Diamond 'The Miracle Horse' Enjoys Mackinac Island Life

She calls her the "miracle horse" and so far, so good. Diamond, an almost jet-black mare, belongs to Lin Sheppard at British Landing. The horse managed to survive a serious malady this past winter.

Diamond is aptly named, for her only marking is a white diamond, square in the middle of her forehead.

A horse like Diamond served as the inspiration for a painting by local artist John Manikoff. John has donated this work of a rider and horse as a raffle ticket fundraiser for the Mackinac Horsemen's Association. Mr. Manikoff's works will be on display beginning this Saturday at the Mackinac Public Library. John's subjects on canvas are varied and wide ranging. He doesn't paint many horses, although he grew up with them in the summers he spent on Mackinac. It probably is not coincidental, after all, that he chose a horse with an uncanny resemblance to Mrs. Sheppard's Diamond, for Lin is John's sister, and the Manikoff family cottage is a corral's length away from that of the Sheppards.

Lin and her husband, Dave, brought Diamond to Mackinac four summers ago. The Sheppards purchased her from a Saline couple who actively ride. They had bought the mare for their teenage grandchildren who, as it turned out, didn't ride half as much as their grandparents. Diamond has been used in 4-H, both English and Western style. She had ridden on trails, in hunter paces, and knew how to jump. She stands a tad over 15 hands and is a Quarter Horse-American Mustang cross.

Lin Sheppard calls Diamond "a miracle horse." (Photograph by Lisa Largo Marsh)

The breed Mustang usually refers to a feral horse of the American West. In 1973, the Adopt-a-Horse program began in Montana as a humane method of wild horse and burro dispersal. Some adopters had problems taming the rebellious nature of these horses, who had lived for generations in the wild. Others had great success, and re-bred and re-introduced the stock into domesticated breeds such as the American Quarter Horse, Morgans, and Arabians. Diamond descended from this type of background. She is sweet, smart, and solid.

Most of the Mustang breed has both Spanish and French ancestral equine lineage. The horses stand between 14 to 15.3 hands. Most have thick tails, strong necks, and very hard hooves. They tend to be surefooted, have good coats, and are able to survive on scrub grasses. These animals tend to be easy keepers. All of the above is true in the case of Diamond.

In November 2006, however, Diamond foundered. She fell victim to an odd quirk that happens to horses, essentially a painful fever to horse's feet, and it more often than not destroys a horse's hoof or hooves. Diamond's founder was not owing to a lack of care, but rather to fate.

She spends the winter with her summer corral mates in Mackinaw City, at the Ostmans' horse farm. When the farm owners noticed that she seemed in distress by her stance and lack of movement, they quickly contacted the Sheppards, who live in Florida. The horse was hauled to a Straits area veterinarian for Xrays and confirmation of diagnosis.

Dr. Colleen Thorp, D.V.M., was guarded in the prognosis. It seems that in this particular late fall-early winter season, several other horses had also come down with the same thing. It is possible that pasture grasses, or the freeze-thaw cycle on these grasses, might have played a part in providing ripe conditions for a type of grass founder. The Sheppards, Ostmans, and Dr. Thorp acted quickly to aid the animal.

Fortunately, over the long winter, with additional X-rays and monitoring, Diamond seemed to gradually progress from a hobble to an even walk, then a trot, and a canter. This meant progress. Her hooves began to heal and strengthen from inside to out, just as hoped.

Diamond arrived on Mackinac with her stalemates, Sporty and Atty, and it was as if she had never left. She is being ridden regularly without much fuss, although Lin is careful not to subject her to too much pounding on pavement, and she keeps her away from the stony trails. Her weight is good, her black coat glistens, and she seems to be at home.

One wonders if she remembers the nights of pain and cold in the winter. To look at her, you would never think she had such a touch-and-go ordeal. Now it seems quite nice that a brother chose his sister's horse to immortalize on canvas, long before anyone knew how special and lucky this animal has been.

Candice Dunnigan is an active member of the American Equestrian Association, the Waterloo Hunt, and the Mackinac Horsemen's Association. Seasonally she resides at Easterly Cottage.