Isis

Isis, the Egyptian goddess of nature and magic, came to Horses of Tir Na Nog in April of 2010. She was rescued as a stray by County of San Diego Department of Animal Services in March 2010, in Lakeside. At the time, she was underweight and her feet required farrier care. The staff at Animal Services provided the care she needed.

However, during her time at Animal Services, soreness in her feet led to a veterinary exam and a diagnosis of ringbone, a degenerative osteoarthritis that can affect the coffin joint or the pastern joint. As an unrideable horse, she was no longer considered a candidate for adoption, and arrangements were made to transfer Isis to Horses of Tir Na Nog in April of 2010. Isis was a gorgeous Arabian mare.

She came into our care with significant fear issues that resulted in responses that were often unsafe. We do not know the original causes of her fear responses, but given the degree of her responses, there is little doubt that Isis had experienced horrible handling. As a result, she was not included in our general volunteer program. However, over the years, special volunteers were drawn to her and helped her to soften and trust them. This was always heartwarming to see. In the summer of 2015, we began to notice a decline in Isis, a loss of her spark and an increased discomfort.

As Isis continued to decline, our veterinarians determined that she was suffering from metabolic deterioration. Based on her decline we felt that this was fairly acute and that it was impacting her quality of life, and on August 21, 2015 Isis was humanely euthanized.. In Egyptian mythology, it is believed that Isis’s tears of sorrow flooded the Nile every year. In contrast, we believe that as our Isis crossed the Rainbow Bridge, she left behind all of her sorrow and all of her fear. All that she carried with her across the bridge were memories of love and care, memories provided to her by the volunteers and caretakers at Horses of Tir Na Nog.