Horse Illustrated Magazine

Zindita lost her foal.

The retired show jumper’s baby was stillborn, and while veterinarian Dr. Patrick Brogan was able to help the mare recover from the complicated delivery, he told CTVNews.ca, “She was so sad, and such a sweet horse.”

Just two days later, Dr. Brogan learned of an orphaned filly. Her mother had died due to complications during foaling. With two complementary sad stories occurring so close together, the idea to try to put the mare and the orphaned foal together was an obvious next step.

Of course, it isn’t always so simple. Mares who have lost foals won’t necessarily take to a new foal. They can even become aggressive. And the filly had already experienced a challenging first few days of life without a mom.

The result was better than anyone could have hoped. Zindita immediately demonstrated a maternal bond with the new filly. And while the pair will be monitored closely for the first few days, all signs are positive.

“From the second she was there, she just fell in love with [the filly],” said Dr. Brogan.

From two sad stories comes one very happy relationship between a mare and foal, and a beautiful photo that captures their incredible bond.