No Sleep Tonight

Apparently my plan of catching up on sleep tonight isn't going to happen...

Faith is down in her stall right now. I heard some banging coming from her general area, flew out of bed, put boots on and ran downstairs. She appears to be resting comfortably, but there are some signs of distress. Her heavy breathing and scattered shavings tell me that that she may have tried to get up and was struggling to get her feet under herself. Of course, she may just have been rolling around. Fingers crossed...

I do not believe that she is colicking; what I fear is in my gut. I have a feeling that this is another issue with her lack of strength in her hind end. I'm going back down shortly to give her a dose of banamine, hopefully it is just preventative. I'll check her TPR and post the results.

I won't go back to bed until I know she's up. I'll keep everyone updated as the night progresses...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Faith is still down. I had brushed off the shavings and hay that were on her neck and head before I last left her, in order to determine what's going on. Sure enough, she had more stuck to her, proving that she was trying to get up and kept falling over. Ehhh.... my heart is sinking.

TPR looks good. Her pulse and respiration were slightly elevated, but I'm attributing that to the fact she was struggling to get up. She drank about 3-4 gallons of water since dinner, which is average for her. Her CRT is good and she's not dehydrated.

I gave her a 10cc oral dose of Banamine. It usually takes about five to ten minutes for us to see a response from it. Now we play the waiting game...

More to come...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

She's up! We're back on our feet again. I walked away from her stall for about 30 seconds to grab something out of the tack room and heard two loud bangs. I run back to her stall and she's standing up. Shaky, but upright.

At first, she was quite sore on her front legs, especially her right one. She took a few hobbling steps towards her hay rack, which I have never seen her do before. However, the more she moved, the more comfortable she appeared.

Thinking it was a muscle tightness issue, I took her for a short walk down the driveway. She started at a 4/5 lameness to a 1/5 lameness by the time we reached the bottom of the driveway (about 150 feet). When asked to turn, she looked to be about a 2.5/5, and then when she was walking straight again was about 1/5.

At this point, my brain is spent and I don't know what to think. It could be just a lameness - arthritis, ringbone, etc. I'm also thinking a circulation problem, muscle problems, eh the list goes on...

I will keep checking her through the night. No news is good news...


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Back from the Horse Show!

Faith's boyfriend "Robbie" winning the Beginner's Pleasure Championship title!

We had a fantastic show this weekend! We won a few classes and all of the horses were very well behaved. Dan and I just finished unloading the horses, cleaning out the trailer, and feeding everyone their dinner. It was a long weekend, and even though it's only 6:30pm, I'm ready for bed!

=> Tomorrow is the big day: I will be ready to announce Faith's fundraiser in tomorrow's post! It is pretty cool, if I do say so myself! :-)

=> Faith is doing great! It appears that she has adjusted to her new shoes over the weekend and looks sound. I will get some pictures of her in the morning so you can all see the amazing progress she has made!

=> Linus has settled into the farm really well and has been nothing but a total sweetheart for us. He is trying so hard to be trusting, but it is quite obvious that he was mistreated in the past. I'm hoping more hands-on time with help with his head-shyness and trust issues.

=> The more time I spend with him, the more blemishes I find. He has scars all over his body. His face, neck, chest, barrel, hindquarters, legs, etc are just riddled with scars and fairly-fresh wounds. Thankfully none need medical attention, but they certainly don't look pleasant. Regardless of how they happened, it's heartbreaking to think that he had to endure this. Poor, sweet, old man...

=> He is still having problems with "the organ", and it is looking more and more likely that amputation will be the next step. More on that tomorrow as well.

OK I'm off to a hot shower and bed!

~Julie

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An Update and a New Name

On our way to set up for our horse show this weekend, my students and I were discussing possible names for him. They came up with Chance, Frankie, and a few others. I let them talk for a few minutes, and then offered "my" suggestion. The second it came out of my lips, they all smiled and instantly agreed that it was just perfect for him...


Thanks to everyone on this blog, this handsome old man has a new name to start the next chapter in his life - Linus!

The last 24 hours have been busy, busy, busy...

First off, late last night his stitches let go and he was a free man again, so to speak. Dr. George says that he'll try larger sutures next time and try a slightly different stitching method, and hopefully those will work.

This morning Linus looked great! Dan brought him his hay around 5:30am, and he nickered at him the entire way over. He ate the majority of his hay and drank about 4 1/2 gallons of water overnight. When I headed down a bit later, I got his grain, supplements and meds ready.

For now, he will be receiving the following feed, supplements and meds 2x a day:
1 quart of Hay Stretcher
1 quart of Equine Senior
5 grams of Probios
2 ounces of Electrolytes
10 SMZs
1 Bute
Free choice hay

Below is a picture of Linus in his temporary quarantine stall, shortly before I began working with him today. Although he is away from the other horses, he can look out the clear plastic panels on the arena and see the naughty geldings in the paddock just outside. He watches them frequently during the day, but for now he has to wait to meet them.



My first big task with him was the one that I dreaded the most: delousing him. Yuck...

We were told that he was very headshy and it would take her hours to get a halter on his head. I walked into his stall, held his halter up, and he practically put it on himself. (Apparently he likes us better. Perhaps it's because we feed him.) I led him out of his stall, tied the lead in a safety knot to the panel and began bathing him. The water was warm, but he was not thrilled about the idea, and moved around a fair amount. It didn't take long for me to figure out his weakness: Linus loves ginger snap cookies! Thankfully our good friend Norma came to visit and dropped off a bag for him last night. Every few minutes, just as he looked as though he was going to get antsy on me, I'd give him a cookie. Then it was scrub, cookie, scrub, cookie, scrub cookie for the next half hour. He was finally as clean as I could get him, full on ginger snap cookies, and ready for his delousing powder.

Now, I have never deloused anything before, so it took me a while to get the process down pat. Of course, Linus wasn't too thrilled about getting powder shaken and blown out of a bottle at him, either. So it was shake, cookie, shake, cookie... You get the picture. A few minutes later, he was covered with a thin coating of white powder. He may have looked funny, but his breath smelled great. :-) Unfortunately the battery in my camera died, so I didn't get to take any "dusty" pictures. The next treatment I will - don't you worry!


A student of mine took him for a walk in the arena this evening while I cleaned out his stall, refilled his water bucket and put his dinner in there for him. He walked around like an absolute gentleman, never pulling on the lead or getting ahead of her. He was curious about his new surroundings, but seemed comfortable. After a few minutes, he slowed down and put his head down to the ground, playing in the footing with his nose. I told her to lengthen the lead and step away from him. Once he saw that she was out of his way, he laid down and rolled. He stretched his back out, rubbed his head and neck, and then stood back up. He looked finally looked happy.

