15 Stories of Care • Celebrating 15 Years of Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue
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If you’ve been with Gentle Spirit Horses long enough, you probably remember Jackie — the strong, opinionated Paint mare who could win people over without ever meaning to. She wasn’t dainty. She wasn’t soft. She wasn’t the type of horse who greeted you at the fence. In fact, many people left after their first visit saying something along the lines of, “I don’t think I like Jackie.”
And then, a month or two later, the same people would admit she had somehow become one of their favorites.
Jackie, registered as Skipa Cash Prize, was that kind of horse — full of personality, full of opinions, and full of surprises.
But nothing Jackie ever did compares to the surprise she gave us in 2012.
Jackie came to us that spring along with a stallion named Duke. Their owner had passed away, and his widow was being asked to move to town. She refused to leave until she knew her horses were safe.
We promised we’d take them in so she could move forward with peace, and Jackie and Duke arrived at the rescue soon after.
Getting them off the trailer was a story in itself. They were both big horses, and the older straight-load trailer was narrow enough that they were practically wedged in side by side. It took patience, skill, and careful maneuvering to get them unloaded safely — a good preview of the kind of partnership Jackie would always require.
Duke was gelded quickly and went on to be adopted into a loving home. Jackie, however, was 19 years old, strong, healthy, and—according to the family—long done having foals. Still, before we could consider adoption, we needed to make sure she wasn’t accidentally in foal.
And that’s where Jackie’s real story begins.
In late May of 2012, Jackie was palpated and — surprise! — confirmed in foal with a sizable baby already developing. Our vets estimated she would deliver by late July or early August.
So we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
By the end of August, we were getting nervous. By September, we were bewildered. By October, we had her checked again — everything appeared fine, though the vet did note the foal’s knees were “the size of grapefruits,” which did nothing to calm our nerves. By mid-November she had bagged up slightly, then just… stayed there.
Given the size of the foal and the dropping temperatures, Jackie moved to the vet clinic to await delivery, just in case things went sideways. Every day the vet would call with the same report:
“She looks about two weeks out.”
And every day, Jackie simply enjoyed her private suite, her extra attention, and her comfortable accommodations.
Finally, on December 18, 2012 — about 406 days after conception — Jackie delivered her foal sometime between the 4:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. checks. No drama. No warning. No fanfare. She was completely normal at 4:00, and by 7:30 the foal (whom we named Sheldon) was standing beside her, nursing, bright-eyed, strong… and absolutely enormous. After years of loudly colored paint horses, Sheldon was a solid black - looking a lot like his mother. We liked to joke that he baked so long he burnt his spots off.
Jackie and Sheldon went to a new home together when he was about four months old, and when Sheldon was weaned and thriving, Jackie returned to GSH for retirement. She was bonded deeply with Tommy, who passed about a year before she did, and later with Dudley, whom we also lost to old age. After that, she kept more to herself, comfortable in her independence.
And though she was strong and smart, Jackie had her quirks. She considered it a personal mission to test Nina every six months or so, usually with a well-timed threat of a kick. Trimming her feet was a challenge thanks to arthritis in her hips from a lifetime of foals. Even heavily sedated, she had Opinions.
But those quirks were exactly what made people love her. Jackie was never a soft horse — she was a true matriarch.
In June of 2021, her 26-year-old body began to fail her. She could no longer absorb nutrients, and despite every treatment we attempted, she declined quickly. When her eyes told us she was tired and her body confirmed what her spirit already knew, we made the difficult, loving decision to let her go.
Her passing was peaceful, and she left behind a deep legacy — and a very large hole in our hearts.
Jackie’s story still matters because it reminds us of three important truths:
First impressions aren’t always accurate. Some horses take time to reveal who they are.
Rescue isn’t just crisis intervention — it’s commitment through every stage of life.
When an older horse rapidly loses weight despite correct care, it’s often an end-of-life medical issue, not a failure of management. Recognizing this early and responding with compassion is one of the hardest, most important parts of good horsemanship. Old horses should not be skinny with good management, and weight loss despite excellent care
Jackie made us better caretakers — and better people.
Jackie is one of the 15 stories we’re highlighting as we count down to Giving Tuesday — stories that shaped our rescue, taught us lessons, and remind us what it truly means to Dare to Care.
If Jackie’s story moved you, we hope you’ll join us in honoring her and the many horses like her.
Help us continue saying “yes” to the horses who need us most:
👉 https://givebutter.com/neighitforward