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February 22
Bell looked like a smaller PC, was quiet in her manner and easy to
handle as long as she could see her herd. If she was taken away from her friends she became
agitated and very difficult to handle. Belle was very thin when she came to TGC, and has
some scarring on her back legs, but I had a lot of hope for this pretty lady - her eye was bright
and interested when I approached with feed, and she quickly let me know she prefers alfalfa to
grass hay. She was one of four horses TGC took at the request of Animal Services, who had
been starved by the "California Horse Protection" of Hemet who brutalized over 70 horses, including
One-eyed Jack, Lucifer and Beau.
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Belle initially hung around with Lucifer and Jack, and they loved her. She
insisted on staying close to the stalls, so I had to feed the three of them away from the
herd. She was terrible to her boys, they were henpecked to death by her. She decided each day
which one she preferred, and would ignore the other one and lunge at him if he came close on her
side. But she was evenhanded - one day it was Jack, and the next, Lucifer. Despite her
behavior, she loved them and they were her safety net - and after Jack's death, she clung to
Lucifer as her last lifeline.
She had a lump on her right side, and acted as though she might be very old (age above is
just a guess by Animal Services). She loved to eat, knew about getting a bath although she
didn't like them, and stood for the farrier like a lady, unless she was alone. This was a
horse who had the "thousand yard stare" that I associate with the deeply depressed and abused
horses who can not forgive the neglect and horrors of abuse that they've been through. Of the
four rescues from California Horse Protection, she was the only one who never got over the terrible
conditions she endured. It would not surprise me to find she'd been loved and cherished
before hand - and so the savage conditions were such a shock she never felt safe again.
Sometimes that happens and all I can do is hope her friends made her feel better.
On September 8, 2006, Belle was fine in the morning, and when I went back to put the horses
away, she was dead. She'd apparently fallen down dead - there was no sign of struggle but her
head had slammed into a lower crossrail and broken it on the way down. She had no marks, no
sweat stains - I think she might have died as quickly as Malika. I hope so. I hope she
never knew what happened.
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April 27
Belle was starting to look better, although I anticipated two more months before she
has a "normal" appearance - her hip and spine bones are still prominent, and a recent very cold
storm had her shivering violently until I could get her in her stall and covered with a blanket.
But she is sound and her appetite is excellent.
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