Welcoming a New Member of the Farm Family

One of the beloved horses here at the farm, Money, passed away on April 1st of 2022) This was a devastating loss because the animals on this farm are considered family to Julie, Abby, the staff, and to the clients of the Therapeutic Horsemanship Program. The impact was especially hard for Abby who was Money’s owner. These two had an amazing bond that will forever be cherished. Abby wasn’t sure she would ever connect with another horse in the way she loved Money. In her words, “it takes a lot of patience, time, and commitment to make your horse trust you in the way that Money and I trusted one another”.

A few months after this loss, Abby and Julie went to Save the Horses to visit the rescues there and give them love and attention. Here at Misty Acres, Julie and her staff like to network with horse rescues to help, donate and support them in any way possible. These horses are turned over from previous owners who can no longer take care of them or go to the rescue after being retired from careers in racing. This is the same place where Julie rescued her horse, Sundae, and where the Bradley family found their love for Force and Scooter, a few other 1000-pound family members at the farm.

Abby and Julie were not looking to adopt a new horse on this visit to the rescue. Something like this would only happen if Abby felt an “undeniable connection”. As they walked through the pastures and greeted the animals, they loved visiting them and giving them attention but hadn’t felt that ‘undeniable connection…’ that is, until these two women came across a new arrival, and the last horse to meet that day. This guy came right up to the fence and excitedly greeted Abby. Almost immediately, she noticed a brand on his left shoulder put there by his previous owner. The mark was a money symbol $, which was the name of her beloved horse that passed in April. If this wasn’t crazy enough considering the circumstances, this horse’s name was Cash! Both the horse and Abby were absolutely, undeniably drawn to one another.

As they connected over the fence, Julie snapped a picture of this beautiful meeting. Later on, she showed Abby the picture and they both noticed a beautiful ray of sun shining down on the money symbol on Cash’s shoulder. It was meant to be. This was a sign to Abby that Money wanted her to find a new love through a different horse in need. Some may call this a coincidence that the horse’s name was another form of money, or that he had a money symbol on him, or that the sun happened to shine directly on these two and the symbol that connected them. Abby called this fate.

Julie and Abby left the horse rescue knowing that they had to contact the Rescue and inform them that Abby was interested in adopting Cash. Prior to this interaction, Abby wasn’t sure if she was ready to get another horse. The loss of Money was difficult and she needed time to mourn her friend, but Abby took the ray of sunshine as a message from Money to heal and trust in Cash. After making arrangements with the Rescue, Julie and Abby finalized Cash’s adoption on September 17th and on September 21st, he arrived here at Misty Acres as a new addition to the family.

Not much is known about Cash’s past except that he was owned by a woman with several horses and she could not afford to care for all of them anymore. He is thought to be a quarter horse around the age of 7-12 years old, but the rest remains a mystery. Upon Cash’s arrival to Misty Acres Farm, Abby realized that Cash is very affectionate, cuddly, trusting, and a little standoffish to anyone who diverts Abby’s attention off of him. Abby noted that Cash has become more confident here at the farm and walks with his head held high. Cash loves playing in the pasture with his friends, Force and Sativa, even though they have a bit of a competitive relationship.

While getting to know her new friend over the last month or so, Abby started noticing the similarities between Cash and Money. Feeding time is something all horses obviously enjoy here at the farm, but the peculiar similarity is their post-feeding ritual. Money had a grumpy habit of tossing his food bucket out of his stable after he finished a meal. This was a very odd and hilarious habit of his that Abby and Julie enjoyed watching while he was still with them. Interestingly enough, Cash has started repeating the same behavior in his stable. After Cash is done eating, Abby and Julie will hear the sound of a bucket hitting the floor and look over to see Cash staring right at them. This silly tradition brings joy and happiness to Abby and everyone at the farm whenever they see it. The people who knew Money can see his personality shining through Cash more and more each day.

Abby appreciates the adamant care, love, devotion, and level of peace that is provided and maintained for each of the horses here at Misty Acres Farm. In this environment, Abby feels that Cash gets the safe and trusting atmosphere he deserves. Abby is excited to work with Cash and teach him the same patience and trust that she did with Money. Her hope is to get Cash accustomed to saddles and to the other horses here at the farm. This process is a slow one and requires a lot of patience to see how Cash’s personality combines with hers, but Abby is dedicated to providing him with everything he needs for a wonderful life. In her words, “Building a relationship and love with a horse is a rewarding experience and their communication never ceases to teach me something new”.

Thank you to Abby and Cash for allowing us to spotlight you in this month’s blog post.

And a huge thank you to Cheryl and Save the Horses, the horse rescue, for giving animals in need a second chance. Thankful for all you do!

Featuring Abby, Cash, and Abby's tattoo of Money