Sometimes this is a happy ending
Dec 12 2009
In rescue, sometimes we have a little different idea of what makes a happy ending than the rest of the world. Remember Beau?
Beau didn’t make it – years of hoof neglect had taken their toll and too much damage had been done, but he had a wonderful last few months with Karen and it made the news the other night.
I can really relate to this as I lost one this week that I took only to make sure she had a wonderful retirement. She was not going to be rideable or usable in any way. I took her in because I liked her and wanted to make sure she never wanted for a single thing for however much time she had left, which turned out to be a year and a half.  This is the kind of thing that only another animal lover understands – that sometimes all you can do for them is make sure the last part of their life is as ideal as you can possibly make it. So, kudos today to everybody who takes on a rescue knowing they won’t be “saving” it – it won’t be returning to riding use, not ever, and you’re going to have the expenses associated with the end of its life, but you don’t mind and it’s enough for you to know that you are giving them the life they deserve, sometimes for the very first time in twenty or thirty years.
If you do have some space for a new horse this Christmas, think about adopting this Cat! At least he will not climb up the Christmas tree and break your ornaments.
40 comments to “Sometimes this is a happy ending”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment. Not a member? Registering is free, and you do it here!
Some days I HATE the Internet!! Off Topic, Cathy, this site only seems to allow me on when it feels like it, and then, each time it throws me off I have to re-register from the start, getting a new password, It also rejected my username this time too, so it has taken me half an hour to log in!! Good job you have fanatical
idiotspeople on here!!!I am so sorry Beau did not make it, I should like to strangle his original owner…in which lifetime did she think he was “a bit thin”…or maybe she inhabits a parallel universe???
To Karen I should like to say “Thank you for giving him a few good months”
I have done this for a couple of Welsh ponies now, past breeding and no longer wanted, they are often not the easiest of animals to care for, old broodmares, they can be a bit grumpy and are used to being left alone, pretty much, so daily handling and meds were not always appreciated, but, Hey, that’s not why we do it, is it??
I have three old broodmares at the moment, who are just treading water, as it were, whilst I decide if I can trust someone else (if I can find anyone) to take them on and just let them mooch around and eat and get fat, or if they should stay here. One is in foal, unfortunately, so she should stay til the foal is born. Thing is, rehoming is a minefield these days. Oh well, I guess we need to get used to full fields!!
Blessings on Beau and his loving owner. He looked wonderful and it’s a damn shame about his feet, but yes, he was loved.
If you’d like a truly happy moment (and picture) check out our Enumclaw rescue from October:
http://identityblog.burtongroup.com/bgidps/2009/12/identity-and-leadership-sorely-lacking-the-latter.html
I am thrilled I got to visit the PNW and see him. He looks really happy in that picture, doesn’t he?
Big hugs to everyone who is a good rescuer.
My trainer inadvertently ended up with a quasi rescue a couple of years ago. 17 yo 16.1 TB, stiff in the hind and the right shoulder, arthritic and a cribber to boot. Tellie came in as a boarder and his owner promptly abandoned him – along with all of her tack, etc. Since he was being paid for, he went to work as a lesson horse. This horse was dead flat broke on the flat and knew how to jump – just really couldn’t any more. I ended up with the ride on him and was lucky enough to not have to share him with other students. Not that he was perfect – he saw monsters in various places at the barn – the worst one was a little tine girl on a little tiny pink bike that rode up to the back end of the ring to watch my lesson. Horse lost his mind and, for the only time, whirled and was headed away – but he didn’t dump me. When he felt me coming off – he stopped.
He was also somewhat accident prone. The first one was when he managed to almost split his nose in two out in the pasture – we never did find out what he did it on. Stitches and a drain. And two weeks of betadine and peroxide scrubs – which I happily provided. The next was a splinter or something in his shoulder – swollen and hot. I watched my trainer work on it for a while, trying to get whatever it was out, but it wouldn’t come. By this time the poor guy was in major pain, so we walked back to his stall very slowly. Now, Tellie was a well trained horse – he knew that when we got to his stall, he went in first and politely turned so I could take his halter off. That night, he couldn’t get his ouchy shoulder over the board at bottom of his stall gate – he was half way in and backed out and just looked at me, as if to say, “I can’t – can you help me?” So, the only thing I could think to do was go in first – he followed.
