Mattie - 1996 - 2009

I do not want to dwell on what we went through this weekend, his life here was one of love, compassion and kindness. So, we will dwell on that, instead.

But, we lost Mattie yesterday at about 7pm.

He will be very, very missed and he was extremely well-loved. We did not have time to tell everyone and give them a chance to say goodbye before we lost him, but he was surrounded by his "human family" who held him and loved him right through to the end. Greg, Patty, Jo, Chuck, and Trevor were all here for him.

I was really attached to that horse and boy, could he work me for the treats and carrots! He impacted each and every person who ever met him. He was always the first to nicker at me in the morning and almost always whinnied or nickered when he saw me (maybe it was the bag of treats or the carrots he knew were in my pocket!) and made me feel like he was happy to be here.

He was a shining star for Angel Acres and he served a purpose no one could have seen when we saved him...raising awareness about slaughter bound horses. While his previous owners used him and then threw him away, he found a new loving family here. One that looked beyond the founder, looked beyond his inability to be ridden, and just loved him because he was Mattie.

He was kind and gentle and knew just how much he could work you before you were like, "hey, he's working me here". lol He had fans and supporters from around the nation and many who made the long drive just to meet him. Mattie was Angel Acres own mascot for all slaughter bound horses...

He helped us tell people that horses are not useless, they are not throw-aways, that there really is a person for each homeless horse...homeless horses are not unwanted, someone wanted them when they bred him or her...they are simply homeless, having outgrown his or her intended purpose for his or her owner or breeder. (forgive me if I am grammitcally incorrect, my head is throbbing and I should be going to lay down, but feel I need to write this asap)

This horse was used up and thrown away by the people that were supposed to care for him! He had the worst case of founder anyone we knew (including vets and farriers) had ever seen. Yet through it all, he was stoic and yet playfull, who'll ever forget Mattie snagging a big ole mouthful of hay while someone was walking by, then look away like "wasn't me!"...he'd poke his head out to playfully nip at Dr. Wells, not to be mean, but for attention!

And lordy when Chuck pulled up, he was a different horse, worried yet willing...would this be Chuck working for 4 hours or just a quick check? Either way, Mattie was great through it all. I have pics of Mattie and Chuck together, it was truly amazing, the way they connected. Chuck gave his heart and soul for Matties care...and we are forever grateful to him.

Mattie touched so many lives all around the country. He helped bring awareness to greater issues in the horse world. I will post more later...a newsletter will be going out as well.

Thank you to all who have supported him and loved him from afar...he will never truly be gone, he will be in our hearts forever.

Jo