SubscribeGift a Sub
Enable cache 100
Categories: Horse News

Surprise Foal Born Six Months After a Tragic Trailer Crash

Six months after an accident on Interstate 40 in Knoxville, Tennessee, some unexpected joy has emerged. The accident involved a trailer carrying 30 slaughter-bound horses. Nine of the horses died as a result of the crash, but several of the survivors got a second chance at life when they were taken in by Omega Horse Rescue in Pennsylvania.



One of the horses was adopted by Amy Neary, a Tennessee resident who helped with the surviving equines on the night of that tragic accident as part of her role as an emergency hauler for the University of Tennesse’s veterinary school. Neary named the black-and-white pinto mare Hope.



On April 12, Hope gave birth to a colt. Because Hope’s background was mostly unknown prior to her rescue, Neary and the staff at Omega hadn’t known that Hope was pregant, and the colt was a surprise. The foal, a medicine hat with a blue eye, is healthy, as is his mom. Neary has named him Freedom and calls him Freddy for short, according to a story from WBIR.com.


Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com

Leslie Potter

Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky. Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.

View Comments

Recent Posts

AHP Equine Industry Survey Returns in 2025

Horse owners who live in the United States, are 18 years of age and older, and currently own or manage…

2 days ago

Is My Horse Cold? – An Excerpt from Keeping Horses Outdoors by Iveta Jebáčková-Lažanská

Is your horse cold in the winter? The following excerpt from Keeping Horses Outdoors by Iveta Jebáčková-Lažanská helps answer that question…

2 days ago

ASPCA Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week: Hali

Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the…

3 days ago

Common Horse Training Mistakes

These four common horse training mistakes are easier to catch and correct when you’re aware of them. As a clinician,…

4 days ago

All About the American Warmblood

If you appreciate sport horses of many different breeding backgrounds, types and colors, the American Warmblood will unite you with…

6 days ago

Waste: ReImagined – ZahnTech Repurposes Waste for a Permanent Fencing Solution

LENNOX, S.D. — Every great innovation begins with a moment of clarity, and for ZahnTech's founder, Avery Zahn, it came…

1 week ago