In the morning, I will be transporting horses to our second show of the year. Dr. George will be back in the afternoon to put sutures back in his nether-regions and hopefully it will stay put this time.

And we can't forget our lovely Faith! She is doing great with the new front shoes Brad put on yesterday! It appeared that she was a little stiff this morning, but she will have an adjustment period just as she did with her hind shoes. She was turned out today and fell asleep standing up for about 2 hours in the sunshine. It does not appear that she has laid down since the scary incident in the arena earlier this week, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Time will tell. On a sort-of funny note, one of the naughty geldings stuck his head through the fence to bite her back leg. Faith did what any lady would do. She kicked him in the face. What a sweetheart, huh?! At least I didn't need to call the vet...

And on a side note, now that Linus is here, it is incredible to see how far Faith has come! I spent a few quiet minutes with her this morning, and she just continues to amaze me. It's difficult for me to notice her improvements, as I see her every day. But now with Linus here, she looks like a normal, healthy horse! I am so very proud of all she has accomplished! It really brings tears to my eyes.

Although I will be very busy over the next few days, I will do my best to keep everyone updated on Faith's and Linus's progress!


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Faith has a Brother

(DISCLAIMER: Part of this post may not be appropriate for our younger readers!)

He's here! I'd like to introduce all of you to "Cutter". (Whose name may be changing rather shortly, once we find out his true identity.)

"Cutter" was listed online last week with a plea for help from his owner. She stated that he was underweight, in poor condition, needed vaccinations and hoof care, and had an odd medical issue with his main reproductive organ. (Yes, you read that correctly. Now that I have your attention...)

Even though Faith's vet bills and ongoing care has wiped out the vast majority of our savings, I just couldn't leave him in that situation. Dan and I decided that we would do our best to rehabilitate him and find him a permanent, loving home as soon as possible. I hooked up the truck and trailer and drove two hours to pick him up. A friend met me at the farm.

Cutter was in a stall in the barn when we arrived. I turned the corner to see his head sticking out over a stall door. My first reaction was positive; he appeared interested and alert, quite the opposite of my first reaction of Faith. He had a plain face with lots of bald spots, but he had a cute curiosity about him. As I rounded the corner of his stall, I noticed his spine sticking out of his back, his hips jutting out. My heart sank.

I entered his stall to get a closer look. He was covered with bite marks and bald spots. He had old scars that were quite obviously not tended to. His coat was gross, but it looked too dry and dusty for his living conditions. Having a hunch, I grabbed a pair of latex exam gloves out of my back pocket and put them on. Upon closer inspection I saw one of the few things that will make my skin crawl: lice.

Then comes the one big issue that really sticks out, (absolutely no pun intended... OK, maybe just a little bit of a pun intended!) his penis. Cutter has a prolapsed penis. He no longer has the muscle to retract it back into his body, and therefore, flaunts his goods for all to see. The cause of his condition is unknown, but it is frequently caused by overdosing stallions on tranquilizers.

After spending a few more minutes evaluating him, his owner signed a bill of sale and he was mine. All mine. Oh goody...

I have to say, his ground manners were impressive. He was very quiet to lead, and loaded onto the trailer like a pro. He rode quietly and I didn't feel him move at all on the ride home. He even waited patiently to be unloaded when we arrived home, amidst the whinnies from our curious pets that call this place home.

Due to his lice and the fact we'd like him to be quarantined for a while, he lives in his own private stall in the arena. We put rubber mats down so it is more comfortable for him to stand, and easier for us to clean. He had a fresh pile of hay and a full water bucket waiting for him to arrive.

An hour later Dr. George showed up and the exam began. He listened to his heart and lungs, noting a small heart murmur. Everything else seemed normal, and then he began dealing with "the organ". Dr. George explained that biggest issue with the condition of a penis being prolapsed is damage and infection. This part of anatomy is not meant to be flailed about, get dirty and dusty and be exposed to elements. That made sense to me. There are two options to fix it:

After cleaning it and removing excess dead skin and debris, Dr. George carefully placed "the organ" back where it normally lives, and then sutured the end of the sheath partially closed. This will hopefully allow the muscles to regain their elasticity and hold "the organ" in place. Leaving the end of it partially opens allows for him to urinate. Hopefully the sutures will hold, and in a few weeks we can remove them and "the organ" will magically stay put.

If it doesn't.... then the poor guy needs a penile amputation. OUCH... I can hear the collective gasp from all the men that read this blog.

Surgeons performing this operation need to have a fully anesthetized patient. There are obviously quite a few blood vessels in this region, so surgery is difficult and bleeding is a concern. The vets will remove the excess tissue and then need to restructure the urethra so it can function normally. It's not a simple process. Nor is it an inexpensive one. Penile amputations run about $2500.00.... Let's pray those stitches hold!

After spending the better part of an hour on Cutter's nether-regions, Dr. George administered vaccinations and drew blood for a Coggins test. While filling out his paperwork at his truck, he asked me what the horse's name was. I replied, "Dick, of course." Thankfully Dr. George has a good sense of humor. Moving on...

As Dr. George was finishing up, Brad Erickson showed up to shoe Faith. Then I had lesson students arrive, and finally a new horse that is coming in for training. It has been a long, exhausting day and I'm ready for bed. I'll post an update on everyone tomorrow! In the meantime, enjoy the photos of the new guy's first day with us.

Should we keep the name "Cutter", or give him something new to start his new life? Any suggestions would be better than the ones I came up with today... :-)

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New Addition!

We have a new arrival at our farm!

We rescued an aged Thoroughbred gelding from a farm in Massachusetts today. We are currently awaiting the arrival of our veterinarian.

More information and pictures to follow!

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17 Weeks Today

It's late and it has been a crazy day around here, so this is going to be a fairly short post.

Faith had a great day today - everyone knock on wood! She went out today with the donkey, (who now she suddenly cannot live without!) and seemed fairly sound. Granted, she wasn't trotting around or exerting herself, but she seemed comfortable and happy.

I have not seen her lay down since the last scare in the arena, nor does she appear to have laid down in her stall. Hopefully that was a fluke, and was just Faith's way of making sure my heart still works!

If his schedule can fit us in, Brad Erickson will be out tomorrow to put front shoes on her. That will give her co-lateral support and even up her breakovers.

Dr. Brad Barnes will be back on June 18th to reevaluate and readjust her.

She'll be back to schooling those 5-foot fences in no time. Kidding...

In other news, I'm a sap...

