[PHASE 1] Rock Bottom

Normally, the moment when Whinfrey would bring a horse home would be—well—exciting. But nothing could describe this moment any less. The young bay mare was uninterested at best, apathetic at worst. The rescue staff had tried to lead her out to load her into the trailer, but almost immediately, the young mare tugged free and wandered off toward the nearest source of food she could find.

Whinfrey skimmed through the mare's paperwork. She knew the mare was overweight from overgrazing, but surely they would have mentioned she'd be this difficult to handle, right? All she had received that morning was a vague voicemail saying they couldn’t keep her at the facility any longer and that she urgently needed to be re-homed. Whinfrey knew her daughter-in-law had been eyeing this rescue for some time now, especially this mare. There was no question she would be coming home with them. Whinfrey took the lead on the mare herself, brushing past the weary staff members, and tried to guide her into the trailer. For a brief moment, everything seemed to be going perfectly, and a puff of pride swelled in Whinfrey’s chest—maybe she still had some horse-whisperer magic after all these years. But in an instant, that feeling vanished as the mare stumbled away, her eyes locked on a patch of clover. Whinfrey sighed deeply. At least the mare was in one spot now.

She pulled out her phone and dialed her daughter-in-law, Zeppora.

Ring... Ring... Ring. The voicemail kicked in. Whinfrey had hoped Zeppora was home from her work by now and could come help out, but it seemed a voicemail would have to do.

"Hey, Zeppy," she said, her voice rough from the chaos of the morning. "Sorry you couldn’t be here today. The rescue called—they couldn’t hold onto her until you got back from your work trip, so we made sure she came home with us. They explained everything that’s going on... Turns out she can't be led. The previous owner never built those skills with her. She’s put on some extra pounds since arriving because she’s just been dragging her handlers to wherever she can find another bite of food or a good patch of grass to roll around in..."

Whinfrey paused, watching the mare graze. An idea began to form in her mind. If food was what caught the mare’s attention, why not use that to lure her into the trailer? A slow smile spread across Whinfrey’s face. This just might work.

"Just get home safely, Zeppy," she continued. "We’re going to need you at your best to get this sweet girl back on her feet. She’s young and strong—she just needs some care and attention. Good thing that’s your specialty. See you when you get back to the ranch."

She hung up, knowing a long road lay ahead—for both herself and the mare—but this was the first step. Time to get the ball rolling.