Once he started to recover, he needed some walking around exercise so he wouldn’t stiffen up. So I took him in the small ring one afternoon just to let him wander. Walked him in, unsnapped the lead and expected him to move off. He stayed right by me. So, I started walking – he followed. If I turned, he turned, if I went around a tree, he followed. If I started to jog, he trotted. If I went over a pole – so did he. It was by far the most humbling and wonderful experience I have ever had with a horse. He decided I was his person.
A few months later, he shattered his left rear pastern in his stall. My trainer called me and said, He’s hurt himself again and it doesn’t look good. I flew to the barn and was almost there when what she said really hit. I was shaking so badly that I couldn’t get the gate open, so just climbed over. There he was in his stall, that broken pastern wobbling all over – munching hay, enjoying his pain meds while we waited for the vet. I walked in to him, he turned his head to me and gave me a hug. The regular vet was off, the on call vet was on a call – so there was a scramble to find a vet. In the meantime, I groomed my friend to a shine. He got apples and all the carrots he could eat. At one point, while I was in his tall with him, he got nervous and twitchy – I thought the pain med was wearing off. That wasn’t it – it finally hit me that he knew he was off balance and he was worried about me. The minute I went out – he settled. I sat in a chair right outside his stall until the vet came and he stayed right where I could touch him and talk to him.
When the vet came, we got him outside. The vet tranqued him and then got ready to put him down. I was standing with my boy’s head in my chest, just rubbing his ears while we waited. The vet came and took his lead and said I needed to move so I didn’t get whacked when he went down. Somehow, the vet ended up between us and as drugged as that horse was, his head came up and he was looking. I immediately got where he could see me and he relaxed. It was over shortly after that.
The point is that this horse, who was essentially thrown away, had two really good years at the end of his life got lucky to end up where he did, it just as easily could have happened differently. He was loved, he had a job that he loved, he had pony friends. As hard as it was to lose him, I am thankful that he chose me as the holder of his great heart.
Godspeed Beau, tell Tellie I still miss him.
here is my rescue horse she got her happy ending with a 8 year old child who loves her very much.
when replying to an ad the owner said she was beautiful and that they had put weight on her and they rode her everyday. when i went to look at her they did want me to look out back where the horse was being kept. they walked out a horse who was near death she was being kept with no food and no water. when they went to put her up i followed them out back there was 5 underweight horses. no food no water and a piece of plastic of a roof. the one i got was the worst off. in 3 days time after i got home she emptied a 25 gallon water tank and almost dried up the creek that is in the field, she eat a 20 pound mineral block and had all ready started to pick up weight.
here are two pic of her the first one is from the day i got her sept 13 and the sec one is from nov 9
Not even 2 months between the before and after… She looks so much better already – I would love to see her in the spring!
There is a special place in hell for people who can do that to an animal.
Wow, so much better. How old is she?
And what amazes me – why did they not even have WATER? It’s not like you have to go buy that at the feedstore. Ugh.
Did you get any pics of the others? That is a humane case for sure if they looked like her.
she is 5-7 years.
i dont know why there was no water. they didnt even have a water bucket. and the pen the horse was in was a foot deep with poo and pee.
i did but no animal rights around here. i helped trying to get a case underway before. a woman started out with 31 horses on 2 acers. when i went to see the horses there was 19 alive. two more died before i could get something done. the cops came took 5 horse one was my fav a middle age white arabian gelding. they took her 3 studs and a baby whos mom died days before. weeks later they removed 11 horses leaveing one colt that they couldnt catch. the cop gave her back 11 horses and closed the case
the owner was a vet and was breeding the horses.