There has been another case of a horse in a bad situation fairly close to our farm. Although Faith's vet bills and ongoing care is costly, and the last few months of vet bills have completely wiped out our savings, I would like to do something to help the poor guy out. I plan on calling his owner tomorrow and finding out some more information on him and possibly removing him from his situation.

At this point, getting this guy into a better situation with some food and medical care is of the utmost importance. Judging from what I know, he is in bad shape physically, a body score of 2. It would be great if we could get him here, evaluate him, begin his rehabilitation and then find him a home that will care for him.

I don't want to post too much info on here, as I do not want to risk the possible rescue. However, if everything goes according to plan I will post pictures and information on him asap.

Keep your fingers crossed that I can connect with his owner in the morning!

Have a great night!
~Julie

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A Bit of a Scare Today

It has rained here for the past 4 days straight, I have had a terrible cold, and I'm in desperate need of a vacation. The sun came back this afternoon, and things are beginning to look up. Weather-wise, at least.

Over the past few days, Faith has been getting turned out in the arena. Since it has rained basically non-stop for the better half of the week, the ground is saturated and dry ground is nonexistent. Due to our ongoing battle with thrush, (which we seem to currently be winning - yay!) I do not want to turn her out on wet ground. Faith has been hanging out with Dominic in the arena, munching hay side-by-side with him, chasing him away when he takes more than his fair share.

Faith has thankfully shown progress with her front end lameness. Although she is not yet 100% back to normal, she appears more sound with each passing day. She is still stiff throughout her body, but she has "cowboy'ed-up" and is dealing with everything like the trooper she is.

That being said, today was probably one of the scariest days I've had in a long time with her...

Let me preface this by saying that Faith normally does not lay down to roll or rest, even at night. At the absolute most, maybe two mornings each week she will have shavings in her mane and tail. I've always thought it peculiar that a horse whose body has seen so much stress doesn't lay down and relax very often.

A few times in the past, I have seen her roll in the arena. She goes down like any normal horse, but standing back up for her is a little different. She will get her front legs out in front of her, then sit up like a dog. Most horses at this moment would lunge forward to get their hind end underneath them, and push themselves upright. Faith isn't like the others though. She sits up like a dog for about 15-20 seconds, looks around, shakes her head, and then pushes herself up. She just needs a few seconds to get her bearings straight and rest before the big heave-ho.

Today I checked on her in the arena, and she was happily munching on some hay. Within a minute after I entered, Faith walked away from her lunch and meandered around the far end of the arena to find a spot to roll. She circled a few times with her nose to the ground, and finally went down on her knees, and then onto her right side. She rolled, kicked up a bunch of sand, and even managed to roll all the way over onto her left side. She flipped herself upright, rubbed the side of her face on her leg, let out a sneeze, and then pushed herself up into a sitting position. She waited as she normally does before she stands, and then tried to get up. But she couldn't. She fell back down, her hind end too weak to do its job. My heart sank into my stomach...

Faith quickly sat back up and put her front legs out in front of her again. This time she waited a little bit longer and tried again. Nothing. Back down she went.

She tucked her front legs under her and took a break for a minute. Then back up again with her fronts, a short pause, and an attempt with the hinds. Still nothing. All she managed to due was turn herself about 90 degrees.

Although her strength was fading, her attitude was building. She was growing more angry and frustrated with each attempt. Her mind decided to do what her body couldn't, and she finally put her all into it. Her back end came up, her hind legs caught her weight, and she made it. She was quite shaky on her legs, but she was vertical.

I'm not sure if it was a lack of coordination, or a lack of strength, but she was struggling much more than she normally does. The vet will be coming out soon to pull Cori's stitches, and I will discus this at length with him. I'll be checking on her all through the night tonight.

Deep breath....


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Your Rescue: Mercy (and company!)

Back on May 10th, I received this wonderful story about a pony that was picked up at auction:

"I have three paint mares. We were looking at buying a well trained pony for my younger sisters, who are 8 and 10. They outgrew their little Shetland pony a year ago, so she got a new home.

I was looking all winter, but even with the bad economy, well trained ponies still sell for more than we could afford-even though we were just looking for a trail riding and walk trot pony. I checked a few auctions out, nothing grabbed me or went for over our price limit.

Then the beginning of April, I want to a pony and riding horse auction. There were a lot of well trained, shiny ponies for sale. Then a pony caught my eye in the catalog-just a bit before she was to be sold. (She was 10 in a lineup of over 150 horses and ponies.)

White pony mare, 12 years old, kid broke to ride, easy to catch.

So, I finally found the little girl. She was pretty pitiful looking. Huge, fat, wormy belly, yet very ribby with her backbone and hips protruding, and hooves that needed a trim. Dirty and dusty coat - a far cry from most of the ponies with gleaming coats and ribbons in their manes.

They had two kids on her bareback to ride her in. She took it without complaint, and when they trotted her, I saw that she was sound. I won the bid at $50.

She was mine! I called my dad, who was a bit surprised since he didn't even know I was at an auction, but he brought the trailer and we took her home.

She's since gotten a hoof trim, lots of grooming, and a bath that made her coat a lot better. She gets hay and a pasture with all the grass she can eat. And several small meals of grain and beet pulp a day. And, I started deworming her slowly-with just half doses at a time. She has some welsh pony in her for sure. My farrier loved her when he did her feet. She may be a bit older than 12, but can't be over 15-16...

She's gained enough weight to be ridden now. She's proved to be a very safe kids pony-they can do virtually anything with her, and though she has a bit of a pony attitude, she's never tried to bite, kick, buck or any of the sort. For several weeks the girls had to feed her three times a day and handwalk and handgraze her twice a day, and that helped them to bond.

She's just what we was looking for in a pony. Though she hasn't trail ridden, she is so quiet I know she'll be fine. The girls want to do contesting with her, so I set up some barrels and she walked the pattern today like she's been doing it her whole life. She was a barrel pony at some point in her life.

In another month or two nobody will even reconize her that saw her at first. I bet I could easily sell her for $800 or so. But she's not going anywhere!

Her name? It was "Snowy"-but with a new beginning, she needed a new name, so we decided to call her "Mercy"."

But wait, the story doesn't end there! This is the email I received a few days ago...

"I emailed you my rescue story of Mercy, the little white pony I got at an auction about two months again. Well, Mercy had a big surprise! She gave birth to a little colt Saturday night. About a week prior she started bagging, then waxing. Turns out her potbelly was NOT just from worms and malnutrition. Mom and baby are doing fine, though Mercy us still thin and eats three-four times that of our 15.2 hh paint. So I rescued not just one pony, but two. Colt is still nameless! Looks like he'll be gray.

