In the winter of 2005, Hope For Horses assisted Animal Control in the removal of nine severely neglected horses in Pierce County WA.   For months the animal control officers had been trying to get the owner to take better care of her horses to no avail.

When the warrant was written, there were ten horses, but by the time it was served, one had died of starvation.

It’s hard to imagine that the frightened skinny horse at the right is the same sleek beauty in the photo above.  It took months to restore her weight and heal the abscesses in her feet.  But Bean was a trooper.

You might be wondering about the origin of her name.  Shortly before Bean came into our lives, before we even knew about her in fact, a friend of Hope For Horses passed away from breast cancer.  She was an avid horsewoman and known to her friends as Jeanie Bean.  In memory of her, we decided to call the very next rescued mare by her nickname. 

About a year after Bean’s rescue, she went to live with her foster family.  At first, she was very anxious about being in a new home, but she soon settled in and became best pals with their other horse, Brew.   “Of course by then, we had fallen madly in love with her, and she became a permanent part of our family“ says Bean’s mom Kathy.  Today, Bean spends time riding in an arena and lots of time on trails, and letting the grandkids sit on her back when they come for visits.  “We couldn’t have asked for a better family member.  Thanks to Hope for Horses, we had this opportunity to add her to our family, and hope that other people will give rescued horses a chance to find their own families.”

Recently we checked in with Bean’s family and asked if she had ever been told the story behind her name.  “It's funny” she said, “because a friend of mine always calls Bean , Jeannie Bean    Somehow she felt that name belonged to her. Eerie, huh?” 

We think it’s the spirit of her namesake making sure all is right with the world.