Read Zoe's Story ^{(In Memoriam)}

We got Zoe 14 years ago when she and her twin brother were three years old. They were from the premarin industry and had gone through so much before we met them. Premarin is a hormone therapy replacement drug used for women in menopause. The mares are impregnated and the drug extracted by a catheter. When the mares give birth, the babies are sent to slaughter and the mares are impregnated again, year after year. Twin horses usually don't survive and either pass away in utero or shortly after birth. It is a miracle that they both survived. They were born in a pasture that was 30 degrees below zero and survived. Were taken away from their mom at a month old and were then sent to slaughter and rescued at the last second and brought to California. They were then fostered by people who kept them in a pen and grossly neglected them for two years. They were then returned to the rescue to be separated, preparing Zoe for adoption and keeping her twin, Lazar at the sanctuary. Zoe and Lazar were so distraught about being separated that we were asked to take them both to keep them together for the rest of their lives.

When they first arrived Zoe was angry and Lazar was frightened, but with patience, love, and consistency they finally recovered and became very happy, peaceful, and full of life here at The Gentle Barn. Zoe and Lazar were inseparable and could often be found side by side grooming each other. Zoe passed away from an internal infection that, despite hospitalization and first-rate care, got in her bloodstream and ended her life at 17 years of age. We miss Zoe and her twin brother Lazar and will think of them every day for the rest of our lives.