Our Story

Our Story begins with Sophie's Story...

Our sweet Sophie was a 16-year-old, 17.2 hand sorrel blonde Belgian draft horse. Not much is known about Sophie’s early life. We do know she and her sister were raised and worked by the Amish on the farm. At some point, 1-2 years before Sophie came to live with us, she developed a severe abscess in her right front hoof.

The abscess in Sophie’s hoof went untreated for so long causing the infection to spread to the entire hoof wall and the coffin bone. Sophie was no longer able to work and was turned out to pasture with her sister joining her soon after. In 2020, they were both sent to auction. The pair were purchased by a horse broker who then sold them for slaughter.

As fate would have it, the sisters made the trek from the Midwest to Bowie, TX where we saw them on the Bowie Auction website. The girls were purchased by 2 different people, one sale fell through and the other canceled their purchase. Because Sophie’s sister died of a heart attack at the auction, Sophie was left alone and heartbroken.

We were so lucky the sale fell through because Sophie came to live with us. She arrived heartbroken with sad eyes and aloof around people and the herd. After several weeks of time, patience, love, and treats, Sophie’s personality began to show through. She was a sweet, sassy, feisty and demanding, funny horse who loved sprinkler baths and hose downs we commonly referred to as “Sophie baths”. We were greeted every morning, afternoon, and evening with Sophie's nickers, head butts, and the ceremonial tossing of the bucket when she wanted more feed. Sophie was a true shining bright light to us every day and to everyone she met.

It was now time to start her hoof treatment on the outside. Through numerous vet visits, farrier, and specialist consultations, a treatment plan was developed to treat and save Sophie’s hoof and life. The treatment plan included daily hoof soakings and scrubbings, antibiotics to kill the infection, and regular farrier visits to manage dead hoof tissue. We were blessed to find an amazing therapeutic Barefoot farrier, Daniel Meegan.

Daniel partnered with several veterinarians as a case study to develop a specialized treatment plan for Sophie. A special shoe was crafted out of dental putty for cushion, heavy mesh casting material for hoof wall support, packed with manuka honey as a natural antibiotic, then molded to her hoof to create what we fondly called Sophie’s “go-fast” shoe. The go-fast shoe was replaced every 4-6 weeks.

Sophie’s new go-fast shoe gave her the ability to join the herd and enjoy her new life at the Lazy S Ranch. It was at this point that we realized that Sophie gave us our calling to rescue draft horses with special needs like hers, so we created Sophie’s Home Equine Rescue non-profit organization.

After almost 7 months of daily treatments, we were encouraged the progress made outweighed the setbacks suffered. What we could not see or predict was the infection deteriorated her coffin bone and hoof wall past the point of saving Sophie.

Our beloved Sophie passed away on January 6, 2021, leaving a hole in our hearts and in the barn. Although our sweet Sophie is no longer with us, her memory and legacy will live on through Sophie’s Home Equine Rescue and all the lives we are able to save.