Earaheedy Mares - Margaret

                          “I dream of fire…these dreams are tied

                                  to a horse that will never tire…”

                                          ~ Desert Rose, Sting

A flea bitten grey mare with a black mane and tail...around 16.3hh with a kind eye, considerable bone (more Percheron than Arab or Thoroughbred?), and a quiet, calm disposition. Age? Around eight or nine years as of 2008. Possessing a big shoulder, large barrel and a good strong, short back. Doesn't have great length of rein - she is slightly too short in the neck, but a strong mare, a stoic mare.

That would be the physical description. Beyond that, Margaret is a survivor. The lead mare of all the lead mares. The only rescued Earaheedy Station mare to survive with a healthy foal at foot. The other mares either lost their foals or they themselves died, leaving orphaned foals. But Margaret made it out and brought her filly with her, despite her appalling condition.

It is difficult even in the above photo taken in March 2005 to see the extent of Margaret's emaciation. She was the thinnest mare - probably because she was also the largest and still nursing a foal. She was so thin that her hip bones had begun to protrude through her flesh. (She still bears the scars on both hips.) Her filly, Kerry-Lynn, was also thin, but healthy...and certainly healthier than the two orphaned foals, Sydney and Giselle, also rescued with the first group of Earaheedy greys.

Despite initial distrust, Margaret bonded quickly with Sheila - her rescuer and her trainer - and was able to be ridden only four short weeks after her initial training began. She could also jump. She had her hooves trimmed and her mane brushed out - or what was left of it. Hungry horses often also graze on each other's manes and tails to get the protein so desperately needed in a meagre feed area, and Kerry-Lynn stripped her mother's mane almost bare!

{Funnily enough, Margaret's most recent colt also took to eating both her mane and tail and that of his sire's, Pope, who was sharing the same paddock.}

Margaret was a sensitive mare and a lead mare - wild for many years. After her initial breaking in, it was decided that Margaret would be happier as just a broodmare. She was sold to heritage horse breeders in Nannup, and some months later was floated there to begin her new life.

Kerry-Lynn, Margaret's athletic filly, is now three years old, over 16hh and greying out. Given a far better start to life than young orphaned colt Sydney, or wounded filly Giselle, Kerry-Lynn was considerably bigger and broader when rescued, possessing her mother's bone and calm temperament. Sheila kept Kerry-Lynn, being a big admirer of "Mother Margaret's" survival skills and mothering abilities. Kerry-Lynn is, these days, a gentle, intelligent and thoroughly domesticated young mare, admired wherever she goes for her handsome carriage, quirky, affectionate personality and calm, sensible demeanour.

                                Kerry-Lynn under saddle

When she was first weaned, she was taken away from Margaret to a different property. This isn’t always easy, but facilities were limited. They were given time to say their farewells. Margaret whinnied once or twice as she watched her filly go, but then returned to her food and made no further comment, much to Kerry-Lynn's distress at the time. But the Earaheedys have never been vocal horses...and perhaps Margaret realised that the cycle of life - and her line - could now continue, and that Kerry-Lynn would be in good hands.

Margaret moved to Nannup in December 2005. She has gone on to be mated to Pope, the young Earaheedy colt (now a stallion) rescued with the mares in 2005. Her first domestically bred colt, Darraby, is now a yearling and promises to surpass even Kerry-Lynn in size and ability.

Margaret proved her hardiness to everyone in yet another somewhat unwelcome way not too many months after she arrived. She developed a dislike for another rescued mare and went on to kick her several times through fences over a number of months, despite every effort to separate the mares...unfortunately she used the same leg to kick and cut skin off in the same area every time.

The wound, on her hind leg, has now been being treated - and has been healing - for two years. Using a combination of conventional bandaging and medication initially, followed by the weekly use of untreated honey and diluted vineagar spray, the wound has continued to heal despite Margaret cutting the same area three times. Despite appearences, it has not affected her movement or general condition. Heritage horses do not develop proud flesh in the same way that some modern breeds do. They also appear less prone to infection and are far calmer when being treated. Margaret, these days and almost from the first injury, stands quietly in the paddock with the lead rope loose on the ground while her wound is being de-scabbed and treated once a week.

The wound is slowly getting there and we hope that, finally, Margaret has worked out it's not a good idea to keep kicking out at other mares with the same leg every time! She is shortly expecting her next foal, also to Earaheedy Pope, and we know that it will be the same...a large, healthy colt or filly who will be well protected, well disciplined and very well fed by a mare, who - with her innate survival ability and incredible old bloodline genetics - may well outlive the legendary Rex.

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Photos at right of Earaheedy Margaret, her foals and other Earaheedy Station horses taken between 2005 - 2008.

Story by KA Waddington. Photos by KA Waddington, Fran Jackson, Lyn Fenti. Reproduced with thanks.