Bless your heart Karen! I’m told there is a very special place in heaven for people like you <3
I have two, both were headed for the auction, 16 year old purebred bay mares, never broke, papered, but not the easiest to handle. The arab had been beaten and had big trust issues (she was used as a broodmare) and the T-bred had feet cracked up to the coronet band all the way round. Years and years of neglect! They now live out in my pasture together, nearly a perfectly matched pair. They didn't know eachother before I got them, but they're practially inseprable now. They owe me nothing, I just want them to live out happy and comfortable lives. I will not sell them, I will not ship them. When they become too uncomfortable, I will give them the dignity of a peaceful sleep. That is what a horse deserves!
We ended up with a “rescue” a few years ago. We have a large cat rescue (lions, tigers, etc.) near us, and one of the vets from our local clinic, told us about a pony that somebody had dropped off at the cat rescue to be used for food! My daughter and I went out to see him, a 23 year old pony, that was at least partially blind, and being kept in a 10×10 stall. The owners of the rescue didn’t know what else to do with him, and weren’t really set up to take care of him. His stall was filled almost a foot deep in manure, and he walked circles down to the ground in it. We thought he was a very pale, palomino color. It took me approx. 2 days, to know, we had to bring him home.
Lucky Boy had a bath, and he was actually WHITE! He was soooo trusting. and had wonderful ground manners. We eventually learned, he had been a lesson horse, but when his sight started to go, the owners decided to dump him for Cat Food!
He was blind in both eyes, and in constant pain. My daughter did ride him once, and I told her if horses could smile, he was!
We put him down 2 years later, as the pain from his eyes, just got to be too much for him. He is still missed to this day…
Karen, I’m very sorry for your loss. Good job on giving Beau a loving and kind end.
Almost 2 years ago my trainer and her family took in 3 rescues to foster from the local shelter, two had been in a field together (the bylaw officers had to convince loser to surrender them) third one was in a neighbouring property with dead goats littering the fields (no one ever came foreward as owner) the horses were only discovered due to crap fencing so all horses got in together in an area where they could be seen by neighbours…
One was a draft cross who was skinny but not bad compared to the other 2, his companion was an older chestnut mare who was horribly skinny… third was a little bay arab who was emaciated and covered in rain rot …we slowly started to see improvements in their weight…especially the draft cross, his biggest problem was lice…the tb had trouble chewing, and the arab wasn’t much better so we raised money and had the vet out to float their teeth…
Sadly the two skinnies as we called them were missing many teeth and were estimated in their 30′s… since the barn could not afford to keep horses with no purpose, and who wold need alot of attention it was decided to Euthanize them…it was absolutely heartbreaking, but we knew they had had a great last few months with all the food they could eat and endless love and attention…
the draft was rehabbed, trained and got a new home as a trail horse…
its sad about Beau but sometimes theres only so much you can do
at least his rescuer knows he’s no longer in pain!
Kirri, I had issues with this site for a few days, ending up logging to the site via Internet Explorer rather than the AOL internet connection I had been using — my cursor would disappear and I could not comment. Then, just as mysteriously, I was “back to normal.” Even wrote Cathy asking her advice and she said my problem was a new one on her, unless I have changed Windows version or something. I didn’t have to register, but it’s the same thing.
Oh, you folks and your wonderful rescue stories. While I’m not fond of slaughter — I prefer HUMANE euthanasia — I do realize that death is not always the worst thing that can happen to a horse. Finding the time and wherewithal to care for something that has been severely neglected is the stuff of which angels are made. Making that difficult decision is another quality angels possess.
In 1990 I went to see a Percheron stallion. I saw a day old foal that was born with patches of hair missing and a septic knee. 5 months later the owner called me and asked if I wanted to buy that colt. I made arrangements to pick him up, and my husband and I drove out to get him. We found, an emaciated colt, with almost no hair and tied to a post in his barn with no food or water. His feet were so overgrown and deformed that he walked on his fetlocks on all four feet. We wrote the man a check and left. The diagnosis was bad, and we were told he wouldn’t live a year..but we decided to make that a good year. Harry lived 18 years..with no hair, as his remaining hair fell out by the following spring. I knew he was just living out his life with us, and a giant pet…and I never have regretted a day. Rescue is tough…but you get so much in return..even if you cannot fix them or find them another home.
