Meet Lucy

It's rare that we take in horses here at Heritage Oak Rescue, because when we do, we make a lifetime commitment that we will provide a forever home for them. When I was contacted about Lucy I took down her basic information and immediately thought she would be a good fit for a family I know. Their three kids have been part of the lesson program here before it began. Two of those kids are Susie and Lily. It sounded like she was potentially a rideable horse and had tolerated less than ideal conditions with grace.

A little over a month ago I drove to meet her with the horse trailer. As long as she got in, she was coming home with me. Lucy was living in a small pen on a lot in the middle of a small town. There were also ~5 sheep in the pen with her. I haltered her and squeezed her out, trying not to let any sheep escape. She went immediately to chomping down on grass. I got her head up and sent her around me in a circle. She crow hopped and kicked out at me. I attempted to move her feet a little more but it was too much of a fight, she really wanted that grass. I wrestled to get a front hoof up, it looked odd because the bars were so overgrown. Not a great start, but when asked to get in the trailer she walked right in, so off we went to Bandera.

Lucy with sheep

Lucy in trailer headed to Bandera

I will say, Lucy's owner that surrendered her did a great job putting weight on her and did the best she could after getting her out of an abusive neglectful home.

When Lucy arrived at Heritage Oak Rescue she seemed fairly calm and happy. The very next day I introduced her to Sancho and that seemed to go well. They actually didn't interact at all, they both just ate grass. Lucy met Maz, then Ellie, and at last I put them all out together. I didn't know how Osa would react to another mare so I watched them closely. Whenever Lucy got near Osa to meet her, Sancho would chase Lucy away. This went on for over a week. When I tried to put Lucy in the regular horse pasture (which is smaller than the grass pasture) Sancho would chase her around to the point they were both getting cuts from trees and fences. So Lucy had to stay separated for a while, only going out with everyone for a couple hours a day while they were on the bigger grass pasture.

Lucy really wanted to be with the other horses, and eventually Sancho calmed down and she was able to go out with them. The beginning of her time here was also stressful because we got rain shortly after her arrival and she had to be in a stall. Lucy was pacing and calling out in her stall. Her behavior got worse before it got better. She was so anxious, and nothing I did seemed to help ease her mind. Training was impossible because she was always in fight or flight mode.

Finally, just in the last couple weeks, I figured out how to get her in a mindset that we can do some training. The key is Osa. They're not necessarily the best of buddies out in the pasture and they don't even like being too close to each other. But, when I bring Osa along in the barn or round pen, Lucy is a different horse. She becomes calm and present. There is still a long way to go, Lucy has learned to push into people's space so I can't use her for lessons until that improves. She accepts a bit and saddle no problem, but I won't attempt to ride her until her groundwork and mindset improves.

Lucy saw our Osteopath, Kayley Neville to get an overall evaluation. It was determined she has fibrotic myopathy in her left hind. It is permanent scar tissue in her hamstring muscle that causes her foot to drop abruptly at the walk. The best thing to do is keep her moving, backing up and ground poles exercises. It is thought to be painless, but her walk is noticeably different.

One concern is the possibility of a fractured tooth that may need to be pulled. I received Lucy's dental chart from July 2025 and it's noted she had a fractured upper molar. It could potentially not need extraction because they left it at the time. She's 18 so she can wait for a float. Unless I see dark nasal discharge coming from that left side, indicating possible infection, I'm going to wait until our regular equine dentist comes back to town to look at her mouth.

I was able to trim Lucy's front hooves about a week after she arrived. Her back hooves I got done once I figured out she would stand still if Osa was tied in the barn with us.

Lucy LF

Lucy RF

Lucy RF

Lucy's previous owner gave me her AQHA paperwork (the first papered horse I've ever gotten, haha!). They weren't sure it was actually her paperwork because the color was incorrect. I was able to contact the breeder and determine it was not her paperwork, it was her sister's. The breeder sent me Lucy's paperwork, her name was Ninety Eight Luciana, so I decided to name her Lucy, her original nickname. She was sold to be a broodmare with a group of mares in 2019 and officially changed hands twice, plus the two owners I know of, so she at least moved around four times before ending up at Heritage Oak Rescue.

Time will tell how she settles in and how rideable she will be. We've never rehomed a horse before, but if I see potential for Lucy to become a safe kids riding horse I would consider giving her to the family I know that is looking. The number of horses Heritage Oak Rescue gets offered is overwhelming. To place a horse in a loving forever home would free up a spot for us to take in another horse in the future. But it's not necessary, and either way Lucy will have a forever home. Her personality if starting to shine through, she is sweet, affectionate, and full of energy. We can't wait to see what the future holds for her.