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Big, bold, and beautiful. Those three words describe HERD horse Brandy perfectly. Add to the description that she has the best manners of any horse that has ever set four hooves on this property. This includes me, and that is saying something as I am schooled in refinement. After all, I am a student of proper etiquette, studying the disciples of the renowned Emily Post. Miss Manners can move over!

Brandy is the definition of a fine horse. She pulled a carriage with grace. She can carry a rider bareback or in English tack with elegant movement. Her trot is something dressage riders dream about in hopes of finding such a fluid horse. A rich bay color with four white socks and a big blaze. Can we agree upon the adjective, stunning, at 16.1 hands and a body covered in dapples? Stoic and patient, she is wonderful with other horses, too. Brandy does not move a muscle when groomed, bathed, or attended by the veterinarian or farrier. Her only weakness is a fondness for fresh sliced apples. She will bend a few rules for this tasty treat.

I spotted Brandy in a kill pen last winter. She was described as an Amish horse with a distinctive freeze brand on her neck. No, she is not a standardbred horse; we checked. Someone cared enough about her to place their private brand on her. At some point, she was revered and loved. Unlike most horses that have been Amish-owned, she was in good enough weight on her arrival at the slaughter pipeline. She was sent to the kill lot sporting four new shoes crafted for road driving. Calm and respectful, Brandy performed well for every task asked of her. At age 12, her only flaw was that she had a badly damaged eye and was blind on that side, but she was gentle with a rider at the walk, trot, and canter, literally riding for her life. The final day came, and no one was helping her. Her massive size made her ideal for slaughter. So, we did what we needed to do. HERD purchased Brandy and sent her to Kailey Greene in Rutherfordton, N.C.

Once safely with us, the first step was to get her eye attended to, and it had to be surgically removed as the infection had set in and was terrible. Once again, Brandy was brave and calm, an ideal patient. A month passed with constant care and three rounds of antibiotics, and she was finally cleared to travel to join us for months of rehab at the ranch. She fit right in, and we all fell in love with Brandy. But the eye infection returned with a vengeance. Brandy endured six Excede shots. Our vet was astounded at how well she stood still, like a statue, for each examination and series of painful shots. “What a horse,” was his comment.

For a few months, Brandy thrived. Watching her trot across her pasture with her buddy, Sonnet, was something to behold. Harmony reigned, and Brandy gained weight and blossomed into her summer coat. Her removed eye had finally healed up nicely. Unfortunately, her healthy eye started swelling, and the area around it was also enlarged and sensitive to the touch. 

Once again, the vet returned. Based on his experience and the new findings, he believed Brandy had cancer of the eye. It was probable that her injured eye had been cancerous, and that is what caused her to lose sight and become involved in an accident. The kill-buyer had stated that she had been in an accident with her previous owner, and it resulted in a damaged eye. A new round of antibiotics was started. The seeing eye was flushed daily, but Brandy was becoming increasingly bothered by being in the sunshine, even with a UV-rated fly mask. She stayed in her shelter all day long and only grazed after dark. 

Then the unthinkable happened. My mistress, Heather Freeman, went out to perform the daily flushing of Brandy’s good eye. When she removed the fly mask, a hole the size of a dime had opened between Brandy’s two eye sockets. This sweet horse was reactionary for the first time in touching her head and trying to medicate this new bloody hole in her face. Her seeing eye was also red and inflamed. 

The vet was contacted at once. He promised to come, but the prognosis was not going to be good. We could try to fight the infection again with more antibiotics, but once they were out of her system, the infection would strike back, as this is how this form of cancer works. He has seen it far too often in horses and cattle, too, in his practice. In 90 percent of all cases, if cancer is found in one eye, it will migrate to the other eye, and surgery removing the infected eye often is the catalyst to speed up the spread of this invasive disease. Brandy would go blind in the good eye in time. What was worse is that it was showing signs of attaching her bones between her eyes, and it would enter her brain. She was starting to suffer. This was clear as, for the first time, she was reactionary to touching her face. We all knew what had to be done. With a heavy heart, Scott, Heather’s husband, prepared a grave for this big mare. 

Brandy spent most of her last day with us in her shed out of the sun. But when the later afternoon softened the sun’s intensity, she went out to graze peacefully. Heather called her once the vet arrived. Brandy came quickly and obediently from the back corner of the field to Heather, who was waiting at the gate. Apples were waiting for Brandy. Freshly sliced and juicy sweet. Brandy slipped away from us quietly. Her final experience here was a pleasurable one. Her last wish was to comfort me with apples.