They're doing fine. Mom is still skinny, but eating like crazy so there's not a whole lot else we can do. She gets free choice hay and pasture and a grain mash three times a day that I'm still increasing slowly. She seems to still be gaining weight everyday. But now with producing milk, it's gonna take more. This is why she was so thin in the first place. The colt is perfect. He's a little rebel and is one naughty little baby. Mercy has a good milk flow and is an excellent mother so there's no worries there."

Mercy's colt is currently nameless. Can anyone help his owner think of a cute name for the little guy? Post your ideas in the comments section!

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Straight from the Farrier's Mouth...

The first meeting for Brad and Faith, back on February 16th, 2009

Hey folks! Julie asked if I'd offer a couple of quick responsed to your questions regarding Faith's issues.

Suspensory ligaments: They're basically "broken down". They don't have the elasticity and taughtness that they once had. Probably overuse, possibly poor shoeing and possibly a genetic link. This can become a very serious problem as she continues to age so we're doing what we can to take some stress off of them.

Club foot: A flexural deformity of the coffin joint, created by a shortening (contraction) of the deep digital flexor tendon muscle mass. It occurred when she was a baby, probably between birth and 9-12 months. As the long bones of the limb grew, the muscle mass contracted, pulling the coffin bone into an upright position and the hoof capsule followed. It will always be a club foot. Very possibly genetic (mom had one?), probably a combination of over supplementation and maybe over exercising but could be strictly environmental. Many horses have a slight club foot but Faith's is prominent enough to create lameness if not shod/trimmed correctly. Our plan is to shoe the fronts next to see if we can get them moving better.

Be careful what you feed your babies! If they're getting grain and momma is getting grain, remember, they're double dipping. Let them grow normally and many angular limb deformities can be avoided.

Hope this helps!
Brad Erickson, Farrier

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Brad has been Faith's farrier since she first came to live with us, and I could not be any more pleased with the quality of his services as well as his work ethic.

Due to Faith's leg issues, she cannot hold a leg up for him where a normal horse would, nor keep it there for any length of time. Brad understands this and is extremely patient and gentle with her. He works at her height and her pace in order to minimize stress and discomfort.

He has reviewed radiographs side-by-side with our vets, working with them in order to make Faith healthy and comfortable once again. He has answered all of my questions quite thoroughly, and let me tell you, I ask a lot of questions! Many of Faith's issues I have never had to deal with first hand before, and the best way for me to care for her is to learn as much as possible. Brad has been a wonderful resource for me.

And besides all of that, his work is simply unparalleled. Both of Faith's vets are exceptionally pleased with the quality of his work.

Brad, thank you so much for everything you have done for Faith! Your expertise is priceless!

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Your Rescue: Katie

Katie shortly after being rescued, March 2009

"I took in a 20-year-old, one-eyed pregnant mare named Katie. Long story short was in a muddy paddock with a stud that was for sale that a friend was interested in purchasing.... she took both Katie and the stud home. Then Katie came to live with us.

She was so weak that the first few weeks she was with us she stood in the stall and would only come out every now and then. She was nothing but skin and bones and completely covered in lice. Anyway, we started feeding her and more importantly giving her all the love that she could handle and she has come around wonderfully!!!

From being so weak that she would only stand in the stall she is now galloping around the pasture and every now and then she will let out a little buck!! So far knock on wood we have not run into that many health issues other than one golf ball size hole that was right up under her tail that is healing up very well now.

This is the first horse that I have taken in that was in this condition and I do not regret it one bit. She has shown my kids that yes horse neglect is something is that real and you can touch and not just something that you see on TV. My daughter has learned how much work really goes into horses and that you should never give up on them not as long as they are willing to fight. She learned that somethings are not as important to her as they once where and she has given up the nice new outfit so that the vet can come out and treat Katie or we can go get her some more meds.

The one thing that irritates me the most is the only reason that the guy let this pretty girl get on the trailer is that she was old and as he said, "Take her. She's too old to make babies and bring me any money so why should I keep her anyway!"

I have to tell you that it was your blog that gave me the courage to say yes and take Katie in and even tough she cost more to feed than my other 5 horses combined I do not regret the decision one bit!!!"

~Cheryl, Leap of Faith Farms

Katie on May 6th, 2009

Cheryl, You are doing an amazing job with this mare - congrats! In just a few weeks, she looks much better. And what a sweet face she has! I think it's awesome that you're using her story as a learning tool for your kids. The only way to put an end to animal abuse and neglect is to educate everyone about it. Kudos to you!

I know it's a long, difficult road, but hang in there. Please keep us updated with her progress and let us know if you need anything!

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Happy Memorial Day!

On this Memorial Day, we pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice by providing us the freedom to do what we do. Many brave men and women are not with us today while others are defending us home and abroad. Take time to remember their sacrifices.

From Dan, Julie, Faith and everyone at Greenwood Stables

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We Made the News Again!

Children's Donation Shows Faith

By Julie Huss

DERRY — Faith gave her special visitors a glance and proudly stood tall near her stall at Greenwood Stables on Frost Road.

Faith, a sable-colored 17-year-old mare welcomed a class of preschoolers from Nutfield Cooperative School last week who wanted to stop by to present a special gift.

And for Faith, it was not only a gift of friendship, but one that would help her continue living a strong, healthy life at Greenwood.

The children donated $219 to the stable in Faith's name to help the horse continue to thrive.

Faith was rescued last February by Greenwood owner Julie Hersey and brought to Derry to heal. Hersey found the horse in Loudon, neglected, starving, and injured.

Hersey first heard of Faith's situation through a post on an equine Web site that described the horse as being "in dire straits" and needing a rescue.

On Feb. 2, Hersey and her husband Dan, drove to a farm in Loudon to see Faith. They persuaded her owner to sell the animal for $1.

Faith was in big trouble when they rescued her, Hersey said. She was standing on a sheet of ice, surrounded by barbed wire fence, no food or water, and a nylon halter cutting into her nose. Not only was she starving, but open wounds oozed on her legs.

"When we got there, it was totally heartwrenching," Hersey said. "And before we were out of the guy's driveway, we were on the phone with the vet. We were not sure if she would have to be put to sleep."

Once in Derry, the horse had several touch-and-go times during her first weeks at Greenwood, Hersey said. She was unsteady on her feet and malnutrition wreaked havoc on her body.

"The first two weeks we almost lost her five times," she said. "But's she's a fighter."

After undergoing veterinarian care and months of good care and rehabilitation, the horse is on her way and since living at Greenwood, Faith has gained 200 pounds since those painful days last winter and is doing well, Hersey said. The once starving, emaciated animal is sporting a sleek, healthier look.

