+ PET LOVER ARA ALWAYS DREAMED OF OWNING A Percheron, though she never imagined saving one. “All my life, I wanted a black beauty,” she said. “I love their large necks and how docile they are. They are one of those breeds that are low key.” When friends at the barn her son rode at heard of a Percheron for sale at an auction house, Tara was the first person they thought of who could save her. “They told me she would get sent to a slaughterhouse, or I could adopt her.”
T TARA AND PORTIA
There wasn’t much time to decide, so Tara and Bryan, the horse’s other owner, bought the horse sight unseen. “We were told she would be alright despite having some problems,” Tara said. However, the horse they purchased was not at all what they were expecting. Instead of the large stature Tara loved, she received a very underweight, under 800 pound equine with no mane or tail and extensive hoof problems. “She was a plow horse, and they believe she was left to starve after she injured her hoof.” Despite her appearance, Tara and Bryan weren’t about to give up on the horse now named Portia. Two years later, Portia weighs over 1,700 pounds and loves her new home despite challenging health problems she will face for the rest of her life. “She is missing a third of her coffin bone, which is usually a death sentence, but she learned to compensate for it,” Bryan said. “Eventually, we want to fit her with a heart-bar shoe, which will put pressure along the outside of her foot and provide relief.” Portia will continue to need frequent farrier visits and veterinary assistance to maintain as much comfort in her foot as possible. While Tara dreamed of having a Percheron to ride, Portia’s circumstances mean she will never be ridden. “I don’t mind that I can’t ride her. I love everything about her. I appreciate her kind soul and that she never gives up. After everything she has been through, she never stopped trying to survive. She wants to be here, and she’s only 11, so she has a long life ahead of her. I am willing to do whatever it takes to provide her with great years ahead. She is worth every expense.”
Portia by SAMANTHA ST.CLAIR
14 LANCASTER COUNTY PET
A spirited, giant beauty
Portia loves to eat and sleep, and she has a new job as a model. “She loves having her pictures taken,” Tara said. “Portia is so peaceful to be around, and she is always there to listen to anything you need to talk about.” While Portia isn’t the exact image Tara had in mind when she wanted a Percheron, Portia is precisely the horse meant to be in her life.
