Annie Gets Her Love

Content warning: a photo of a shotgun wound Annie suffered prior to coming to Humane Colorado’s Harmony Equine Center is featured in this article.

At our Harmony Equine Center in Franktown, our expert teams provide critical care and rehabilitation to horses and other equines who have experienced abuse and neglect. Most of these horses arrive at our doors in desperate need, suffering from malnutrition, injury and disease, and an absence of love and dignity that all animals deserve. More often than not, the people in their lives have failed them. And yet, not a day goes by that we are not amazed and humbled by their resilience; their capacity to survive; and their sheer willingness, however gradual, to trust.

May is Adopt a Horse Month! To celebrate, we’re sharing an update on one of our most memorable equine adoptions, Annie Oakley.

Not long ago, on a cold winter’s night, a horse named Gingersnap came to Harmony in pain from an open shotgun wound larger than a silver dollar in her neck. We were told she was shot after wandering one too many times onto a neighbor’s property in search of the feed she wasn’t getting at home. During Gingersnap’s initial exam, our field services veterinarian carefully removed the duct tape that someone had used as a makeshift bandage after packing her wound with aloe. This was likely the only treatment she had ever received since the shooting occurred.

Over the next seven months, our team of Harmony caregivers flushed Gingersnap’s painful wound multiple times every day, patiently waiting for her injury and spirit to heal. Radiographs showed that the homemade shell used in the incident left a permanent scattering of metal behind. Despite all she had endured, Gingersnap seemed to enjoy everything that came with her various treatments, particularly the cookies, neck scratches, and gentle connections shared with others. These essential comforts, absent from her life for far too long, allowed her sweet and funny nature to shine through. While her wound slowly closed, her heart was beginning to open.

It didn’t take long for staff and volunteers to fall head over hooves in love with Gingersnap – or to see her incredible potential. She was a natural friend to other equines as well, providing supportive solace to new, feral, and ailing horses on the property. Recognizing her knack for helping others feel safe, our teams would often turn her out in pens and pastures with horses who were struggling or having a difficult time adjusting. One of her favorite pastimes was being near pregnant mares during the foaling process; each time a new baby was born, Gingersnap was glued to the fence line to watch them take their fist steps.

Shortly after her wound fully healed, Gingersnap was adopted by Sarah and her fiancé, a couple who have since changed her name to Annie Oakley. They knew Annie’s friendly personality, temperament, and training would make her an ideal partner for Sarah and her work as an Animal Control Officer.

This past May, Sarah enrolled Annie in the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Patrol Academy, where she passed her evaluations with flying colors and became a certified mounted patrol horse. Today, she assists Sarah with search and rescue efforts, local park patrols, and special events throughout the community.

When she isn’t working with Sarah in Jefferson County, you can often find Annie thriving on trails and helping inexperienced riders and other horses feel at ease.

“Annie is my hero,” said Sira, one of our dedicated Harmony trainers who played an instrumental role in her recovery.