It started out a sad day for a horse trainer at a Friesland stable in northern Netherlands. Yvonne Horjus, 37, who trains and cares for a beautiful, black mare who was pregnant, had not expected the equine would have such a complicated birth. The mare delivered a stillborn in late May, 2021.
Yet fortuitously, Yvonne had a friend who knew of an orphaned foal in need of a mother of his own. He was ready for adoption right away.
Yvonne began to feel hopeful, despite the mare’s miscarriage. The horse trainer and her friend believed that, bringing the two equines together, they would become a happy family duo; giving the mare another chance at motherhood, and the foal a foster mom.
The mare, Uniek, was obviously saddened to see her deceased baby, named Star, carried away. However, Yvonne noted that the horse’s grief soon passed. Uniek seemed at peace within a few days after her stillborn was gone.
“When we took Star away from her, she was upset at first. Later she was looking for him,” Yvonne told The Epoch Times. “And afterwards she was very calm. I did not expect that.”
Serendipitously, Yvonne got a call from her friend Eef an hour after Star died. The friend told her about the orphaned foal, and he was brought to the stable and introduced to Uniek three days later. They bonded right away.
“Uniek was so happy,” said Yvonne. “She was dancing in her stall. When they smell each other, it really was love at first sight.”
Uniek, also known as “Queen Uniek,” is a bit of a star, and even has her own social media following. The whole ordeal of her miscarriage to becoming a foster mom was captured on video, which is featured on Friesian Horses YouTube channel. Uniek’s video has gathered over 9 million views to date, since being posted on May 27, 2021.
Yvonne shared that she, too, felt loss after Uniek’s miscarriage.
“It was the first foal I did breed on my own,” she said. “I didn’t expect this would happen. So first I was really sad.”
Yet, she was uplifted to see both horses’ fates turn into the perfect ending. “I felt so, so happy for them!” said Yvonne. “It’s so special a foal can be raised by another mom. And it did succeed right away.”
With the help of their YouTube subscribers, Queen Uniek’s foster foal was given a name: Rising Star.
Friesian Horses also has an Instagram and TikTok account, showcasing the journey of the new foster-horse family of two.
Since the day they were brought together, Uniek has been joyfully occupied raising her son, with support from caregivers at the stable. Her destiny as a mother mare has been realized, thanks to a serendipitous spring day in a stable in Friesland.
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