WOODSTOCK, Va. (WHSV) — Just after a baby horse named Gia was born, tragedy struck.
"[Gia's] mom didn't make it. She had a twisted colon and the prognosis wasn't good no matter what we did," said Gia's owner Paula Hursey.
Paula says with one post on social media about finding a foster mare, help came flooding in. One horse owner in particular, who Paula had never even met before, really stepped up to the plate. Tracy Kiefer, the owner of Foster Horse, helped Paula find the perfect match for Gia.
"[I told Paula], just take [the foster mare] and take care of her. You know, you've been through enough. You know what it would be like if something happened to your own kids, so just take care of her," said Tracy.
Paula immediately drove over an hour to pick up the mare, named Beauty, in hopes it would be a fit for Gia. Having kids of her own before, Beauty stepped right in to fill the void Gia and the Hurseys were missing.
"For somebody else to take off property having never even met us, we thought that was just mind blowing. We were just... we couldn't believe it," said Paula.
"I just wanted Beauty to be happy, whether it would be taking care of another baby or standing in the field and being down there watching her with the baby. I knew she was happy," said Tracy.
Beauty is expected to stay with Gia until she's around six months old.
Tracy hopes being a foster mare to other baby horses in need is something Beauty can continue to do when she leaves Gia.
