Meaning can be found even in a short life
Phoenix, an 11-month-old Belgian horse, won’t live much longer.
His fetlock joints bend too much, so his feet can’t hold him correctly. This problem puts him in pain, which will get worse as he grows bigger.
An adult Belgian can weigh up to 2,200 pounds. Before Phoenix gets that big, he will have to be euthanized.
“We’ve explored all the options,” Renae Blair, the President of Blair Haven Farm and Equine Rescue said. “No money in the world could save him.”
Phoenix is affectionate. He frolics with his friends, surprises visitors by playfully chomping their feet and nuzzles affectionately.
“He doesn’t have a clue that there’s not going to be a tomorrow one day,” she said.
Like many of life’s worst sufferings, his suffering was caused by indifference.
His owners didn’t care for his legs in his first week of life. After that, it was too late to fix the problem.
“It wouldn’t have cost them anything,” Blair said. “He had never had kind hands put on him.”
But that doesn’t mean his life is without purpose.
For now, he is somewhere where he can be loved and “I’ll love him like there’s no tomorrow,” she said. “They all deserve to live life to the fullest now, after everything they’ve been through.
Author Brittany Petish wrote a book for children about Phoenix, titled “Phoenix and the Farm of Second Chances.”
It tells his story, and the truth it reveals.
“We are all different, and we might not live to see things that others do. But we must live life the best we can with what we have,” Blair said.
A book signing Sunday, March 29 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Grapes and Ladders Winery will celebrate Phoenix’s life and raise money to help other horses.
The winery is located at 2317 Hwy. 382 West in Ellijay.
Visitors will have the opportunity to pet Phoenix, feed him treats and show him love.
“When a horse has never received a whole lot of love and they get it for the first time, they’re the most grateful animals on the planet,” Blair said.