There are small triumphs that indicate our previously abused equines are turning the corner and beginning to hope…live….and trust. They are small but promising moments that are peppered with a curious glance, an unexpected nicker, or a movement toward us….rather than a retreating step. Mr. Rogers has taken his time deciding that his new life is real, and not just a dream or temporary state from which he will at any moment awaken, and find himself once again in the swirl of degradation, fear, and uncertainty. He has approached us with a stoicism and guarded posture that has suggested that he has been prepared with the possibility of having the rug ripped out from beneath his hooves. While the vicious rope burns that scar both of his back pasterns are healing, as are the other outward signs of previous violations, he has remained watchful and wary. As the days have turned milder, and daylight has begun to stretch, so has Mr. Rogers’ interest in us, and in an expectation for a gentle life and a friendship and safety that will still be here when he wakes up every morning to what is not just a temporary dream state…but his dream come true. Welcome to your new life, Mr. Rogers!