Woman Buys Prize Mare And Told It’s Not What She Thinks
The call left Mary reeling. She had placed so much stock in the horse and now felt like a fool. It had been months of attempts to breed and still no success.
She began to suspect foul play and turned to the vet for reassurance. Instead, his examination revealed the truth and it was a deeply unsettling one.
A Passion
Mary Lewis was a lover of all animals since she was a little girl. Of all the creatures in the world she adored so much, horses were by far her favorite. This was unsurprising as she had grown up on her father’s horse ranch.
Mary’s love for these graceful animals sometimes bordered on obsession and she had also inherited her father’s talent and passion for breeding racehorses. She was successful and astute at selecting and raising prize horses. That was until she came across one that brought her a lot of grief.
No Girls Allowed
Mary’s initial forrays into the horsebreeding world taught her some harsh lessons. The most glaring one was that this was still very much a male-dominated industry.
Her father fit right in with this “boys club” mentality but Mary faced a lot of resistance to her inclusion. Earning her place among them was going to take a lot of resilience but Mary was also a very determined young woman at the time and soon found a way to distinguish herself.
A Rare Talent
Mary’s deep affinity and connection to horses gave her a unique talent. She was able to establish and perfect a sterling bloodline that resulted in a prize stallion. It took her over a decade but that horse made her name and also won her a $100,000.00 prize.
The money didn’t even come close to recouping the investment and resources it took to breed it but it did give her something more valuable. Through it, she was finally vindicated for her talent and proved that she belonged.
Her career seemed set but then one horse threatened to derail it before it even really took off.
A Difficult Road
Over the years, it took a lot of grit and determination to make a name for herself. Unable to afford professional trainers and groomers, Mary awoke at 3am every morning to attend to every aspect of the horses’ care herself.
There wasn’t much time for anything else and caring for her father’s farm consumed all her time and energy. She had high hopes and set herself a goal of reaching the rare distinction of being a breeder that consistently produced winning thoroughbreds.
That was when the fateful mare first caught her attention.