When rescuers at We Say Neigh Equine Rescue saved a pregnant mare from being euthanized, they were excited to meet her baby — but no one expected that day to come so soon.
“I looked out into the field and saw a baby,” said Cricket, the rescue’s founder. “She wasn’t due for almost a month, so I had no expectations to see that baby.”
The tiny foal — later named Addie — had arrived far too early. Weak and unsteady, she hadn’t even eaten yet. Worse, her mother had rejected her.
“Within a few hours, we knew she had to eat or she wasn’t going to make it,” Cricket recalled. “We just decided to take it day by day.”
Determined to give Addie a fighting chance, Cricket brought her home — and into her kitchen. For the first few days, Addie’s world was a blur of warm blankets, bottle feedings every 30 minutes, and gentle encouragement.
Then, something amazing happened.
“Three or four days in, we saw a definite change,” Cricket said. “She started getting up on her own. Then she started to run, and we were like, ‘Where did this come from?’ The vet was shocked that she made it.”
Addie’s strength grew by the day — along with her curiosity. She quickly turned Cricket’s kitchen into her personal playground.
“We actually had to move our kitchen island out to make more space for her,” Cricket said with a laugh. “Every noise I hear, I jump up to see what she’s destroying.”
As Addie’s legs grew stronger, Cricket began taking her to the rescue each day for outdoor playtime. But instead of joining the other horses, Addie gravitated toward a different group — the family’s rescue dogs.
“I don’t think she knows she’s a horse yet,” Cricket joked.
Months later, Addie finally moved full-time to the rescue farm. She was healthy, bold, and thriving — a far cry from the fragile newborn found alone in the field.
She still has plenty to learn about being a horse, but thanks to Cricket’s love and quick thinking, Addie now has all the time in the world to figure it out.
