Home North Carolina: Corolla Wild Horse Fund makes decision to euthanize elderly mare Mocha
State/National News

North Carolina: Corolla Wild Horse Fund makes decision to euthanize elderly mare Mocha

Rebecca Barnabi
Courtesy of Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

Declining health required a decision by the Corolla Wild Horse Fund yesterday to euthanize a mare named Mocha in her late 20s.

The Fund shared on Facebook today that Mocha had slowed down in the last several months and on Monday night or early Tuesday morning was seen lying down by contractors working on a house.

“They did the right thing and reported it to us, and once we determined that she was definitely unable to get back up we called our vet who made the trip across the sound to humanely euthanize her. She died peacefully and quietly, and was laid to rest in a safe, secluded spot in the place that had been her home for her entire life. This is what we hope for every wild horse in the herd,” the Fund wrote on Facebook.

Mocha lived most of her life in the marsh and was not often seen by humans, according to the Fund. Blind in one eye, she lived life tough and wild.

“She was the kind of horse you feel guilty touching even after death, because she would have never wanted nor tolerated that in life. This morning there was a rainbow right over the spot where Mocha died. We’d like to think it was a thank-you for respecting her wildness and letting her live and die with the dignity she deserved, and a reminder to stay hopeful for the future of this herd. Rest easy, Mocha.”

The Fund thanked Tab Winborne Corp. for transporting its veterinarian quickly back and forth to where Mocha lay yesterday and easing some of the stress of a difficult situation.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.

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