Animal welfare…horse rescue is life and death. It would be a fair statement to say that we cry a lot. Privately, publicly, in the shadows of a previously occupied stall, with a vet looking at a truth that we don’t want to see, in the neck of a horse that we love….in our pillow at night. Today we cried ….Jenon was at the fence lead rope and bucket ready, Kimberly on a horse, Gemma on the phone…Susan looking through tears at the picture texted to her. Diesel had his first turn out. It has been a long road to recovery…from race track injury to a miraculous dodge of an otherwise horrific fate and a double decker trip to an unjustice. We have rehabilitated him for months on end, pleading with him to be patient, hoping that we could keep his mind quiet while his body healed. We gradually transitioned him from box to pipe, hand walk …….to large run. Today, we kept our promise, standing in a paddock, with a light breeze lifting his mane, Diesel soaked up the sun, played with his grazing toy, and enjoyed being a horse…on the ranch that the horses own. He had a great day, and so did the rest of us, our tears a reminder of the importance of our work…and what the word rescue really means.