Left by Surprise was registered with that name because that is exactly what he was.  His mother had been a rescue from drought-stricken  Texas, underaged and underfed, just a filly herself, really, and not all that interested in mothering the striking Curly Appaloosa foal she produced.  Fortunately, in the same Sanctuary pasture there was a grand old Premium-branded Holsteiner mare who clearly had had multiple foals in her decades of life, judging by the girth of her barrel and the length of her teats.  Happily, she took this newborn under her wing, even producing milk for him, and taught him how to be a horse who held himself in high self-esteem, entirely apropos to the rare and exotic Curly genes he possessed.  The owner of the mare moved away to another state, which presented the opportunity to wean the foal, but after eight months had passed and she still had failed to return for him, he was adopted to a different owner, with whom he lived happily for a year.  Now, he is back at the Sanctuary, a stunning five-year-old, happily starting under saddle. He is all the volunteers' favorite.