

We later learned that Mina is 95% blind and compulsive circles are a behavior associated with fear and anxiety in blind horses. Being a herd animal, horses cannot be left alone, and blind horses especially need a gentle pasture buddy otherwise they are in a constant state of anxiety, unsure what dangers surround them. That is how we found Mina: blind, alone, and scared.

Mina’s rescue

We left Normandy, but could not leave Mina to a fate of fear and loneliness. I set out on a daunting mission: tracking down the owner and rescuing her. Against the odds I was able to contact the owner and negotiate a deal in broken French, and found a stable to move her to. In the process I learned:

Today, I’m happy to report that we were able to purchase Mina and rescue her from that lonely field. She has now been relocated to a professional stable where she can hear other horses, cows and sheep, and has daily human contact, good food and medical treatment available.

What’s next?

Purchasing and relocating Mina was just part one of the mission. Now comes part two, perhaps even more daunting: boarding & caring for her, getting her the medical attention she needs, and finding her the best possible home in which to live out the rest of her days.

The current monthly fee for Mina's board & care is $250, which may increase as the stable owners adjust care to her condition. The veterinarian will visit this week to give her a full check-up which will also tell us more. There will also be ongoing costs associated with worming and hoof and medical care. We're hoping $3,500 will get her through the next 4-6 months while we seek a final home.

Blind horses require special care but can live as fulfilling a life as sighted horses. (Visit BlindHorses to learn more). Mina is the nickname I’ve given her, for “love” and “blue sky,” because that is the future I wish for her.

If you’d like to be part of Mina’s new beginning and contribute towards her new life, it would mean the world to her and us. All donations will go directly to Mina’s board, food, veterinary care and future. Please note: We are committed to caring for her as long as she needs us.

Thank you for being part of Mina’s future and blue skies ahead.

Shelley

NOTE A special thank you to all those who have supported this mission, Mina, and me up to this point: family, horse friends in both France and the U.S., The Pegasus Sanctuary in Normandy, Ecurie Bouchard G&E, my French tutor Joelle, and especially my husband.