By KATH GANNAWAY
CANDY, the 34-year-old Hoddles Creek horse that was at the centre of a dramatic rescue last year, has gone to the big paddock in the sky.
Candy was given very little chance of pulling through when she was found lying on the cold ground, her legs caught up in fallen tree branches and vines on a cold, wet evening in May last year.
The alarm was raised by owners Mitchell Farmer and his mother Dorothy when she didn’t show up for her daily pat and bucket of feed.
She was discovered in a bad way, cold, frightened and on a steep, slippery slope.
The Upper Yarra SES and local community members joined them, along with equine veterinarian Dr Simon Bray, to get her back on her feet, and she responded beautifully.
The process was technically and physically super challenging, but no-one, least of all Candy was willing to give up, and it paid off.
SES volunteer Russell Wulf, a farrier, said he was regularly asked about Candy and how she was getting on.
Dr Bray described Candy at the time as “a real battler”, a characteristic that one of Candy’s carers, Sarah Marshall, said described her brilliantly right up until last week when the decision was made to end her suffering.
Sarah said in human years she would have been over 100.
“She had progressed really well after the rescue, but the harsh winter took its toll.
“She had been well looked after, very loved, but was really struggling.
“Between all of us, we made the kind decision for her,” she said.
Dr Bray was called in, once again, and Sarah said she “left this earth peacefully and while she still had some pride and dignity left”.
