A Heartwarming Story

Colt, 'Windchill,' warms hearts in Wisconsin

More on Windchill, Rain Dance Farms

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A cold colt is warming hearts in northwest Wisconsin.

The colt was found near death but by Friday night he had a new home.

Even for the toughest of horses, a Midwest winter can take its toll.

The animals are left to bear the brunt of freezing days and below zero nights and occasionally they succumb to it all.

"His body heat had created a crater, you know he had melted down into the ice," said Jeff Tucker of Raindance Farms southeast of Duluth.

Two weeks ago Saturday, with the wind chill at 30-below zero, they attempted the rescue of a nine-month-old colt.

"People say his legs they must have been really stiff, they weren't just stiff they were frozen solid, you could knock on them, they were literally ice cubes," explained Tucker.

Now two weeks later thanks to legwarmers, plenty of blankets and prayers the once frozen colt is alive and recovering.

The support for him is worldwide.

The ranch has been inundated with phone calls, faxes and emails.

A webcam is even setup so well wishers can keep an eye on him.

Around 6:00 is the best time for viewing when he's hoisted in a sling to help him stand.

"He just intuitively seemed to know that we were trying to get him up," said Tucker.

Well below his normal weight it still takes six people to lift him.

All the warmth is a far cry from the cold afternoon the day he was found, but the memory of that day will stick.

"We should call him Windchill and it just caught on, his eyes lit up, he seemed to like it," Tucker said.

Windchill, the weather he refused to succumb to, is his name.

"I think he's living, breathing, hope on hooves."

It appears Windchill is on his way to surviving another Midwest winter.

No charges have been filed in the case.

In case your wondering, Windchill is a Walkaloosa part Tennessee Walker and part Appaloosa.

For the latest information on Windchill click here.