Here is a picture of Harry..but I do think that I sent one before. We miss you big guy.
I remember seeing your guy before, when I was researching horse coat colors.
My old mare is technically not a rescue. She had produced 7 babies for her original breeder, 5 of those have show records with AQHA and APHA. She was not shown, I am guessing, because of an injury to her mouth at a young age. Anyhow, when they couldn’t get any more babies they sold her to some people who wanted to breed her. When she would not settle after several tries, they put her up for sale. The seller made a couple of comments about the local auction house and how they were no longer taking horses because there was no market, although never came out and said that was potentially her fate. They completely misrepresented her to me, and fortunately, I am not new to horses and knew exactly what I was buying. I hauled her home knowing her “useful” days were very limited. Anyhow, she will be 19 in January and has arthritis in her knees. She stays relatively comfortable on MSM, yucca and devils claw. I take her out for short walks, usually to pony a young horse. We never go past a walk and she really seems to enjoy getting out. Occasionally, she will get a little crazy and try to keep up with my 3 baby horses, and she suffers a bit for it. I hope she has a couple of winters left in her, but her soundness and comfort level will dictate that. For now she is healthy and happy. She is maintaining her weight easily, almost too easily. I have only had her for a few months, but she will stay with me until it is her time, then she will be laid to rest on my place alongside all the pets who have gone before her. It really is a shame that the original owner/breeder was not willing to keep her to the end of her days. Seems to me she did right by them, and it is too bad they could not do right by her.
I followed Beaus story from the time Karen brought him home. I laughed and cried at his progress and set backs, but was really pulling for the old guy. I never met him but he really grew on me and I would come home from work daily and check his progress. I wept as Karen detailed his last few days, but rejoiced that they were so much better than they could have been. There is a special place in heaven for people like Karen.
“that I took only to make sure she had a wonderful retirement”
You are my hero. When I am in a financial place to do that, I will. Right now I’m just trying to provide for my 20 year old gelding, but some day I’ll hopefully be in a place where I can help the horses that nobody wants because they can’t be “useful.” Of course, to me a horse that can stand there and chew their dinner while I stand and listen is plenty useful to me! I had to pause tonight before leaving the barn. I’m usually not there at feeding time, and tonight I was. The sound of 4 horses happily munching their hay is just pure music
IMO, there is nothing more calming nor relaxing than to be in the barn with the horses. If I could never ride again, but could only take care of them, that would be enough for me. My spouse and I went through a horrible rocky patch earlier this year and my bags were packed. The only reason I did not leave him is because it would have had such an adverse affect on my horses and dogs, and the kind of living conditions I would be able to offer them. I would have had to move them from our beautiful 200 acres of freedom and pastures, to a boarding facility and all the potential horror and drama that involves. I just couldn’t do that to them, or me. My relationship with my spouse is on the mend, all because of the horses. I guess I can almost understand how some people can stay married for their kids…
I’m sixteen and I’ve been riding since I could walk. I’ve always had competition horses and showed. I had to leave my show barn sadly and I had been horseless for about a year. I rescued a mare and foal from Curran, ON (Canada). When I showed up they were living in a muddy little pen about the size of a suburban back yard with four year old cattle hay to eat, no water, and a single strand of electric wire fencing. Both were full of worms, skinny as twigs, and hadnt seen a farrier in months. It was heartbreaking. I shipped the two home immediately to a quiet little barn (which I run myself), the mare was dead lame and the baby was completely distant, but with five months of relentless caring and love, the baby (Tango) and mom (Hannah) spend their days rolling in the deep canadian snow and stuffing themselves with top quality round bales. I’m hoping Tango will grow into a good competition horse and Hannah will live out her days as a pudgy, happy trail horse. Its amazing what can happen with a little love!