"And she just got brand new horseshoes put on yesterday," Hersey told the preschoolers, who gathered around the stately horse to take a peek. Many of the children sported colorful rain boots for the dusty, hay-strewn occasion.

Nutfield Cooperative School teacher Suzanne Mitchell said the school children make regular visits to Greenwood Stables to learn about the animals living there. When they heard about Faith's plight last winter in the local news, the school community wanted to do something to help.
"We saw Julie and the newspaper article and thought what a great community project," Mitchell said, adding the children and their families collected $219 to donate to Faith's care.

Hersey filed animal cruelty charged against the horse's owner with Loudon police. She hopes more people come forward with information about neglected animals at that farm.

Hersey said she is still trying to find out a little more about Faith's history and is happy the horse is getting stronger.

"She's done it, she's pulled through," Hersey said.

Donations like those from Nutfield Cooperative School continue to come in to help Faith. Anyone wanting to learn more about Faith's journey to Derry can visit Greenwood Stables online at http://www.greenwoodstables.com/.

The article can be seen here at: http://www.derrynews.com/derry/local_story_140150149.html

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A special thanks to Suzanne Mitchell for all of your continued support! Please bring the little ones back to visit anytime!


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A Step in the Right Direction?

Faith and Lucy, May 22, 2009

Ten days ago, I was fully aware of the risks of going forward with Faith's corrective shoeing. I knew that there was obviously a possibility that she would begin to improve and her lameness would subside; I also knew that we had bigger odds against us.

The first few days after we had hind natural balance shoes with trailers put on, Faith appeared normal. (Ok, this mare has never been normal, but she was normal under the given circumstances!) However, she took a turn for the worst a few days ago, and as I previously mentioned, this time the pain is in her front end. From Monday through Thursday, the lameness slowly escalated from being "sound" to showing a 3/5 lameness on her right front leg. Let's hear a drum roll for more vet visits...

I have been in frequent contact with the two "Brads" in Faith's life, both Dr. Brad Barnes and Brad Erickson. Since her hind end appears comfortable now, with no more pain responses from her back, through her hips, stifles and hocks, we know that we're at least on the right track. (Thank God...) However, now we're shifting our focus, frustrations and finances to her front end.

We have decided to shoe her front hooves in order to balance her movement out, and to make sure that she is breaking over as equally as possible on all legs. Through the advice of both the vet and farrier, we originally elected to leave her barefoot up front, as her clubbed hoof was presenting its own issues. However, with frequent maintanance and our farrier's painstaking attention to detail, we think that front shoes won't be as big of an issue as they previously appeared. That decision was made late last night, shortly after giving her Bute for her pain.

Today, Faith made a huge improvement. At her worst today, she appeared to only be about a grade 1 lameness, only slightly favoring her front right leg. She moved around as she normally does during her turnout, showing a little stiffness, but came into the barn pushy and eager for her dinner. This could mean that if the pain was caused by changing her stride with the corrective shoeing, (again, to alleviate the stress on her suspensories,) then she is growing more and more accustomed to it.

Our plan now is to see how she does over the next few days and then probably proceed with putting front shoes on her. Time will tell...

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Since we've been sharing rescue stories, I figured I'd share another one (or two) of mine!

In our household, Faith is not the only rescued animal that resides here. Our two dogs, Molly and Ginger, were taken out of kill shelters when they were puppies. Ginger (now 2 1/2 years old) came from Tennessee, and Molly (almost 3 years old) came from South Carolina. They are best buddies and play constantly. Ginger is sweet and loves to cuddle; Molly knows a bunch of dumb tricks and likes to counter-surf in our kitchen... They balance each other out.

The picture above was taken on Sebago Lake in Maine last summer. (Ginger is on the left, Molly on the right.) They wear matching life jackets for two reasons. The first is because the little one has a tendency to jump overboard after ducks, and the big one is dumb enough to follow. :-) The second reason is because the handle on the back of the jackets makes it ridiculously easy to pick them up out of the water and put them back in the boat where they belong. They're both excellent swimmers, but not very fast. Rest assured, no ducks have ever been harmed in one of our outings. :-)

Tomorrow after barn chores are done, (and I can rest assured that we won't need to call a vet to the farm,) we will be doing another one of the dogs' favorite activities: going mountain climbing! The girls love the outdoors nearly as much as I do, and are wonderful off-leash. They are self-sufficient and carry their own treats and water in their backpacks. It's kind of pathetic: we actually have to hide their backpacks from them when we get in the truck, because if they see them, they will become so excited that we will have to listen to nearly constant barking and whining until we get to the trailheads. That makes for long car rides, especially when the mountains are 2-3 hours away...

Here are pictures of our last adventure last weekend, Mount Cardigan, elevation 3,155 feet.

Enjoying the climb with the girls near the top. Look at the gorgeous view!

Dan with Molly and Ginger, resting on a cairn just below the summit.

I swear, the only time Molly ever licks her nose is when I take a picture of her.

Have a great weekend!

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What if Faith has ringbone?

I was working on two posts to help educate everyone (myself included) about suspensory injuries as well as issues with clubbed hooves. A reader recently asked about ringbone, so I figured I'd touch base on that one first! I’m certainly no veterinarian, but this is what I know about the disorder. Get your notebooks and pencils out...

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Ringbone is known as "osteoarthritis", or "bony arthritis". It occurs when there is damage to the periosteum, the outer layer of tissue that covers bones. Damage to this tissue can occur from a wide variety of issues, which will be discussed shortly. The term “ringbone” refers to the formation of new bone around these damaged areas, namely in the region of the horse’s pastern and coffin joints. It is a painful and irreversible disorder and can lead to permanent lameness.

Below is a picture of the long and short pastern bones from a horse affected with ringbone. Notice the bony growths encapsulating the area around the joint.

A body's natural response to pain and discomfort, both human and equine, is to try to fix it. When a joint in a horse is strained, the body may choose to compensate for it by growing bone at the point of stress.

Ringbone is classified by "high ringbone" and "low ringbone", depending on the location of the bone mass. "High ringbone" affects the pastern joint, made up of the lower part of the large pastern bone and the upper part of the lower pastern bone. "Low ringbone" affects the coffin joint, which involves the lower part of the lower pastern bone and the upper part of the coffin bone. High ringbone is much easier to deal with, as low ringbone is located inside the hoof. You can see the growths below in the diagram I borrowed from http://www.horseshoes.com/.

Causes: Ringbone is caused by both conformational defects as well as injury.

