Boots crunch in the leaves, signaling the start of a new work day. Maria is the owner of New Day Ranch, a sanctuary for horses of all kinds. She wakes up every morning at dawn to take care of the dozen horses that reside at the Ranch. It's almost winter and she wanted the horses to enjoy their time outside before it snowed. Maria opened the stables to let the horses out to pasture accompanied by her two dogs Max and Twilly. She pulled them by the bridle, two at a time until the six sleeping inside were released into the fenced fields. Max and Twilly ran out, barking as they chased each other through the leaves. Maria walked lazily along the wooden fence until something strange caught her eye. At first she thought there was a whole section of fence near the end missing, but she knew that couldn't be the case. Slightly worried, she approached the gap and saw that one of the boards had been knocked over. She picked it up, the wood soaked. Maria put the board back in place when she realized there was blood on it; his hands were covered with it. Fearful, she looked for her horses. In the fields there were two stallions, six mares, a foal and two colts. After taking a count, she realized that one of her mares was missing, a Cleveland Bay named Aida. She climbed the fixed fence and ran to the tree line, hoping Aida didn't wander too far away. Having no luck, she whistled for her dogs to come and the two collies came running. With her dogs, she traveled through the woods, Twilly walking further, her paws making perfect prints in the mud. It was easy for them to run through the mud and jump over roots and branches, but for Maria it was a struggle. After several minutes... middle of paper ... move forward. The mare's ears rested against her head and she roared in aggression and fear as she tried to force her way out. Chris stroked her neck to try to calm her down. Trying again, Maria pulled on the rope and Chris tried to motivate her to come out. He managed to tear off both of her back legs, seeing a large scratch that she had received while jumping over the fence. “Come on, girl.” Chris trained and the mare, with a burst of energy, broke free. The dogs barked and Maria did her best to get them out of the mud. They were both relieved to finally be able to free Aida. Chris gave the mare a carrot and helped Maria wipe the mud off her. After the treatment, Maria threw a blanket over the horse's back and walked her home. The two accompanied her to the stables, cleaned her up and repaired the cut on her leg, the frightened mare now warm and safe from her horrific ordeal..