Horse that has helped others now needs a hand

By MIKE HARDEN ©2006 The Columbus Dispatch The friends of Sweet Adeline would disagree with the dopey lyrics of the theme song of the old sitcom Mister Ed. Sometimes a horse is not just a horse. "Sweet Adeline saved my life," said Barbara Ries, of the West Side. The saga of the 4-year-old appaloosa mare is writ large with healing, heroism and hurt - in that order. In November 2002, Ries was with Sweet Adeline in a barn near the Union County village of York Center when a tornado struck. Adeline, at the time, was one of the younger steeds at Serendipity Stables, a 20-year-old organization that is home to several horses that work with children who have emotional and behavioral problems. "Adeline has worked with autistic children," said Serendipity's founder, Michele Davis. "She has worked with children with ADD and behavioral problems." When the twister struck two autumns ago, many believe that the healing horse became a hero. Thirteen people were in the barn with Adeline. "They tried to run and get out of the barn and escape," Davis said. "If they had made it outside, their chances of getting killed would have been much greater. "Adeline held them there." Essentially, the horse shepherded the small group against a wall which, after the storm, was the only wall left standing. "She wanted us all to stay right next to her," Ries recalled. "She risked her life." Two of Davis' most-experienced healing horses were killed. As for Adeline, Davis said, "she had a puncture wound on her stomach so large I could put my fist in it. There were big cleft marks all the way down her spine from where she had been hit by flying debris." The horse recovered and, ultimately, returned to her work with troubled youngsters. Recently, though, another storm struck Serendipity. Adeline was in the barn at the time. Unsettled by the hammering hail and the thunder, the mare either slammed her right rear leg against the side of a stall or, possibly, was kicked when another horse panicked. Whatever the case, her leg was fractured, and ligaments were torn at the hock, which corresponds to the human ankle joint. The veterinarian who reviewed X-rays of the break and the bone chips said it looked like the leg had been hit with a sledge hammmer. On Monday, Adeline was taken to Galbreath Equine Center at Ohio State University. "We had no idea the injuries were so immense," Davis said. "In general," said Dr. Richard Bednarski, director of the Ohio State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, "the prognosis is very poor. The hock is just really screwed up." Surgery is set for Tuesday, but Bednarski is not optimistic. "It will be a miracle if this surgery is successful in returning the horse to normal function," he said. "But people have said that this is a miracle horse and that if any horse is due a miracle, this one is - simply for what she's done and the life she's lived." But the problem is compounded by money woes. The surgery is expected to cost $5,000 to $8,000, Bednarski said. The hospital has agreed to knock $2,000 off the cost if Davis can raise $2,000 before the surgery, he said. Davis has poured most of her money into the costs of rebuilding that were not covered by insurance. She hopes friends of Adeline will help. "We're going for broke on this one," she said. "Adeline has really done her best for the two-legged, and so now we're hoping that some of them will give back to her." Mike Harden is a Dispatch Metro columnist. He can be reached at 614-461-5215 or by e-mail. mharden@dispatch.com

Special thanks to the Columbus Dispatch  for use  Mike Harden's article. 

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