That was the question a little girl asked Susan (our barn owner) tonight, after Xena and I walked into the barn. The little girl had never seen a brand before, and certainly didn’t understand its meaning in Xena’s case.
Xena and I were in her stall just inside the barn door, and I admit I was eavesdropping. I was touched when Susan explained to the girl that, “the 26 is a brand, which is a mark that will be with Xena for her whole life. Xena was born in the Prairies where they brand horses, which is something we don’t do in Ontario. It just means they do things differently than we do.”
I was waiting for the PMU label, but Susan never mentioned it.
A few months ago when Xena became my horse, I deliberately decided to no longer think of her as “a former PMU mare” or “a rescue”. Xena now has her very own human, and is dearly loved. I really felt it was unfair to continue insulting her with the PMU label. I was touched to see that other people were beginning to think of her as just “Linda’s horse”.
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