Bellis

USTA Daisy Lee Brook

Bellis is a 1999 Standardbred mare who raced in the harness racing circuit for a few years before being retired as a broodmare. She was bred for 20 years, producing 12 live foals in that time. Her last foal was weaned from her in 2024 and, when she failed to come up pregnant again, she was sent away to the feed lots.

“We have a few retirees who are blind and crippled,” said the breeder. “That’s why management must have sent her away.”

Five feed lots later, she was recognized by a group of dedicated volunteers who scour the feed lots around the country for OTBSs in an effort to save them from the inhumane conditions and potential endings within the feed lot businesses. Bellis was transported from the South to the North, arriving at Abiding Sunday on a cold and blustery day. 

She was reserved and cautious in the beginning, preferring to keep her distance. With slow, consistent, and intentional care, Bellis began to understand that she was not in any danger. She could move from her instinctual fight/flight/freeze state of existence into being more inquisitive and curious. As a result, Bellis has shown herself to be a grounded spirit with confidence befitting of nobility.