Happy Endings shared by
Hidden Pond Farm Equine Rescue
EXETER, NH

This is the story of Willows Rasheeka, a marvelous horse who spent years searching for her “unicorn” owner. Rasheeka is a striking 19 year old registered Arabian mare with ancestral bloodlines going back decades to international and national champions, including the renowned Arabians Ruminaja Ali and Thee Desperado. Rasheeka lived in northern New Hampshire as a trail horse for 14 years. As Rasheeka aged, she began showing signs of illness. In 2015, she foundered for the first time. Not long after, she was diagnosed with Equine Cushing’s disease. Unable to properly care for Rasheeka any longer, her owner surrendered her to Hidden Pond Farm Equine Rescue in Brentwood, New Hampshire.
     While at the Rescue, Rasheeka developed Laminitis, a complication of her Cushing’s Disease the grassy pastures there made worse. In August 2019, Boulder Brook Stables in Lee, New Hampshire, agreed to foster Rasheeka.
     Tia Marotto-Potvin began helping out at Boulder Brook Stables in the Spring of 2020, during the global Covid-19 Pandemic. Working outside seemed safe during a pandemic and it would be an understatement to say that horses are Tia’s passion. Tia is a young woman who experienced much physical and emotional trauma as a child having to endure a seven year stay in the foster care system. This affected her ability to form relationships with people. Eventually, she came to live with a family who discovered that Tia could naturally bond with animals, and through those bonds, come to, once again, trust the people in her life.
     Many, but not all, of Tia’s medical providers were quick to see working with horses was critical to Tia’s physical and emotional healing
     In the Spring of 2020, after Tia had been helping out at Boulder Brook Stables for a couple months, she spotted Rasheeka, usually in her outdoor shed or alone in her paddock. Tia understood what it was like to live in foster care and have medical problems, as did Rasheeka. A bond between Tia and Rasheeka began to form almost immediately. Tia started with just grooming the horse; but in a very short time, Rasheeka became acclimated to ground tying, entering the barn, being cross tied and eventually wearing tack again. It wasn’t long before Tia began asking if she could adopt Rasheeka
     One day Tia invited her parents to see her mount and ride Rasheeka for the first time. Tia mounted Rasheeka and both rider and horse immediately displayed an understanding of the potential significance and importance of this moment. In the horse’s eyes, you could see the long ago memories of those trail rides with her former owner come back. On Tia’s face, you could only see a smile that stretched from ear to ear pushing her cheeks to nearly rise above her eyes as well as a sense of pride swelling in her chest. It was clear to everyone that Rasheeka had bonded with Tia and that Tia had reciprocated. The love affair between the two was in full bloom.
     Without telling Tia, her parents decided to inquire about adopting Rasheeka. Phyllis Elliott founder of Hidden Pond Farm Farm Equine Rescue explained the progress and made it sound very easy. Likewise, Amanda Hanson, agreed to continue boarding Rasheeka at Boulder Brook Stables. The family decided not to tell Tia about the adoption that officially occurred on Oct. 24, 2020 until Rasheeka’s registration papers from the Arabian Horse Registry of America arrived listing Tia as the new owner. The papers arrived a few weeks later.
     On Nov. 15, 2020, exactly fourteen years to the day after Tia had joined their family through adoption, Tia’s parents arrived at Boulder Brook and surprised Tia with the equine adoption and registration papers. Tia and Rasheeka will forever share the same “Gotcha Day!” Together, Tia and her parents officially welcomed Rasheeka into their family.

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04-19-24 (2018/2987)