Meet Mae Lee
Mae Lee
Arrived 31st October 2015
Passed 5th November 2019
We’re sad to say that on the day of the Melbourne Cup, November 5, 2019, we lost a dear old mare, Mae Lee, an elder horse who arrived only a few years ago with only one eye, who died on her own terms and with her head resting gently in Alan Gent’s arms, her one good eye soulfully gazing upward into his. He was the last human being she saw and felt after a life where -although she lived to be in her 30’s-was a life no horse should be subjected to.
As is common for horses raised for sport, Mae won many thousands of dollars for her owners and when she was retired, they on many occasions organized Mae to become pregnant hoping for another successful trotter for financial gain.
With her first dentist treatment here at the sanctuary, the dentist could not help becoming angry and said that this mouth is a total disgrace. Alan and one of the sanctuary volunteers, Helen, was a witness to this. The two years before she died the dentist could only do so much because of the severity of the past neglect.
Prior to her life at Calan, Mae’s day were spent under continual harrassment by three geldings sharing the same paddock. She had dreadfully sore hooves and her only good eye was covered in flies. As she sought shelter from the shade of trees and went to the soak for a drink the three geldings did their most to move her away.
The only kindness Mae had known was through the hands of a kind horse lady who used to put a fly veil on her when traveling to work and remove it on her way home.
From the very moment she arrived at our place, she was NO trouble and was perfect in all ways from trimming to feeding, because she was definitely the true Matriarch and received immediate respect from the rest of the Calan herd. Our boys Vinnie, Big Ben and Brodie were heart broken when she died on the 5/11/2019.
On that morning upon Alan checking the herd around 5.30 AM he noticed she was laying on the ground which was not the first time but when she was still down some time later he drove over on the quad bike and noticed her breathing was not quite as strong as usual. Alan, leaning onto the bike, said “I gently lifted her dear head onto my lap and slowly she passed away on my lap. Because there was no signs of a struggle to get up all indications were that her long life of 34 years had come to an end. When a horse dies here it leaves a huge gap and I can honestly say it remains there for ever.”
We honor and respect you dear Mae. May your journey across the heavens lead you to abundant waters, shade trees and the good company of your own kind. Rest in Peace with the others who have left their hoofprints on our hearts.
Alan Gent