1980 chestnut thoroughbred mare. Owner Barb Jensen.

SISU means “perseverance” in Finnish. She was one of the 19 horses rescued on August 5, 1996. At the time the rescuers arrived, she was down and had to be lifted by 4 people. With abscesses in diagonal legs, standing was very painful. As she stepped off the trailer, my first thought was that I had never seen a horse that thin. Virtually every bone was visible. I don’t know what was more disturbing: her emaciated body, or the despair in her eye.

Now she has a gleam in her eye. She has taken to jumping beautifully, and is 100% honest. With her long stride, she covers ground effortlessly. She is a wonderful teacher! These days, her only worry is when her best friend BELLE is out of sight.