1) Conformation is key! Horses with natural, abnormal stress on their joints will be predisposed to the condition. This includes those with long, upright pasterns, those with long toes and low heels, splay-footed and pigeon-toed horses.

2) Horses with degenerative joint disease are, needless to say, more likely to have ringbone. Over the course of years, a horse's body will produce bone in an attempt to immobilize a painful joint. This can progress to a point where the joint is completely fused together.

3) Horses injuring or having excessive strain on ligaments near the pastern joint are also at risk. Similar to above, they will grow bone to help stabilize the area.

4) Proper trimming and shoeing is also a factor! Make sure your farrier knows what he or she is doing. Ask your vet to evaluate your horse's hooves and, if need be, speak with your farrier about making changes.

Treatments: Unless it is caused by an injury, ringbone is typically degenerative. Treatments for ringbone are not meant to cure it, but to hinder the additional growth of bony masses and to make the horse comfortable.

1) Corrective shoeing can make a huge difference in the level of comfort in a horse suffering from ringbone. Natural balance shoes are frequently used as they support the heel and allow for an easier, more natural breakover, thus lessening the stress on the affected joints.

2) Joints can be directly and individually injected. Commonly used is a HA/Depo mix. The hyaluronic acid lubricates the joint, and the Depo-Medrol reduces the inflammation and subsequent pain. A joint injection can last anywhere from 3-6 months, at which time the lameness will reappear and the treatment will need to be repeated. The biggest benefit is a nearly immediate response. The biggest downfall is that you can only treat one joint at a time.

3) A systemic injection is another option. Adequan (intramuscular) or Legend (intravenous) are the most commonly used to treat joint pain disorders. The biggest benefit is that this is a systemic treatment - it will help every joint in the horse’s body. The disadvantages? It may take a few weeks for noticeable improvement, and the treatment is ongoing and can be quite costly.

4) Obviously rest will make a huge difference in the comfort of the horse.

Ringbone is a serious disease that is both painful and incurable. However, with proper management, pain can be reduced and some horses can continue to perform.

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Have any of our readers dealt with ringbone? Any suggestions that you could share with us?

Feel free to add your own suggestions, comments, questions, etc into the comment section!

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What a Week It Has Been...

If I never see another veterinarian, I will be a happy woman.

Here's a quick recap of my week...

Shortly after turning the boys out Wednesday morning, one of my (obviously low-functioning) geldings did one of the stupidest things I've ever seen in my life. Unsuccessful at getting any of his paddock-mates to play with him, he decided that it would be wonderful idea to start kicking up his heels and bucking around the paddock like a madman. During one of his bucks, he let out a massive fart. Apparently he thought someone had goosed him. His ingenious reaction? To take off full-tilt, and run into a solid wooden fence post. Face first. I kid you not. I can't make this crap up. He came into the barn with a chunk of his lower lip missing and an eye that was swollen shut. Dr. George was there in an hour. He'll survive, although I'm going to have to wrap him in bubble wrap and put a helmet on him.

Friday evening Dan and I finished feeding and bringing horses into their stalls for the night. The last one to be moved was Cori, the horse who I have mentioned here before. She spooked at something as she was walking back into her stall and decided it would be smart to tuck her butt under her and simply lunge forward. Unfortunately she lost her footing and slipped, scaring herself even more. The fiasco finally ended when she impaled her shoulder on the handle of her stall door. We quickly began the 80-minute drive to the equine hospital at 9:00pm. They had to call in the head surgeon to evaluate her and stitch her back together. She did some serious damage to her muscle - ripped right through part of it - but it could have been worse. (Did you know that a horse's muscle, when bisected via a door handle, looks exactly like fresh ground beef? Me neither.) We pulled back into our driveway at 1:00am with $900 less in our bank account. Ouch...

Cori at the equine hospital, patiently waiting to be put back together.

Between Amy's leg issue, William running head-first into a fence post, and Cori impaling herself on a door, I think I'm about ready to give up! Never in my life have I had so many bizarre accidents in such a short period of time. I asked my vet if they offered any frequent-flyer programs. He told me that if they did, he would already owe me 5 round trip tickets to Cancun - just from May alone. He laughed. I didn't.

Deep breath... Onto Faith. There is good news, and there is bad news.

Dr. Barnes was here around 11am to check on Faith's progress and readjust her.

The good news is that Dr. Barnes was highly impressed with Faith's comfort in her hind end! She has continued to improve since he was here last on April 30th. He ran his hands all over her spine and hips, (in the same areas that she was high-positive for pain last time,) and she had absolutely NO response! This improvement could be caused by her new corrective shoes taking the strain off of her weak areas, or it could be from being adjusted last visit. Whatever it is, we're on the right track!

Next up was his review of Faith's new shoeing job. He looked at Brad Erickon's work and was quite impressed with it - it was exactly what he requested. The shoes were limiting the amount of "twist" in her gait, therefore releasing some pressure from her suspensories. However, we knew that there were three possible outcomes of her corrective shoeing: She gets better, she stays the same, or she gets worse. Unfortunately when you require one aspect of their gait to change, (such as eliminating the twist in Faith's stride,) you are forcing something else to adapt to accommodate it. On a horse that is about 17 years old, who probably has been moving like this for quite some time, it takes them quite a while to adjust to the changes. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. The only way to know if it will work is to try it.

Faith appeared sound for the first three days after her shoeing, and now has become about a 1.5/5 grade lameness on her front legs. Yes, her front legs. She has obviously changed her stride behind and may now be putting more weight on her forehand to accomodate it. If this is from her shoeing job, there are two possibilities: The good news is that it just might take her an additional week or two to readjust and balance herself out. The bad news is that it might not and we may need to pull the shoes and keep her barefoot. Time will tell. In the meantime, she has been and will remain on bute on days she seems uncomfortable.

The front end lameness could also be something entirely different, and not a negative side effect to her shoeing. It could be that she has always been lame on her forehand, but that her hind end was always in greater discomfort, so she didn't show the front-end pain. Think of it this way: you have a small splinter that aches in the bottom of your right foot, and at the same time, a big painful blister on the bottom of your left. If you're walking, you're going to favor your left foot, thus appearing "sound" on your right foot. One the blister heals and the left is comfortable again, you'll favor the right foot because the splinter is still painful. You fix one cause of discomfort, and another shows up. This could be what's happening with Faith. We're eliminating the most painful problems first, and as we do, the less painful ones are becoming more apparent.

