I'll never forget the day Mary stepped off the back of the horse truck, along with 4 of her fellow "escapees". I remember she was the last to exit the horse transport, and the moment I saw her my heart swelled. Through the bones, missing hair and obvious disgusting condition, I saw a precious girl who I knew would stay at our facility for the rest of her days. She was a real heart stealer, and she has had that affect on everyone who met her. She almost sauntered off the truck, looking relaxed and calm despite her ordeal.

Her tail had been cropped to half it's length and her mane clipped. The photo above shows her emaciated condition on arrival. We weren't even sure whether she'd survive, and had her vet checked the following day. She was immediately rugged and given her first good feed in what would have been a long time!

Over the first few weeks that she was here, she has absolutely bloomed, she proved herself to be a magnificent ambassador for her breed, passing on her nobility and calm, gentle nature to all those who share a paddock with her. We were very fortunate the day she came to live with us. We had been told that she was a light draught, but in fact Mary was a cross between a Shire and a Clydesdale. She was a lighter brown than the colour she should have been, and had a dreadful sway back which we didn't think would improve too much. She also had a skin condition which saw her lose most of her backline hair!

She was the perfect lady and had impecable manners no matter what was being asked of her. Our farrier was very impressed by her, and was also able to see past her physical appearance to the special spirit that lived within her.

While treating her skin problems, she had bi-daily baths and I could easily accomplish this without the help of a second person, or even a hitching rail! She would stand completely still while I washed and groomed her, happy to have the extra attention.

This photo was taken 10 weeks after Mary arrived. Her skin condition was completely resolved, she was finally putting on some much needed condition, her lovely tail was growing back, and she was so very happy living in my house paddock where I could see her lovely face every day.

As her condition improved, I decided to see just how much Mary had done in her life. I started with some groundwork, then put her into Bernie's old harness - it was swimming on her but she looked gorgeous, completely different to the broken starved girl who had arrived on my doorstep a short 3 months ago. Her back had even started to look less bowed as she developed more muscle and regained her health.

We were thinking now she was more like 25 years plus, rather than the 15 years we had been told. Her sight appeared to be failing and she seemed stiffer to "wake" in the mornings. But once she got going, she loved roaming around the yards, looking in the windows, following me when I was outside. She was a wonderful calming influence on the younger members of the herd and I could depend on her for anything, including being saddled up and going for a ride!

On the 29th of March 2006, we knew there was something wrong. Normally a voracious eater, she was off her food and seemed listless. Her heart rate was normal and she wasn't constipated or showing any signs of gut discomfort, so my initial thoughts weren't colic, but I had Sarah our vet come out anyway. She was treated and had some bloods taken to see if we could find out any more. She became worse over the next 24 hours and I think we both knew it was not going to be a good outcome. I was prepared for the worst, and spent as much time with her as I could. She became more and more listless, spending long periods lying on the ground, unable to get up.

On the morning of 31 March, I called Sarah because I knew it was time to let her go. She looked at me with that unmistakable look I had seen in Bernie's eyes, and this time I didn't ignore it. She was choosing her time, I was going to respect that regardless of how hard it was on me. I laid with her in the paddock waiting for Sarah, but within half an hour her breathing had stopped, her head in my lap, as she drifted off to meet Bernie on the other side.

Sarah carried out an autopsy in the hopes that whatever had afflicted Mary might give some clue in future diagnoses and help other horses in her situation. It turned out she had liver tumours and there was nothing we could have done.

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to spend eight and a half months with this magnificent animal. Every cent, every drop of sweat, every hour, minute and second that was spent on her was worth it 10 times over. To see her come from the miserable creature she was, to be restored to her former proud self was our reward.

Now, I am waiting for my next Proud Mary to come.

Goodbye old girl, you deserved a better life than you had, gave more than you took and left a footprint bigger than your hoof on my heart.