Teddy, a lonely mini horse who found it hard to befriend any other horse in the sanctuary due to his fiercely protective mother, has finally warmed up to the dogs that live on the ranch and developed a special bond with them.
“At this point, when Teddy is running in the paddock with the dogs, it makes one wonder if Teddy thinks he’s a dog or if the dogs think they are ponies,” Stacy Rolfe, founder of R&R Ranch Miniature Horse Sanctuary, told The Epoch Times.
When Stacy and her daughter Belle welcomed Teddy’s mother, 23-year-old Eleanor, to the ranch in September 2019, the horse was in a sad, bedraggled state.
Partially blind in one eye, she had a long, shaggy, and unkempt mane. On the right side of her face, she had an open facial wound, which Stacy believes was inflicted by a human.
The “loving, gentle, and kind horse,” Stacy said, had an aged look about her, which no doubt was a reflection on her previous life before being purchased at an auction.
“She was sad, compliant, and seemed like she went about things with a ‘here we go again,’ attitude,” Stacy said. “How many times had this poor horse been bought and sold over all these years?”
Given Eleanor’s senior age, it did not occur to Stacy to check her for pregnancy when she arrived. However, during the warm summer weather, when her winter coat was clipped, an extra-large belly was revealed. The vet did an ultrasound, and they discovered a foal was on the way within the next four-to-six weeks.
The team at the ranch immediately moved Eleanor to a temporary stall inside the garage, and exactly one week later, Teddy was born.
“I found them both when I went in to feed her in the morning and was absolutely dumbstruck,“ Stacy recalled. ”We did not expect the baby to be born so soon and yet here he was.”
Teddy was born prematurely, so he was immediately hospitalized along with Eleanor, who coliced multiple times after birth. According to Stacy, Teddy was so tiny that it was hard to believe he was a horse, as he could fit inside a tiny feed bowl.
After Teddy’s birth, the journey was not all “smooth sailing.” Given Eleanor’s age for foaling, Teddy was given additional milk from another mare. However, despite that, she took great care of Teddy and was always beside him, being extra protective.
“She would kick at any of the other horses, our dwarf miniature horses, who paid attention to him,” explained Stacy. “If they wanted to sniff him, ‘talk’ to him, or, dare I say, engage in play, Eleanor would come out of nowhere, ears pinned, neck outstretched, to bite off the offender or kick at them.”
Thus, the other dwarf horses at the ranch began to ignore Teddy, fearing that if they gave him any attention, they’d feel the wrath of his worried mother.
“Teddy literally had no friends in this world,” Stacy said.
It got even tougher for Teddy when he turned 3 months old, as Eleanor became very sick and needed to be hospitalized. Since her carers didn’t know what caused her condition, they had to keep Teddy away in case she was contagious.
“This meant Teddy now had no mother for comfort, nor did he have any friends to play with him or provide comfort, since they were all shunned by his loving, but fiercely protective mother,” Stacy said.
Witnessing lonely Teddy, the team began to introduce him to the same stall as the others. Despite Eleanor not being present, they still kept their distance.
“During the day, he would run around outside, trying to entice them to play, with no luck,” Stacy said. “At night time, you could see all the dwarfs sleeping in a cozy little pod and Teddy was on the outskirts, all by himself. It was heartbreaking.”
However, not long after, the golden retrievers and Shetland sheepdogs who also lived at the ranch came to his rescue. While Eleanor was off receiving treatment, Stacy and the team were able to introduce them to Teddy.
“None of the dogs were allowed to be near Teddy while he was a baby,” she said, “as Eleanor came to us fiercely afraid of dogs and would kick out at them if they came near.”
When Teddy was first introduced to the dogs, he was a bit standoffish, but eventually, his baby-like attitude won them over and he was really happy hanging out with the dogs.
Over the course of time, the golden retrievers that accompanied Stacy up at the barn had developed a special relationship with him, playing, and racing at the paddock.
Also, in time, the other horses began to realize that, with Eleanor not being around to bite them, it was safe to be friends with Teddy. Nighttime sleeping became a group ritual.
“We were thrilled once we saw Teddy sleeping side by side with the rest,” said Stacy, who founded the sanctuary to provide lifelong homes for neglected, abused, and surrendered miniature and dwarf miniature horses.
Today, she describes Teddy as the antithesis of his mother: young, playful, and mischievous. He thoroughly enjoys playing chase with the dogs—especially Handsome.
“He will chase Handsome and then veer off to the side as if to say, ‘I could have caught you if I wanted to,” Stacy joked.
Having witnessed Teddy’s growth, Stacy said: “I don’t think anyone who doesn’t know Teddy’s story from the very beginning, would ever believe that he is the same tiny, tiny horse who was born so small.”
