In some parts of the world, horses still run wild and free. However, in Romania, wild horses have become the target of an unusual and cruel practice. People chain the two back or two front hooves together to keep the horses from running very far.

As a veterinarian was traveling through the countryside, he saw one horse limping with chains around its front legs. He knew the horse needed immediate help. From Four Paws, the vet was certain that the skin around the horse’s hooves beneath the chains would be injured, like he’d seen with many other horses in the same condition.

The veterinarian, named Ovidiu Rosu, knew that these chained horses become different animals after being chained for long periods of time. They become depressed and lose their spirit. They aren’t able to gallop and run freely the way they once did, so Rosu was anxious to help the horse and restore him.

Rosu was right. As he began to remove the chains from the horse’s hooves, he noticed that the skin beneath the chains was in bad shape. Luckily, the horse hadn’t been chained too long and Rosu was able to treat the wounds so they would heal quickly and completely.

The horse allowed Rosu to help him without any trouble at all, and when the horse was finally up and free to go, he thanked the veterinarian in the most unusual way. He leaned forward and nuzzled his nose to the tip of the veterinarians nose.

The horse knew that without the help of the veterinarian, his life would have never been the same again.

After nuzzling Rosu, the horse galloped freely across the Danube delta once again. What a beautiful and happy ending to a tragic tale.