Virginia Creeper “Ginny”

Ginny is a Standardbred mare born in 2002. Her journey to Spring Farm has been one with many twists and turns. She was trained and raced for the first part of her life. But her career was cut short and she found her way to pulling a wagon for an Amish family. It was during that time that she suffered an unfortunate accident. Her hoof was impaled by a very long nail that she picked up on the street and she actually drove for miles with this nail embedded in her foot that went clear to the bone. This was not only a “career” ending injury, but in most cases would have meant the end of her life. But luck found Ginny in an amazing way. A horse rescue heard about her plight and agreed to take Ginny into their care. A donor came forward and helped pay for extensive surgery to try to save the foot. It was an 18 month long process of healing and rehab for Ginny’s life to be saved. And thanks to the dedication of the person running that rescue, she survived. Unfortunately, Ginny also developed another condition in her front feet called navicular which is also incredibly painful. A whole lot of work and corrective shoeing and pain management got her through that – but she still would be lame at times. The question was now a matter of keeping her comfortable enough for her to have a good quality of life.

Another twist of fate entered Ginny’s life when the horse rescue who stood by her no matter what was forced to close due to health reasons of it’s founder. We were asked if Ginny could live out her days with us and when we heard her story, had a space come open, and realized that Ginny would fit in perfectly in our herd, we were able to say yes. Ginny is magnificent. She is funny, kind, incredibly loving, and very trustworthy. And now, Ginny, got an unexpected gift. Thanks to our veterinarians at Syracuse Equine, they knew about a drug that has had amazing results with some cases of Navicular. It was costly but, for a young horse like Ginny, it was worth a try. The results have been nothing less than miraculous. Over a 3 month process, Ginny is now barefoot and totally sound. To watch her run and gallop in the field with her buddies is a sight to behold. Thank you Drs. Romero and Tan!

“Sometimes there are long days that are hard to get through. When I find one of those, I just remember that tomorrow is an opportunity to be better. The nice thing is that change always comes. Some changes are hard. I was beginning to think my life didn’t matter. I never dreamed I’d end up someplace safe where I didn’t have to perform or carry a load when my body could no longer do it. I thought I was dead. But I found out that it changed and I’ve never felt more alive.”

To Sponsor Ginny: Sponsorships are $100 for one year. Click the Sponsor Me button above and be sure to write in “Ginny Sponsor” in the Comments section on the form. You can go to our Sponsor Page for more information.