NEWS
'A long road to recovery': Filly on the mend after falling out of trailer on I-40
Luna, who was most likely headed to a slaughterhouse, now gets a second chance at life
STANLEY 鈥 At the New Mexico Horse Rescue at Walkin N Circles Ranch on Tuesday, trainer Katelynn Henderson walked into 2-year-old Luna鈥檚 stall.
鈥淗ey, little girl,鈥 she said.
Luna, a bay roan filly with cuts and abrasions on her body, stood and calmly turned her head toward Henderson.
While Luna did not do much other than acknowledge Henderson, the fact she is still alive, New Mexico Horse Rescue Executive Director Mark Preiss said, 鈥渋s kind of amazing.鈥
Last month, Luna fell off of a trailer on Interstate 40, a few miles east of Albuquerque. She was hurt, scared and in danger. Several people got her off the road, and the took Luna in, giving her another chance at life.
鈥淪he still has a long road to recovery, but she鈥檚 safe, healing and surrounded by people committed to her future,鈥 said Lauri Michael, New Mexico Horse Rescue board president.
鈥楽he was very scared鈥
At about 8:30 a.m. March 3, New Mexico State Police responded to a call of a horse that fell out of a trailer on eastbound I-40 near Tijeras, NMSP spokesperson Wilson Silver said.
Officer Dean Carroll said he was heading west on I-40 when he saw 鈥渁 horse right in the middle of the road.鈥
鈥淭he horse looked like (they were) panicking and had a wound on her eye and scrapes all over her legs,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t looked like she was very scared, distressed and we were trying to contain her.鈥
Carroll and several others 鈥 including members of the New Mexico Livestock Board 鈥 tried to corral Luna but she 鈥減anicked鈥 and went up a hill off the interstate. A man from Edgewood tried to put a rope around Luna, but 鈥渢here was no way she was going to have any part of it,鈥 Carroll said.
Eventually, they cornered Luna at a nearby bridge off the interstate. She calmed down and was put on a trailer, he said.
鈥淭he fact that she didn鈥檛 break any bones is astounding,鈥 Preiss said.
While it is unclear who Luna belonged to, Carroll said he learned that a driver hauling a trailer with other horses was heading to a slaughterhouse when the trailer gate opened and Luna fell out.
鈥淎nd that鈥檚 why the guy didn鈥檛 stop,鈥 he said. 鈥淗e slammed the trailer closed and just took off (and) we weren鈥檛 able to locate him.鈥
Despite being posted as a found horse through the New Mexico Livestock Board, Michael said no one claimed her and the horse rescue decided to take Luna in.
Replacing fear with trust
When Luna arrived at the ranch, Preiss said 鈥渨e knew she needed immediate attention鈥 but she wouldn鈥檛 allow anyone to touch her.
鈥淲e tried to get shots in her so she can sit,鈥 he said. 鈥淪he wouldn鈥檛 go for that, so we brought in a (tranquilizer) gun, which sedated her and we were able to clean all her wounds before she came to.鈥
In the first few days, Luna just stood in a corner inside her stall. She was 鈥渞eally shut down,鈥 Henderson said.
鈥淚t was kind of hard to see a horse like that, knowing what she鈥檚 been through and then seeing how wary she was of us,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 always difficult, knowing that she probably had a rough time coming here and really wanting to empathize with her and help her kind of reach a point of having some contentment and she鈥檚 definitely getting there.鈥
In the past month, Luna 鈥 named for the lunar eclipse that occurred March 3 鈥 has grown more comfortable with humans each day, Henderson said.
鈥淪he (used to) turn away from me, wanting to be very guarded, pinning her ears back,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd now, I go in there and she鈥檚 looking at me more and more. She鈥檚 wanting to walk toward me. I can see her kind of reaching out and wanting to touch 鈥 She鈥檚 the one that鈥檚 really wanting to come to me now, which is great to see.鈥
Preiss said the horse shelter would like to eventually put a halter on Luna and train her.
She would make a good riding horse for a teenager or high school student, he said, 鈥渂ut the first step is just getting that fear replaced with trust.鈥
Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.