{"id":63945,"date":"2025-12-19T07:19:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T12:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=63945"},"modified":"2025-12-19T10:47:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:47:55","slug":"remembering-minnie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/remembering-minnie\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Minnie\u2014a Little Horse with a Big Following"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the Veterinary College and beyond, Cornellians are mourning the loss of their tiny, beloved equine ambassador<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Beth Saulnier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what\u2019s arguably the finest episode of the 2010s sitcom \u201cParks and Recreation,\u201d the town gathers for a memorial service after the sudden passing of its much-loved miniature horse, Li\u2019l Sebastian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solemn-yet-joyful candlelit ceremony winds up a recurring storyline whose humor springs from the fact that a new resident can\u2019t fathom why an entire community is so enchanted by\u2014why it absolutely adores<\/em>\u2014one tiny equine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as many Cornellians well know, anyone who doesn\u2019t get it\u2014who doesn’t understand how a small horse can capture the hearts of many\u2014just never had the chance to meet Minnie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Minnie
Robyn Wishna<\/figcaption>
Greeting her public at Reunion 2018 …<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Minnie
Robyn Wishna<\/figcaption>
… when she was a major attraction in the Vet College atrium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For more than a decade, Minnie was a beloved resident animal at the College of Veterinary Medicine\u2019s Equine Hospital\u2014not only its mascot and ambassador, but a calming influence on nervous patients, and a friend to bipeds and quadrupeds alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She made appearances at events like Reunion and Homecoming\u2014where alumni and students lined up for photo ops with her\u2014and the annual Vet open house, and even graced the college\u2019s official holiday card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more than a decade, Minnie was a beloved resident animal at CVM\u2019s Equine Hospital\u2014not only its mascot and ambassador, but a calming influence on nervous patients, and a friend to bipeds and quadrupeds alike.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Minnie was such a phenomenon, in fact, that we at Cornellians<\/em> devoted a multimedia feature<\/a> to her in November 2022\u2014including a video complete with drone footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it\u2019s with heavy hearts that we report that in mid-December 2025, veterinarians made the difficult decision to euthanize her, to relieve her suffering from a respiratory condition that had impacted her breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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