If there was ever a doubt that animals grieve, this story will put that to rest. As told to People Magazine, Diane Wood, the owner of a predominately dog rescue facility in Maryland called Dogwood Farm Sanctuary had come to care for two retired horses, a grey mare called Beja and a former racehorse named Stone. The horses were inseparable; even during farrier visits the two animals had to be together. So it was very troubling for Wood to see how Beja reacted when Stone passed away suddenly at the age of 28. “In all my years of dealing with animals, I’ve never seen such grief, ever,” Wood told People.
The horse was so upset that she kept running the 26 acres of fields calling for Stone. She wouldn’t eat and wouldn’t go into the barn at night. “We had to give her tranquilizers — a lot — and even that didn’t do it. She could’ve died from this grief,” Wood explained to the magazine.
But a chance conversation with another rescue organization located another horse at Woodland Horse Center, an ex-broodmare named Macchiato, who was in her late teens and unable to bear foals any longer. She was also blind in one eye and not suitable for riding. Wood immediately said yes.
When Macchiato arrived on the trailer, Beja ran to the vehicle, calling. The mares met nose-to-nose over the fence and then once in the same field proceeded to run and graze and roll one after the other. It was a magic match.
“We were all sobbing,” Wood described to People. “It’s like a Disney movie complete with the happy ending.”
Watch the touching video here: