Having horses as pets might seem like a romantic idea, but the upkeep needed for these animals, both financially and physically, is beyond compare. Ben, who had raised animals all his life as a child living on a farm and now as an adult, knew these realities very well.
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And despite knowing all of that, he decided to finally invest in his lifelong dream of having a horse of his own. While Ben was prepared for the day-to-day upkeep, he had no idea that his horse would one day have him caught between a web of lies and sitting in front of police.
Horse Lover
As we have mentioned already, Ben had always wanted to raise horses. And after saving up for years, he finally was able to purchase a mare and named her Felicia. The two of them immediately bonded, and taking care of her became the highlight of Ben’s days.
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Felicia was a calm and confident horse who loved going on long walks. And while Ben had many other animals on his farm, his new mare seemed to display an impressive intellect that made the farmer feel like a proud father!
Wanting More
During his research, Ben discovered that horses were social animals, and keeping only one could negatively impact their health and mental health. But the farmer didn’t have enough money to buy another horse.
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Ideally, he would have preferred to get a stallion, so he could breed Felicia and him together to grow his collection naturally. But a quick look at the stallion prices and Ben became confident that this wasn’t a possibility for him.
New Idea
But he could see that Felicia looked rather lonely, and seeing her unhappy, motivated Ben to devise an innovative solution to his problem. After searching high and low, he finally found it. So Ben decided he would hire a stallion to mate with Felicia instead.
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This was common practice in the industry and was usually to create specific crossbreeds of horses. Still, Ben wasn’t looking for any particular traits except to provide Felicia with a companion and soon child.
The Perfect Match
So, he began looking high and low for the right fit. But, since this was a common practice, Ben soon found that hiring a stallion to impregnate Felicia wasn’t going to be an easy task either until he saw one ad.
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At the time, Ben had thought that the ad was professionally made, especially for the price. He was immediately impressed and called the number. Little did he know that he was about to throw himself into a living nightmare.
Meeting The Man
The man on the phone talked smoothly and confidently about the process and assured Ben that everything would be fine. The two of them arranged a date for the breeder to come and visit Ben’s farm.
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And everything did go as the breeder had mentioned. Felicia and the stallion mated together, and before Ben could even begin it worry, it was all over. The breeder got his payment and asked the farmer to schedule an ultrasound soon for Felicia to confirm the process.
First Ultrasound
Ben followed all the breeder’s instructions thoroughly. He loved Felicia and truly wanted the best for her, and the farmer had thought that this would be a happy medium. So, after two weeks, he called his local veterinarian and asked for an ultrasound.
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To his relief, Felicia was pregnant, and everything looked great. The veterinarian assured Ben that the foal was healthy, and so was Felicia. And only after hearing these words did Ben finally begin to relax.
Behaviour Changes
In the next few months, things progressed naturally. Ben called the breeder and told him about the successful outcome. He also was equally happy that everything was going smoothly.
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While Ben had been expecting some changes in Felicia as she progressed into her pregnancy, he wasn’t prepared for his mare to turn into a completely different animal. Instead, Felicia refused to sleep and walk around her stables.
Agitated
She also became very aggressive, not only towards strangers but even with Ben. The farmer had no idea what was wrong. He tried to calm the mare as much as possible, but Felicia only seemed to get worst.
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She became increasingly restless and hostile toward him and the other animals around her. Ben even called the Veterinarian to ask for advice but was told that mild personality changes were expected. While the farmer explained that this wasn’t mild, his concerns were still dismissed!
Getting Worried
Eleven months had passed, and Ben had utterly lost all hope of calming down Felicia. His mare was due to deliver any minute now. The farmer, who was inexperienced with horses and called the Vet to ask him for advice.
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But all the information he was given was to let mother nature run its course. While Ben appreciated the Vet’s calm attitude, his gut told him something was wrong, and soon he was about to be proven right.
Start Of Labour
One morning, as Ben was making his rounds around the farm, he noticed that Felicia was lying down rather oddly. When he tried to get closer to her, the mare tried to kick and bite the farmer!
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It is evident that Felicia was in pain, but Ben felt lost on how to help. He called the Veterinarian again, and after explaining everything, he was told that his mare might have started her labor and thus needed privacy.
The Buldge
While logic and the Veterinarian told him not to panic, Ben was not reassured. He returned to the stables and slowly got close to Felicia. He wanted to help her and needed to see what was going on.
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This time, Felicia seemed calm, and as Ben slowly stroked her swollen belly to ease her pain, he noticed an odd bulge he had never seen or felt before. It was unnaturally shaped, and seeing it, immediately alarmed the farmer.
Asking For Help
Ben rushed back out and asked the Veterinarian to come and visit his farm as soon as possible. He explained the bulge and expected the Vet to give him another speech about staying calm, but to his surprise, the Vet agreed with Ben.
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Even the Vet thought this bulge was odd and decided to come and assist Felicia in her birth and investigate further into her health. The Vet asked Ben to return and try to comfort the mare as much as possible.
Vet Visit
Ben had worked with the Veterinarian for years and had always been a calm and jolly man, but as soon as he saw Felicia, he turned stoic. Ben had never seen him this way and knew something was very wrong.
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With the Vet’s tone completely changed, the only thing he said was: “I have to do an ultrasound right away.” Ben was more anxious than ever since Felicia became harder to control with each passing minute.
A Tough Call
The veterinarian gave Ben a hard choice to make. They could try to hold down Felicia for the ultrasound and birth physically but could risk injuring themselves and the mare, or the Vet could sedate her.
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Sedation was risky because the drugs could cause further complications during labor. Also, since the Vet had no idea the reason behind Felicia’s pain, this could inadvertently make things worse.
Sedation
Ben loved Felicia with his whole heart, but he knew there was no way that the Vet would be able to control the mare in this condition. So, with a heavy heart, he asked the Vet to sedate her.
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Thankfully though, the drugs worked in minutes, and soon the veterinarian got a clear picture of the bulge and the foal. Finally, after months of pain and anxiety, Ben got the answers he was looking for.
Calling The Police
The bulge was a hidden tracking chip! This was wholly illegal, and while Ben had no idea it was even there, the veterinarian wasn’t convinced. He told the farmer that he needed to call the police!
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The horse- owner was left in shock. Did the Vet think that Ben had somehow tried to harm Felicia? But before he could even think of questioning the veterinarian, he heard the distinct sirens of a police car near his property.
Answering Questions
Twenty minutes later, two police officers were sitting in front of Ben, asking him these bizarre questions. First, they asked him where he had bought Felicia’s form and why he wanted a mare.
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It was only when Ben mentioned the breeder he had used did the police finally seem to believe him. And to his surprise, they had a picture of him, but it was a mugshot! So this breeder had an insidious criminal history!
Criminal
It turns out he had targeted Felicia and had planted the tracking device to come back and steal her. If it weren’t for Ben constantly being worried about his mare, the breeder would have definitely succeeded at doing so.
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While the police questioned Ben, Felicia gave birth to a healthy colt! While the farmer was heartbroken that he had missed the delivery, he was equally relieved that this was over! Thankfully, his mare was doing fine, and so was the colt!
New Life
The veterinarian also removed the chip from Felicia, and the police used it to track the breeder and arrested him again. And with the chip gone, the mare returned to her usual calm and caring personality.
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Ben couldn’t have been happier. While his way to adding another member to his collection was far more traumatic than he could have imagined, in the end, he was grateful that both Felicia and the colt were safe and healthy.
This story is a work of fiction created for entertainment. Characters and events are the products of the author’s imagination. The images shown are used for illustration only.