Gracie
 

Full Name: Bella Gracie
Birthday: April 20, 2013 @ FSS
Breed: Clydesdale
Nickname(s): "Squirt"; "Little C"
Best friend: Mama Denali & Zoe
Favourite treat:

As I headed out to feed the horses on a snowy morning in April 2013, I noticed Denali in the trees on the far side of the pond. Thinking this was peculiar, I made my way over, only to discover a newborn filly sprawled in the snow! 

A few months earlier, while 5 months pregnant, Denali was sent to auction without her papers after the breeder couldn’t get $3000 for her. Her intent- to have Denali go for slaughter, even though her colt from the previous year had won reserve champion. 

Denali was so terrified at the auction they had to use brooms to get her into the ring. A now defunct rescue outbid the kill buyer. Since they were beyond capacity FSS offered to take Denali in. Interestingly, this all unfolded exactly 2 months after we lost our precious Clydesdale mare, Bell, after a tragic accident.

Gracie didn’t have an easy start to life. She couldn't stand on her own for the first 24 hours and in struggling, she developed a huge abscess near her elbow, along with a potentially life-threatening infection of her umbilical stump. With round-the-clock care, and the help of long johns to keep her wound clean, we slowly nursed her to health. As she grew and got stronger giving the antibiotic injections became more challenging. “The eagle has landed!" was our code phrase to indicate she had laid down. As fast as we could, we grabbed the supplies and rushed over to her. With my mom holding her around the neck, I would sit on top of her and quickly give her the injection. After weeks of TLC Gracie miraculously pulled through! 

Memories like this fill my heart with gratitude for what we’re able to do here at Free Spirit Sanctuary. Saving precious animals like Gracie and her mama, Denali, is why I started this sanctuary. I make a promise to every animal we rescue that they have a home for life at FSS- a safe place to live out their days in peace and freedom 💚

Please help us give Gracie the best life possible at FSS 💗