Happy Holidays!
Poor Beau. What was wrong with his foot? I guessed the bone was degenerating but couldn’t find the original post. But dang, did he look GOOD. She did a great job with him in a short time and he looked happy and healthy (well otherwise healthy). When we rescued Kristin Ann we knew she wouldn’t live a long time although we HAD hoped she’d get more than 4 months but at least we know she died knowing happiness and love and didn’t have to worry about where the food was coming from (or not as her normal life had been). I know she would not have gotten even that much time left out in that barren pile of rocks they called a pasture.
OT too but hilarious Craigslist ad:
Room for 1 Horse – $100 (Goshen)
——————————————————————————–
Date: 2009-12-12, 7:26PM CST
Have room for 1 horse. Must be fixed,very freindly and manageable.
I let the horses into open pasture to graze a couple times a week.
There is a barn to store tack in. Good riding areas.
100.00/mo.
When I was 16, I wanted an appendix QH. I had to pay for my own horse, my own board, etc., so when I saw a 7 year old appendix QH for sale on a website, I jumped at the chance. A friend’s mom drove me 4 hours to Wisconsin to look at him. When we got there, we saw a stunted, malnourished, 14.3 hand (UNBROKE!) little horse who had a club foot, hadn’t had his feet trimmed in ages, and had a huge hematoma on his chest. I gave the owners $600 and took him home. Turns out he was 7 (could be easily determined by his papers!) and I worked with him over 2 years, eventually breaking him, and winning consistenly in our open HUS classes! He’s 20 now, and he will be with me until the end of his days. I think of him as a pseudo-rescue, and if he was no longer comfortable being my pasture-baby, I would make the right decision and humanely euthanize him. He deserves that much.
Kudos to Beau’s owner. What a touching story.
Poor Beau. What a waste. He was beautiful and could have had a happy life and career showing half-arab hunter pleasure with an adoring junior ride. Heartbreaking.
I have really not had a normal horse, most of mine have been rescues. So many stories.
I can honestly say rescue horses really do make great horses and are really wonderful animals.
Moose, my belgian draft horse. I went to an estate auction, he was tied in a basement type cattle barn, with badly curred goat skins hanging to dry all around him.
I brought him out and groomed him just to give him a chance. He was a 3 on the body scale, if that.
I whispered to the owner, that if he didn’t get what he wanted price wise, to no sale him and I would buy him.
Well he did, on the contingency that I bid on a pony wagon that he didn’t really want to sell. Well I did, and then after the auction, made arrangements to come and spend time with the Belgian, I started to make payments on him and started learning his history. He had been a carriage horse in Madison, pulling buggies around the capitol.
I contacted the current owner of the company and she helped me pay for the rest of his ransom. He came with a gorgeous harness. I went to work for her to pay back the rest. I got my tips though.
I traded the harness to Amy the owner of the company for part of the payment she laid out. We took him to her home, and he almost immediately got laminitis. She hauled him to the vet and we followed a strict regime and med schedule.
He never foundered, with no rotation of the coffin bone.
Due to the drive to her farm, I moved him 2x due to the care/ or lack there in…To a great place.
He a wonderful horse, I had dreams of doing dressage on him. He had other plans.
I made friends with the person who delivered my morning paper, and one fateful day I took her out to the barn.
Have you ever seen a horse and a person just CONNECT??!! I may have been the purchaser of him, but he chose his person. It took a bit of time, and she ended up moving to michigan, but we found a good shipper for her, and she found another perfect stable. Seeing this huge horse blossom from an emaciated husk to a big golden boy with a flowing white mane…
He is rather old now, he was 18 at the time, but he is still big and wonderful, and she has a great horse to remember for a long time.
I currently have a rescued appy filly and a 3/4 blind QH mare, along with my own horses.
