Dr. Rose Nolen-Walston, associate professor of Large Animal Internal Medicine at New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, tends to Lily. Submitted photo.
Lily’s cause of death: A broken neck
Lily, the horse who gained national attention after getting shot up with a paintball gun, apparently died from a fall, causing her neck to break.
Tracey Stewart, who with her TV personality husband Jon adopted the horse last month, said she had grown to love the horse and spent much time with her at their 12-acre Bufflehead Farm in Colts Neck, New Jersey.
“Lily loved her time in the paddock munching on grass,” Tracey Stewart said. “During the day Lily got massages, baths and lots and lots of hugs. She slept soundly in her barn listening to soft music. Her favorite Pandora channel was Ray Lamontagne.”
Stewart said although they took very good care of the 20-year-old Appaloosa/Arabian mix, it had health issues, some of them relating to the abuse she suffered at the hands of the person or persons who pelted her with paintballs while she was at the New Holland Sales Stables in Lancaster County earlier this year.
“Her bones were very frail,” Stewart said. “She stumbled and fell hard on her neck causing a break. When we knew there was nothing more we could do for her we covered her in kisses and kind words and said our good-byes. Our hearts are aching we had so many more fun plans for her. She was beyond special and beyond loved.”
Stewart said she has no regrets adopting Lily, and she said she feels comforted she and her husband were able to treat the horse well in its final days.
“The hardest part of adopting animals that have suffered neglect is that you often don’t get to spend as much time as your heart would have liked,” she said.
The person or persons responsible for Lily’s injuries from the paintball gun still have not been caught. A reward of $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who shot Lily. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is contributing $4,000 toward the reward, the Humane Society another $5,000, and Omega Horse Rescue is chipping in $1,000.
By Fran Maye, Daily Local News
http://www.dailylocal.com/article/DL/20160620/NEWS/160629978