The equestrian sports in America have a glorious legacy to boast. With a rich history of talented riders and superspeed equine companions, horse racing has always been part of American culture. Now, that association has gained more relevance as equine therapy has become increasingly popular. However, the future of this new form of treatment has become uncertain after losing the cutest spokesperson.

Last year, on May 13, Peabody made its debut on social media as a three-day-old miniature horse. Miniature horses are not uncommon in the United States, and there is even a special category of equestrian events for them. But Peabody was different and smaller than the regular horse suffering from dwarfism. Since his debut, the adorable foal attracted over 1.2 million eyeballs and even made an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson show. After a few days of the shoot, Peabody sadly passed away, but his memories live on in the form of a tear-jerkingly emotional video.

Old video of equestrian marvel Peabody surfaces

Humankind reminded the equestrian community of Peabody once more with a heartfelt video on X captioned, “Just a tiny little horse with tiny little boots”. In the video, the tiny horse could be seen tailing his human mom, Faith San Severino, and his two brothers. Peabody was very close with Faith and the two pug puppies, who were roughly the same size as him. All three would sit behind their favorite human as she finished the household chores.

The video explained that Peabody was unlike any other miniature horse and weighed “only 19 pounds” at six weeks old. Faith San Severino and Adam Smith adopted the horse and kept him inside the house after his mother rejected him. The former spoke to NBC 7 to reveal key facts from the days after his birth.

She said, “He couldn’t walk. He couldn’t eat because his jaw was out of alignment. He was deaf. They thought he was blind”. She knew that Peabody would be euthanized if left with the breeders, and she brought him home. She created cute little boots for her new family member so that he could walk better. As a feeble premature foal, Peabody had difficulty standing up and did not have a jaw or eyesight. However, with constant care, he was able to develop many of those lacking physical features and become a mascot for equine therapy.

Peabody’s inspiring journey

Peabody had no jaw to chew the food, so for a long time, Faith Severino had to feed him with a bottle personally. Finally, the remarkable horse grew teeth and opened his eyes. As evident from the video, he was also able to trot lightly around the house. The tiny animal brought a lot of joy to his owners and the 1.2 million people who followed him online. When his liver failed and he passed away on September 14, everyone was moved to tears. However, his legacy still endures and is shaping the new future for the equestrian community.

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Faith Severino was inspired by Peabody’s unwavering determination to live and began a miniature horse therapy clinic in his memory. Here, she helps Alzheimer’s patients and veterans with PTSD find joy in the company of animals.

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