Horse Grieving the Loss of Her Best Friend Finds New Equine Pal [Video]

A chance encounter in the rescue world has brought healing to a horse devastated over the death of her longtime partner.

For a dozen years, Beja and Stone had grazed peacefully together, the only horses remaining in the pastures of Dogwood Farm, an open-air dog boarding facility and rescue center in the Maryland countryside. The two horses ended up in the permanent care of Dogwood Farm proprietor Diane Wood when a man boarding a herd of 17 horses removed 15 and abandoned Beja and Stone.

Decades of animal rescue work have given Wood a sense of obligation to unwanted animals. For 16 years, she has volunteered and fostered with a local organization, PetConnect; she says she has found homes for more than 600 dogs. Now, these two horses needed her, and she vowed to provide love and keep them safe despite her relative inexperience with horses.

Wood could instantly see …