Trudy Memorial
Tribute Quotes from Facebook
Cheryl F. (March 7 2018) - A very sad day at SaveTheHorses. Trudy passed this morning. She has been with the rescue since 1996, She is now is heaven with her best friend Sweetie who were loyal soul mates. 
Sorry I can't write any more now. My heart is with Trudy and I must take time until I can breathe again. 
So much to say about this wonderful mare, she was an Icon and loved by all.
Mellisa C. - Our beloved Truds went to heaven yesterday. She was our heart. The icon, the matriarch, the rockstar, the queen of Save The Horses. She's been with us since 1996.
Truds and Sadie were my first loves at the rescue. Trudy was around 32, blind and stall bound. She had every reason to be mean and distrustful and hate human beings. But instead she was kind, gentle, loving and trusting. She was brave. I've never met such an animal--Truds was a healer. I have no doubt that was an angel in out midst. I know this because God uses brokenness. He used Trudy's brokenness to show others a way back from theirs. 
More people than we will ever know about gave their sadness and their secrets to Trudy. Whenever I had a bad day I would think of her and try to get to that barn where I could see and smell her and give her apples and peppermints. She understood every thing we said to her.
Truds was always nervous when there was a swarm of activity in the barn--she'd walk in circles. Over and over. One day I had a Girl Scout group touring the rescue. They all wanted to meet Trudy. I took them over as Truds was walking in her circle and she stopped. She came to the door and put her head out for all those squealing little Girl Scouts to pet. I stood right there and cried in front of those children because I had witnessed a true healing spirit--willing to sacrifice her sense of safety for those little girls.
As I sat in her stall yesterday braiding her mane and tail I could only think of how this was the longest I'd ever been able to pet her. She accepted touch but with its limits. I could actually hold her yesterday and kiss her face as long as I wanted. It broke my heart realizing this was the only way I could've ever done that.
Today I am numb. I know that feeling will be with me for such a long time. I want Truds back. I want to stand in her stall and cry. I want to touch her again and have her lick my hand. I am so grateful to her for what she did for us! I picture her in heaven now--with a special welcome. We all need to say a special thank you today to her up there for what she did on this earth for so many.
Thank you Cheryl Flanagan for sharing her with us.
I love you Miss Truds. My angel in a horse suit. 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
Darren B. - My first love at Save the Horses, Trudy, passed suddenly and unexpectiedly on the morning of March 7, 2018. I am absolutely heartbroken, as are all of the volunteers at the rescue.
I first met Trudy on June 23, 2013, on my first visit to Save the Horses. I was falling into a deep depression & on the verge of losing hope of ever experiencing happiness again, after losing my Mother and my 3 beloved senior pets (Athena, Louie and Buster) over a 5 month period and then my 6 year relationship with my partner, ended abruptly.
The rescue was seeking someone to come visit and walk Trudy everyday. I stayed after orientation to talk to Trudy and ask her for her trust. I confessed to her that I had no previous horse experience BUT that I knew how to love. I promised her that I would never hurt her and would be extremely loyal, if she was willing to allow me into her life. In her own way, she let me know that she accepted my offer.
Darren B. - I want to extend my sincere condolences to everyone who loved Trudy. I know the pain of loss that I'm feeling, you are feeling.
I'm choosing to view her passing as a miraculous blessing. She went quickly with minimal suffering. She waited for Cheryl. And Cheryl was able to be with her in her final moments.
A quiet barn. Loving volunteers present. No prolonged pain or invasive procedures. No unnecessary handling. No difficult (or impossible) decisions to be made. She had her Mommy and Savior by her side. She laid down and went to sleep.
God made all this possible. Although she's gone and we're hurting...we have each other and dozens of horses to love, nurture and care for.
I share this in hopes of it helping you cope with OUR loss. Thanks for loving Trudy and sharing your time, tithing, treasure and talent with Save the Horses.We are family. We are rescue. We grieve together.

​I returned a few days later and began my commitment to her and our relationship. Trudy was absolutely pivotal in me regaining a sense of worth and the desire to go on. Our relationship is a love story that I will always be grateful for. She helped me to be open to loving again after so much hurt and devastation. And she never complained about my singing her original love songs during our alone time.

I've remained at the rescue throughout the ups and downs of my life. It has given me a purpose in life and rewarded me with a circle of friends and tons of unconditional love from every animal there.
Although I had to take a break from volunteering because of the hip pain, surgery and recovery...I returned last Friday to begin getting reacquainted with the changes with our current horse residents and the physical demands of the work. I feel completely blessed that I was able to take Trudy for her walk and tell her how much I missed her and love her. I promised her that I was back and she could count on regular visits, walks, talks and songs about her and my love for her. Neither of us knew it would be our last walk together.

