Frida and Tiki

Frida is an old pony that had been used for breeding. For most of her life she was in a pregnant state, having her babies taken from her to be sold. Now that she is older and no longer considered useful for breeding, a villager decided to mate her one last time with a donkey to get a miniature mule. However, due to her age and considering that her and the donkey were living in bad conditions with a poor diet, Frida showed no sign of pregnancy and he assumed that their union had been unsuccessful... or so he thought!

So, the villager gave the two animals to a scrap metal collector. He in turn rented them out monthly to people as garden decorations! They lived in bad conditions mostly tied to trees and fed inappropriate food. Frida got colic after colic and in the end most likely the scrap metal merchant realised she was going to die, so he donated her to Vrouva.

She was in a bad state but with the company of the other horses, the love and care of our volunteers, proper hoof care from the farrier and good food and vitamins, she eventually recovered.

She became friends with Cobra, our sweet black mare, followed her around and started looking beautiful.

The equine dentist removed some rotten teeth and she ate with more appetite. She put on weight- we thought thanks to the dental work. 

Then one morning going into her stable we saw her with a newborn foal.

It was like a small miracle.

We were so surprised and in awe.

For days we would just gather around and look at the beautiful baby. Wow!

Now, he is almost 6 months old, happy and healthy and so very naughty! We named him Milagre that means miracle in Portuguese but the name was a little too grand for the cheeky little guy who zoomed joyfully in the pistachio grove every chance he got. He was as cute as a little pistachio and from there he got the nickname Tiki, from Fistiki, Greek for pistachio.

Frida was an experienced mom, she let him nurse often and kept an eye out for him all the time but was emotionally distant from the little mule. We think she was expecting him to be taken away from her like all her previous babies had been. Tiki didn’t seem to notice and thrived in the adoration of our volunteers.

Even though many months have passed we are still mesmerised by the sight of our little miracle as he nibbles our buttons, comes to be petted and runs around without a care in the world.

And it seems to us that Frida is starting to realise that she will get to keep her last baby. May they live happily together for many years to come.

And just in case you’re wondering, the donkey that is Tiki’s dad was also rescued thanks to a dedicated and ingenious supporter. He came to Vrouva Farm last autumn and is living his best life together with our other donkeys. He goes by the name of Alexander, after his rescuer.