After months of searching, Black Horse Farm in Auburn has finally come up with a name for its blind, black filly.

Apallonia.

“It means strength and wisdom. Jim thought of it. It is very pretty, like her, and suits her well,” wrote Lisa Bither in an e-mail. Bither owns the farm with her boyfriend, Jim Arthur.

Apallonia was born in August to a mare who was boarding at Black Horse Farm. The pregnancy was normal, and no one anticipated the birth defect that left the baby blind. Bither adopted the foal from the mare’s owner.

The filly had remained unnamed until recently.

“I have found that a lot of horse people are particular about naming their horses,” Bither wrote. “Horses are like our children. Parents put a lot of thought into choosing a name for their children. It is the same for us and our horses.”

Many readers suggested names for the filly after her story appeared in the Sun Journal in November. Bither and Arthur briefly considered “Radar,” in part for the horse’s uncanny ability to navigate her way around. But the name didn’t feel quite right.

Apallonia did.

The filly has been weaned from her mother and is doing well. She enjoys playing in the snow.

Apallonia’s progress can be tracked at www.blackhorsefarmmaine.com.

– Lindsay Tice

Warden in the right spot

RILEY TOWNSHIP – Maine Wardens are tasked with investigating all accidents involving snowmobiles. But on Wednesday morning, Warden Norm Lewis helped with a different type of sledding accident.

A girl on a sled was sliding down a hill in her front yard when she struck a tree, according to Deborah Turcotte, spokeswoman for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Her mother called an ambulance, and was on the ground helping her daughter when Lewis just happened to drive by.

When he saw the woman in the yard, he stopped, thinking she was hurt. He then saw the girl. Lewis administered first aid until an ambulance arrived.

Paramedics decided the youngster didn’t need to be taken to a hospital. Lewis carried the girl back up the hill to her home.

– Terry Karkos