I know she's at the Rainbow Bridge with her friend Sweetie and my boy Tequila. We will meet again my sweet girl. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for allowing me to love you. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for making a difference in my life.
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Thank you for loving me, trusting me and teaching me. You saved me!
You will always be in my heart and soul. ❤️🙏🐴😘🌈
Cheryl Flanagan, thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving Trudy and sharing her with all of us.
Lisa T. - Such a beautiful note, thank you ....I am so glad she was surrounded with love and went peacefully with Cheryl Flanaganat her side....she lived a wonderful life at STH and we are all very Blessed to have been able to make her life the best possible for her after her beginnings.....my heart aches for you and Cheryl and all those who knew and loved her but I do feel a sense of warmth and love in knowing that our group shares in the sorrow, pain and joy with each and every one of our special angels....thank you so much for loving her and caring for her so completely. ...WE ARE RESCUE and though many, we are also ONE 💖💖💖💖
Karen K - Oh my.  So sorry to hear about Trudy. She was so dearly loved by all of us and we know how much she meant to you and Save the Horses, especially because she stands as our mascot forever❤️
Emily K - She was my heart. So glad I was able to know her.
Jeanne E. - Sending you hugs...it will not be the same not seeing Trudy on Sunday mornings. ❤️
Nadja - I’m heartbroken for everyone who loved her. Trudy brought me out of a deep depression and I will forever be grateful to her. I dreamed of coming back to Georgia to visit her 😪
Christine C - God rest you ,sweet Trudy. You are unforgettable and loved by everyone at the Rescue. I love what Cheryl Flanagan wrote here. The Rescue is and was a very Special place for all of us. Drawn together by a love for horses,we developed friendships here with people and animals that have lasted through the years. The horses bring healing to our souls. This is where I discovered such a deep love for horses that changed my life. All of us at the rescue knew Trudy's story of her life and how sad it was until she came to HRRRF. Here she came to know Love and Compassion.
Cheryl F.  March 8 2018
​So many beautiful tributes to Trudy. She saved so many lives.  This picture is on Trudy and Charlie painted by Henry Patton.
Horses are healers and Trudy had a strong intuition and attracted so many people to her. I also know horses are healers. That is why the door is always opened to who ever needs to be here. People from all ethnic groups, religions, political persuasions and all ages come to SaveTheHorses because they listen to their heart and come and heal their souls. People make friends here that would never meet anywhere else and they bond and form deep friendships that would have never happened. Love and compassion are taught by horses. Everyone here has felt it, everyday, even on a bad day, a cold freezing day, a hot humid day, people are drawn to the horses. 
We'd love to hear YOUR story about Trudy, too. You can video it, write it or send a letter. Im going to save them forever. Print them along with pictures and lets put them on her stall.
Terri Z. - Trudy was the first horse I met when I came out. I was attracted to her right away and I was always glad to pet her and talk with her. My dog is also blind and so I had a great connection to her. I'm so glad I got to see her last week. I will greatly miss her and my visits. All the animals really help me relax. I've had a tough couple of years.
Renae S. - The first time I met this horse, I was in awe. I'll never forget it, she's not a horse you could easily forget. She'd come through so much, and she touched my heart in a very special way. Trudy came from owners who drug her behind a tractor and she suffered from permanent brain damage because of it. But, with the help of Cheryl and Save the Horses, she was given a life worth living and she more than persevered. Later, she developed ocular cancer and lost an entire eye as well as her vision due to it. When Trudy got overly stressed, Cheryl shared with me that she would bring her own horse to visit Trudy at her stall. Her friend was always able to comfort and calm her from endlessly pacing in circles in her stall. When Cheryl's horse passed, she clipped some hair her tail and wrapped it around Trudy's stall door so she could keep a piece of her best friend with her. This incredible mare lived a long life, into her thirties, and was nothing less than an inspiration to the many, many lives she's touched and changed. After all that humans have put her through, it's astounding how trusting and gentle she remained. Her spirit will continue to persevere through time, and so many lessons are to be learned from this animal's story. Trudy melted my heart from the first time I met her and I feel extremely blessed to have had the privilege of knowing her. She was truly a blessing to this world. I'm endlessly grateful for people like Cheryl Flanagan in the world who give these creatures the rehabilition, care and comfort they deserve. Her rescue is a sanctuary for animals like Trudy, but just as much for the people who spend any amount working with them. It's a little piece of heaven on earth. My heart is with the angel who started it all through this heartbreaking loss 💔