"The Mighty" Hawk Memorial Fund

There are some souls that teach us profound lessons...

and "the Mighty" Hawk was one.

While we were asking ourselves, Hawk gave us the answer. She let us know when it was time to leave us, a series of days that had all of us that knew this special mare, in tears. Our vet came out on her last day, and Hawk went and laid peacefully in her favorite place without any aid at all (after all, she was one of our free-roaming equines). While she lay there, she devoured a whole bag of her favorite treats as we gathered around her to say goodbye.

Hawk went peacefully and is now running free, free from all of her earthly restraints. Her lust for life and mentality was an absolute inspiration, one that we feel should carry on. After all, her personality was so big, it doesn't feel like she has yet gone.

Hawk was a 28 year old thoroughbred mare that was every breeder's worst nightmare. Suffering from scoliosis and in-utero sesamoid fractures healed wrong, she was scheduled for euthanasia immediately after birth. A kind gentleman though, her owner until his passing, scooped her up and did everything he could for the foal. Not only did he try braces, corrective surgeries, and physical therapy, but he gave her love and compassion, something her short life would have been devoid of.

Hawk joined our herd in September of 2018, and would spur one of the most eye-opening experiences of our life. At 28 years old, this physically crippled horse was top dog, pushing all others around. She ran around as much as her body would let her, had the appetite of an elephant despite her bony appearance, and was a carrot connoisseur. Hawk lived with us throughout the winter, but over the time, her body began declining, which forced us to ask ourselves, when is it the right time to euthanize? How do we judge the quality of life for such a special horse, a horse who has known nothing but struggle her whole life?