The equine Katrina evacuee snorted and bit into an apple. Her owner, Shelby Wilson of New Orleans, beamed with pride as she related how Fara, a large white Arabian mare, suffered the ravages of the storm one year ago but now has returned to good health and spirits.

Wilson climbed onto Fara’s bare back. That’s how they always have ridden, she said. Off they trotted across the hilly terrain at Mount Olive Farms for a brief romp.

Fara’s story might not be so special were it not for two facts — first, the visibly obvious bond of love between owner and horse; second, Fara’s age, 33, which her energy and high spirits belie.

“I was in my early 20s when I got Fara,” said Wilson, a Natchez native who grew up riding horses in the area. “Both my kids grew up riding her. They’ve never known life without Fara