It is hard to believe that our little Zhen Zhen is now ten! Her story began when Qianli Ma (pronounced chin li ma aw) came to us from County of San Diego Department of Animal Services at the end of January 2014. In November of 2013, Animal Services rescued her as a stray in Boulevard, California.
At the time, she was within yards of the U.S. Mexico Border. A notch in her left ear lead to speculation that she somehow managed to cross the border into the U.S., in spite of the boulder barriers set up to prevent this. At the time of her rescue she was underweight, covered in ticks, and in need of foot care. Qianli Ma has abnormalities in the alignment of her right front leg that causes the joints to line up poorly and causes a lack symmetry. This was likely a birth defect, but it resulted in her right hoof becoming overgrown in a very unusual shape. Fortunately for her, beneath the overgrowth, she has an otherwise healthy foot. However, the leg abnormalities mean she should not ridden. She arrived close to Chinese New Year which began on January 31, 2014, the Year of the Horse. As a result, this girl receive a Chinese name. Qianli Ma was chosen, meaning a horse that covers a thousand li a day. In traditional Chinese, it was a complimentary name given to a remarkably capable person, a person of great talent. Based on her journey, she is truly, Qianli Ma, a very capable horse in spite of the challenges life has presented her. Once in our care Qianli Ma gained weight steadily. On April 27, 2014, her weight shifted dramatically, leading to the diagnosis of a late-term, high risk pregnancy. Twelve days later, on May 9, Qianli Ma defied the odds and gave birth to a healthy filly. At a special 100 Day Celebration in August 2014, the little filly was given the name Zhen Zhen, meaning, “Very precious.” The name was chosen by our donors and could not be more perfect for our special girl. Today Zhen Zhen lives with Deveny’s Ruckus (on right in photos) and shares turnout time with her best friend Sweeney (on left). We hope you will join us in wishing Zhen Zhen a happy tenth birthday. You are invited to purchase a bag of rice bran (her favorite part of every meal) in celebration of this special girl.
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