I have to gush a bit if you all don’t mind, but first a little background.
I rescued an Irish Draught stallion 2 years ago, from a field of knee-high barbed wire in southern Iowa where he was turned out with another stallion. He was covered in rain rot and had feet that hadn’t seen a farrier in over 3 years, never mind a vet.
He was the first foal of my much loved foundation mare Bonnie, bred before I owned her. Bonnie has now crossed the bridge. Easter had fallen on rough times after a divorce left his owner without the means to care for her many horses. The first time I met him (a year previously) he was standing in a stall knee-deep in manure - and when he looked at me with his mother’s soulful eyes I knew I had to get him out of there. It took a year, and I paid way too much money for him, but I brought him home the following December.
Still intact at age 11, he would cower if you raised your voice or moved too fast, he quaked in fear when I tried to pick up a foot, and his flea-bitten coat bore the marks of less than compassionate handling. He was afraid of men. But he allowed me to approach and catch him after a couple of weeks and I slowly started the process of earning his trust. He shared a fence line with my other horses and briefly shared his paddock with his pregnant half-sister until I had to rescue him because she was keeping him so intimidated he wouldn’t come up to drink (mares!). I decided that since he was still intact, I would attempt to get him inspected for breeding approval so that his dam would have a stallion son. Alas, he was not liked by the inspectors that year, and despite recommendations from several knowledgeable breeders to have him inspected again, I decided to geld him last December so that he could lead a more social life.
Eventually he came to trust me enough to let me ride him off the farm, trailer over to a friend’s indoor arena, and ride out with other horses. For a green, 13 year old, recently gelded stallion, with a history of neglect and abuse, he has proven to have an incredibly generous character.
Fast forward to today - his first day hunting. It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day here in Iowa. Perfect scenting conditions after the rain we had yesterday (the hounds found after only 3 minutes!).
Needless to say I wasn’t sure how Easter would react to the sights and sounds and horses and hounds very close. But it turns out I shouldn’t have doubted him - he was absolutely brilliant - and it brings tears to my eyes to think about how far this horse has come in the last 2 years. When our huntsman Ken gathered the hounds and we set off for the first covert, it was like all of the primal hunting instincts of Easter’s Irish ancestors came to life and he just knew why we were there. He watched the hounds working and listened for them when they were out of sight. He stood patiently at the checks and observed the proceedings with a quiet confidence…as if he had finally come home.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to help this little horse find his place in the world - and I am happy to report that it is in the hunt field 
Those who hunt horses who’ve come from meager beginnings!
