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Meet Merlin

9/12/2018

Meet Merlin, aka Merlin's Magic Moon, a 17 year old black and white paint pony. Merlin was adopted by the Angotti family from Crosswinds Equine Rescue (here's his page http://www.cwer.org/merlin.html ) near Champaign, Illinois in 2004 for his little girl, Jynna.

Due to life and all it's crazy circumstances, Merlin has yet to fulfill his show pony destiny. But he is never the less a beloved member of the family, giving us frustration and laughter as only a pony is able. Merlin was adopted to be his mom's Jynna's first horse, and even though the riding part hasn't gone as planned, he is the best therapy a young girl with a rough life could ever have. Seeing Merlin and Jynna

together is watching pure joy, you can literally see the tension and stress leave her body as she hugs him. Anyone who doesn't believe in therapeutic horsemanship only need spend five minutes with this adorable pair to understand the connection between a human and their horse.

We will continue to try and find him a job and deal with his antics because it's all worth it to see her smile. And because he is the best little brother in the world to Trooper. They have lost their siblings and now are attached like glue. Merlin is an amazing protector of his old arthritic brother, giving his mom one less thing to worry about.

Merlin is a lot like other ponies - stubborn, a troublemaker, and moody, but with the people (and horse) he deems worthy he is wonderfully sweet, caring, and seems to be able to see into your soul and ease your pain. But above it all Merlin will forever be our goofy, charming, beautiful boy.

Merlin and Geoffrey

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Meet Trooper.

9/6/2018

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Meet Trooper, aka Mills Dusty Smoke, a 29 year old registered buckskin quarter horse, a retired Wilson College horse and the epitome of the word survivor. Trooper was involved in a horrible incident nearly 20 years ago in which he was stabbed by a man on drugs while out in his pasture one night at Wilson. He sadly was stabbed along his withers and into his shoulder blade, ruining his career as a school horse and trail horse and causing him a lifetime of pain.

Trooper was adopted by his mom, Kathleen Angotti, as a companion horse 15 years ago, and he quickly became a part of the whole family. Over the years, Troop's arthritis developed and he began to adjust his weight to accommodate, which in turn effected the way his hooves grew. Soon Trooper had ballerina toes in both hind legs and was often so cripplingly sore he didn't want to leave his stall. Thoughts of letting Trooper move on over the rainbow bridge were ever present - then came June.

June has been working with Trooper for around 7 years now, slowly figuring out ways to even get him to pick up his feet, and then helping with those ballerina toes. She has gotten him through abscesses and thrush, knows when to push him and when to let him be, and most importantly truly cares for him. And while he is still sore and we don't always get all four hooves done every visit, he has improved so much that he can actually do a little hop canter when he's in a good mood. He is back to being Trooper, a special soul - only some people understand his wonderful combination of sweet and sour, but nevertheless a Trooper in every sense of the word.

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Meet Merlin

Meet Trooper.

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