Ivy and Grace

We had to say goodbye to beloved Ivy this week.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about waking up to find we’d lost one of our senior mares, Grace, who had passed peacefully in her sleep overnight. No sign of illness or injury, just old age.

We were concerned about Ivy her long-term paddock buddy as she would no doubt feel the loss and were set to do all we could to help her through. What followed was something we’ll never forget.

Grace and Ivy were very bonded, they had endured years of extreme neglect together before being seized by the RSPCA and coming here. Whether it was the deep bond they shared, or Ivy’s instincts as a herd animal, or something we humans just can’t fully understand. I don’t know.

After saying goodbye to Grace, Ivy immediately stopped eating, she frequently lay down where she last saw her friend and lost all interest in the world around her. No matter what we did or offered, Ivy would not respond. She loved her feed like no other before Grace passed. She literally would kick the gate down for her feed bucket.

I don’t know what to think but Ivy’s sense of loss was immediate and profound. I feel, she had made her choice. She couldn’t face life without Grace and we had to make the kindest decision to let her go. Our vet reviewed Ivy and found a number of underlying conditions that could not be fixed. The immediate change in Ivy’s demeanour and health was heartbreaking to all of us here.

I know there’s no scientific proof that grief or a feeling of loss alone caused Ivy to stop wanting to live, but the team here all witnessed something very profound and extremely sad.

Whether it’s horses, cows, pigs, or any other animal – they feel, they grieve, they love. And sometimes that love and grief runs deeper than we can imagine. Grace and Ivy’s story will stay with us always.

Thank you Ivy and Grace.

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