So the question is, what's causing the discomfort in her front legs? It could be just general soreness from carrying herself differently. We also are fairly certain that she's arthritic, plus she has an old suspensory injury on her front left leg. (That is the same leg as her clubbed hoof, and suspensory injuries are more common in legs with clubbed hooves, due to the angle of the pastern created by the hoof.) Dr. Barnes thinks she may possibly have ringbone, either high or low. If she does, we can start her on injections and see if she improves. Our plan for now is to wait another week or two and see how she changes. I have hope that she will improve, and this is just a little bump in the road.

Back to Dr. Barnes's visit: He did not have to adjust her back, but he did notice that she was tight through her poll and neck. He gave her a few adjustments, and she willingly let him do his job. Here is Dr. Barnes at work:

I also have to mention that Faith just LOVES Dr. Barnes! She leans into him while he works, relaxes her head and neck, and closes her eyes. She looks like she's in heaven!

Does anyone know of a good equine massage therapist in the Southern NH/Northern Mass area that would come out for Faith? I think she'd not only thoroughly enjoy it, but benefit from it as well. Once I get caught up on all of these vet bills, I plan on scheduling her an appointment.

I'm off to bed now - have a great night!

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Update

It has been a long week, I'm exhausted, and I can hear my pillow calling for me...

Faith's New Shoes
=> Faith's farrier informed me that there will be an adjustment period for her, as she may be a little uncomfortable in her hind end due to her recent shoeing. The trailers are limiting the "twist" in her gait behind, (in order to take the strain off of her joints,) and since we're limiting one thing from moving, another has to give. Faith seemed OK today, perhaps a tad bit more stiff than she normally is, but nothing that I am too concerned about. (I am surprisingly fairly accustomed to the good-day, bad-day, good-day, bad-day roller coaster!) Keep your fingers crossed that she begins showing improvements over the next week or so!

Fundraisers
=> We are looking to do a few interesting fundraising activities to help with Faith's care. The first one I'm hoping will be a big hit, but shhhh... it's a surprise! I've been working on over the past few days and will present to everyone if I can make everything fall into place!
=> As another fundraiser, a student mentioned some sort of graphic sales, such as on t-shirts, hats, etc. Unfortunately, I am not very creative, and far from being a great artist - does anyone have any suggestions? Any good graphic designers out there that could help?

Upcoming Events
=> Dr. Brad Barnes will be out this Thursday morning to reevaluate and readjust Faith. Hopefully he is pleased with her condition and the quality of Brad Erickson's work. I'm doing my best to find someone else to be here and take pictures - it would be great to show everyone Dr. Barnes at work!

Upcoming Posts
=> Per a few questions and requests, I have been working on posts regarding suspensory ligament injuries as well as the causes and issues with clubbed feet. I will post them once I have time to finish them!

And to our deeply concerned readers...
=> I find it absolutely hilarious that 90% of comments regarding the post about Faith's hoof care had to do with how cute my farrier is! Hahaha - you guys are way too funny! I wholly agree that he's not bad to look at, but sorry ladies, he's happily married. :-)

I'm off to bed now - I hope everyone has a great weekend!


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Your Rescues: Remedy, Bandit, Janga, and the Terrorist Donkeys!

Hi Julie,

I thought I'd rise to your challenge. I'm a strong believer in helping out where ever you can. We have "rescued" or helped several animals. We refer to them collectively as our "used animals" - pets that other people didn't want or couldn't use. It turns out that, by taking a chance on other people's rejects, we've assembled quite a collection of wonderful and loving pets.

I know your emphasis was on horse rescues, but I really believe that people should help where they can. If you don’t have the time/resources to save a horse, then save a cat, a dog, or a bird. There are always animals that need help and, it seems, now more than ever.

Anyhow, I'll start with the Terrorists. (Yeah, I'm the lady with the Terrorist donkeys). Fiona (aka Terrorist #1) was acquired from an equine rescue. She'd been there precisely one day. She was actually in good shape and was only sent to a rescue because her people were elderly and could no longer care for her. She is a perfect example of people understanding their limits and doing the right thing before the situation gets out of hand. That leads us to Terrorist #2. (Long story short....) It turns out that Fiona is a shockingly well conformed little donkey and I'd always wanted a baby, so we took her to a wonderful breeder to have her bred. (Thus the origins of Bailey (aka The Antichrist) who will be my performance/driving donkey in another two years.) The Donkey breeder had a Jennet that was left with her by her owners because she was un-breedable and needed to find a new home. So Chloe (aka Terrorist #2) came to live with us. Chloe started out as a very shy little girl. Now she'll take the carrots out of your hand and run you over to get a scritchin'!

Fiona - AKA Terrorist #1

Chloe - AKA Terrorist #2

Bailey at 3 weeks old (AKA the Antichrist) - how adorable!

Then there's the used cat, Janga. He's a Bengal. He belonged to a little old lady who'd had him declawed, which (for those who don't know about declawing) has a tendency to make them bite. Well, she didn't want a biting cat (at least not one that weighed 20 pounds!) so she sent him to the Humane Society. He was going to be put down as he was "hostile" and "antisocial". (If you don't understand Bengals, they can be misinterpreted that way.) Fortunately, as a last chance, the HS called a Bengal rescue and they took him in and fostered him until we found him. Janga is now a loving lap cat who, if you're not paying attention while he's playing, will bite you occasionally. We just pay attention. :-)

And then there's Bandit.... An ex-breeding dog, scheduled for a date with a bullet because he isn't trustworthy with strangers. But we knew him and he liked us, so home he came. He can't run loose on the property like our other heeler, but he has his own run and we spend time with him every day. He'll have a home with us until he passes.

Finally, there's Remedy. She is our rescue that was closest to death. As a 3 year old, 15.1 hh mare, TWO MEN locked arms, picked her up, and loaded her in a trailer because she was too weak to walk in on her own. She was most definitely in the same league as Faith - the people who saved her were pretty certain they were bringing her home to die in peace. But she didn't die – with a lot of antibiotics and hay, she pulled through. We bought her after she'd gained about 150 or so pounds. When we went to look at her, she was all head (it looked HUGE!) and too much white. But she was a pretty mover, so we decided to “take a risk” on her. (She was already safe from starvation, so we didn’t have to worry about that.) All we did after we got her home was feed and love her. I've included before and after pictures. The pictures don't do her justice. You can see her backbone, but you can't see how prominent it was and how wasted and skinny her neck was. Like Faith, she had a thick layer of hair, which was her last defense against the cold of starvation. But, after several months of food, she muscled back up. It took 6 months to get her looking decent. She had problems with tying up for a while after that - we think it was due to a chemical/mineral imbalance from the starvation. But she got over that too. Now she's a nice brick of a horse that you can put anyone on. All she needed was food and love. We're so glad we took the “risk” on her!

