Abused for most of her life, Nalah came to us malnourished, pregnant, and resigned to a life of of uncertainty and sadness. It took weeks to erase the shadow of ribs….and months to erase her shadow of doubt. She claimed her box stall instantly, quietly defending the only safe place that she had ever known, hunkering down in her very first real home and bonding deeply with her neighbors Haze, Spice and Presley who befriended her… and reassured her that we too were friends. She would reluctantly leave to go on hand-walks and for enrichment, only to hasten back to the gentle and reassuring nickers of her friends. When her foaling time approached she made it perfectly clear that a roomy foaling stall was out of the question, and that she would bring her baby into the world at home…with her family. As the days ticked down and Nalah’s belly swelled and her eye softened, we all (including her doting neighbors) held our collective breaths awaiting what would be Nalah’s baby, and the first foal to be born on the ranch that Nalah now owned in partnership with her friends and the dozens of other horses who had also come to Red Bucket for safety….and the promise not only of tomorrow, but of their future.