Get To Know Me – Bertina
Bertina joined us off a farm in New York. She is a smaller Belgian mare. She is blind in her left eye and has severe ring bone arthritis in her right hind. She has definitely put her time in work wise.
Bertina is pals with Patty and is happier with a group than on her own.
Her name when she arrived was Bert. At the time, we had another Belgian mare on the farm named Bert. (You would be surprised at how popular the name “Bert” is for Belgian mares.)
We try not to change their names if we know them, so we added on to her name and ended up with Bertina. It fits.
Bertina can be shy around people and particularly around her face. She is blind on the side we all commonly reach for which will still startle her. We are very consistent about speaking with her first and touching her neck before her face.
Once she is comfortable, she would be happy to be groomed for hours.
Interestingly, when we have had photographers at the barn to volunteer with calendar photos or other marketing pictures, they can’t seem to get away from her. It’s quite comical really. She follows them around and wants to be in every single picture.
Bertina has the most professional quality photos of any of our horses in her apparent portfolio.
Bertina’s future is all about retirement. Her days of work are done. <3
Draft Gratitude is a draft horse rescue in Winchester, New Hampshire. Founded in 2014, we are an all volunteer profit organization. We focus on giving senior working horses a second chance and a place to call home.