Thanks for everything you do for Faith, and for (more importantly) teaching kids about the consequences of animal abuse and neglect. It's one thing to fix it, it's quite another to arm the next generation with the tool to PREVENT it.

:-)

-Heather from Gaston, Oregon

Remedy, before and after

Remedy doing a drill routine (she is in red):

Heather, all of your animals look wonderful - great job! Remedy is quite a nice horse. She's pretty, a great mover and versatile - what a wonderful result for a rescue! I love the picture of her at the show - she is nicely turned out and it shows how much time and effort you have put into her. And those donkeys surely cannot be as deviant as you say - look how cute they are! :-) Keep up the great work, and thanks for the compliments!

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Faith's First Shoes

I'm planning on bronzing them. Ok, maybe not... :-)

Faith's wonderful farrier, Brad Erickson, showed up at the farm at 4:00pm today. He had his work cut out for him: carefully trimming her front clubbed foot, cutting back her frogs as much as possible to help control the thrush problem, and forging a brand new pair of hind shoes with trailers to help lessen the twisting movement in her hind legs. Let the games begin!

We decided to work on Faith's hind legs first, as it would be a long process and it has always been somewhat uncomfortable for Faith to hold her hind legs to be worked on. Shortly after beginning, Brad commented on how impressed he was with how much her flexibility and comfort has improved since his last visit in April. He was actually able to use the hoof stand today, instead of having to work with her toe only a few inches off the ground. I'm sure his back appreciates that!

After a trim, he spent time forging a perfect pair of natural balance hind shoes with trailers. The trailers are designed to add extra traction to the rear of her hoof in order to minimize the amount of rotation in her lower leg. The natural balance shoes and the rolled toe encourage a faster breakover, lessening the pressure on her suspensories and joints. Hopefully this corrective shoeing will help her suspensories and lessen the discomfort she is facing.

Here are some pictures of the process for you all to enjoy!

Brad with a red-hot shoe...

Pushing the shoe into the sole for a perfect fit, at the same time creating smoke that smells like a combination of trash and burning flesh...

Clinching the nails... (Notice that Faith is letting him use the hoof stand!)

Our proud farrier with a great looking shoe (and smile!)...

A closer look at her left hind shoe...

The side view which clearly shows the rolled toe and increased breakover...

Many of the people that read this blog that don't own horses have questioned what is wrong with her hind legs. On the following picture I drew a red line to illustrate where her pastern should be. The pastern angle should match (or at least be much, much closer) to the angle of the hoof. The suspensories in her lower legs are so damaged, that they have are no longer strong enough to support the joint and keep the angle of her pasterns upright. This damage that was done to Faith is irreversible. What we're trying to do is increase her comfort and lessen the future damage of her joints.

A very special thanks to Brad Erickson!

Check out his website at: http://www.braderickson.com/ !

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Your Rescue Stories!

Here's a quick update on Faith, before we get to your stories:

She is making steady progress lately. We haven't had any major setbacks lately, knock on wood! Right now my biggest challenge is getting rid of her thrush. Each night she gets a hoof packing with a bleach solution (ordered by my vet) and during the day she is treated with one remedy or another. Between her thrush treatments, hoof packings and wrapping her legs twice each day, my lower back permanently feels like it is on fire.

Brad Erickson will be by tomorrow to trim her and put hind shoes with trailers on to lessen the strain on her suspensories. Next Thursday Dr. Brad Barnes will be out to reevaluate her and do more chiropractic work on her hind end. Hopefully he'll see an improvement since the last time!

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Onto your stories...

I've had quite a bit of response from you regarding the horses that you've rescued. Below are two of the first to arrive in my inbox. I plan on posting a new one every few days, so keep them coming!

"Hello, My name is Sam, I live in Ohio, but I'm down in Kentucky for school. I've always been a huge rescue supporter, and your work with Faith has been a wonderful journey to read. So I'll share my rescue story with you, per your blog request.

It is about my own horse, a now 9 year old 15.2HH Tennesee Walking Horse named Trotzig Storm (Jake). At the time I met him he was an unruly newly gelded horse at the age of 2 1/2. He was bought for a man who had never sat on a horse, much less broken and trained one. Also a new owner. I saw the harm in this first thing, but only being 13 I couldn't really say anything. He was boarded at a friends farm where I free leased a horse. Soon they began the process of backing him, and at first, he was an angel. But then about 5 rides in, he started bucking and rearing and just throwing everyone off he could.

The owner, apparently lost interest in him, and he was neglected for a while. He was really underweight, and had turned nasty and mean. The issue with his throwing people turned out of the be wolf teeth. Once those were removed I was told to ride him (because they put me on every rank horse, I could sit their craziness).

Jake, apparently didn't want to be a gaited Walker, I taught him how to trot and canter, and at 3, he became my first horse. When he first got to the new barn, he was ewe necked, skinny and quite frankly, no one liked him and thought he was a waste of money. Well, they certainly ate their words! We do 3 day eventing together. He and I show Novice and school Training and Prelim levels, and we show 1st level Dressage and school 2nd level moves. No one believes he's a Walker, and no one certianly believes he was once a rescue horse."

Jake, at the age of 4:

Jake posing for the camera:
Jake working under saddle:

Sam - Great job with him! He is absolutely adorable and looks great! His topline has certainly improved with proper nutrition and conditioning. I love the second picture of him - look at the expressive face on that guy! And kudos to you for showing everyone up - rescued animals are usually the best!

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And from Tammy:

"Bucky was our first rescue horse, we adopted him in August 2007 from Spring Hill Rescue in Clarendon, VT. He was initially rescued by Gina at SHHR as a starved, filthy baby with strangles, he was in rough shape, his three companions at the auction had died. She brought him back to the rescue and nursed him back to health, until we came along and he picked us! We did not intend to get a 2 year old, and certainly not a thin little buck toothed colt. We brought him home and spent a lot of time working on his teeth, feeding, and training him. He is a very trusting little horse who will do anything you ask . . . considering what he's been through I consider this nothing short of amazing. He matured into a gorgeous little buckskin, no doubt Quarter Horse, who I hope to get trail riding this summer. His before photo from SHHR and a photo of him at a clinic last summer are attached. He also has his own blog where you can read his whole story including training updates: http://sweetspotfarm.blogspot.com/

We have since added two more horses from SHHR to our herd and feel greatful to be a part of these wonderful horse's lives. "

~Tammy

Tammy - Bucky looks great! He is built nicely and looks like he'll be pretty comfortable to ride. What a great transformation - keep us updated on his progress! I wish you the best of luck with him!

I plan on posting a few of these a week - keep them coming!

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