Happy Birthday Whisper!

 Whisper turned twenty-two this month! She has one of the most horrific stories of abuse and one of the most powerful stories of recovery in Gentle Barn history. She was originally a trail horse, but was given to a rancher who used her to round up cows. Whisper had never met cows before, but she was open, smart, and willing to learn. Instead of teaching her, or giving her time to figure out what was being asked of her, her new owner beat her when she wouldn’t respond right away. No matter how hard Whisper tried to please him, she would end up being punished. The more she would defend herself by bucking or rearing up, the crueler her punishments. By the time we rescued her, Whisper had multiple cigar burns on her butt, open sores on her chest, and two deep, infected holes on either side of her from his spurs.
It took four years to get the anger out of Whisper. But with time, space, and lots of reassurance she finally set her past down and embraced her second chance with a family who would always respect her. I am blown away by her courage! She did not allow the darkness to envelop her. She did not let the anger destroy her. She did not allow her abuser to extinguish her light. She had a second chance and she took it. She had someone willing to trust her and she gave it. She had a chance to get rid of her anger and she did it. She had someone willing to love her and she loved back. She had a chance to be free and she embraced it. Whisper is, and always will be, my greatest hero and my biggest inspiration. Happy Birthday Whisper!
Come meet Whisper! The Gentle Barn is home to hundreds of animals rescued from abuse and neglect, and host to school field trips, private tours, birthday parties, and groups of at-risk, inner city, and special needs children. We are open to the public every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. so you can hug the cows, cuddle the turkeys, give the pigs tummy rubs, and hear their stories of resilience.
For more information, tickets and directions go to www.gentlebarn.org.