Bless those who take in the hard cases. And may Beau rest in peace!
Wnnahrse:
What a wonderful story!
So glad you (and his former carriage employer) helped him find “his person!”
Kathy, e-mail me. I have info about the 48 QH’s rescued in KY. They are in my neck of the woods. That very believable sympathetic woman running the “rescue” who got them out of their former horrible location has actually placed them in another similar farm owned by a horse trader who is a known local kill buyer. He is receiving $150 a day to feed/care for
them and is bragging that he will be able to re-fence his entire farm after it is all over. Fox19 is supposed to go to his farm for another followup story and now he is getting funny about having “all those people nosing around my farm.” That’s on account of because of all the starving horses in his overgrazed pastures eating round bales that are not even fit for cattle. Forget parasite control, farrier care or simple daily handling and basic training for babies so they don’t become dangerous frightened unhandled yearlings….You can see all this just by driving by his farm from the road…entire board fences leaning over…very thin hungry looking horses hanging out…his ads in the local papers “I buy livestock” “Hay for sale” He’s been around trying to make a living this way all his life. Kathy, I have his name and address, I know where he lives. Someone has contacted the Northern Kentucky Horse Network, and now they will be involved, hooray!! A friend of mine who has a barn and stalls has adopted one foal and is fostering 5 other foals along with a mare about to pop in about 2 weeks. The foals all look real nice, except for wormy bellies. The mare is real sweet and nice acting, they like people! The foals were pretty thin, and I visited them a week after being stall kept and continuously fed, and they look real good to me now. Sweet things. You should see ‘em, 2 per stall. They are curious and alert, a little timid when you enter the stall. horselady3@hotmail.com
So many wonderful stories here. My deepist sympathies to Cathy and Karen and a big thank you for taking the on the challenge. I remember the Beau story but never saw the face shot. He looks like my mare and even after 10 mo I still have my almost daily tearing up, does it ever stop? I used to put bells and ribbons in her mane and ride through the neighborhood looking at all the decorations. Kids would come running out of the houses at the sound of the bells and clip clop. Geez, now I have to do shopping with puffy eyes…
Hi Fugs, a year ago you wrote about the saving a Clever Allemont, a former champion racehorse, from a feed lot in KS. Here is an anniversary video of where he is now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIDA2reXHDM
he is a very beautiful horse
The pictures at the end of the video of him frolicing at Old Friends gets me everytime. He looks so healthy and happy and such a different outlook than how he looked at the feed lot.
This is along the same lines of horse rescue. So many unwanted souls out there, and yet, idiots keep making more.
Here is a link to Chronicle Forums…
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236097
This is about a woman on CL wanting to create her very own Fugly. Awww, how special. (all sarcasm)
[quote=Craigslist Idiot]Hi, I have a mare that I have had for a few years, I would like to breed her. Not with anything special, just for a baby out of her.
I’m looking for someone that would be willing to breed my horse with their stud/stallion. I don’t want to spend money for a stud fee, like I said I just want a baby horse.
As for the stud/stallion, It really doesn’t matter what type of horse he is or color, although I would like a paint horse or something of that origin.
Please email me back, and attach some pictures if you could.
thank you. [/quote]
Someone should send her some pics of a Paint Breyer horse and tell her that’s all she should worry about breeding. If she wants a “baby” horse they are a buttload of them out there especially in the PMU and Nurse Mare industries….some people have just been hit too many times with the Darwin 2×4.
Another Craigslist gem; wonder what they plan to DO with these Mares??? Anyone wanna guess- will give you one shot:
I’m looking for some registered young gaited mares. Maybe Tennesse Walkers, Fox trotters or Paso Finos. Doesn’t need to be broke. Please e-mail age, color, breed, amount of training, height and cost. Pictures would be great. Looking for ones under $500.
This was bittersweet to read. I remember Beau. It’s good that he’s no longer suffering, but it’s a shame that he was never able to recover. He could have been a nice little pleasure horse for a kind-hearted pre-teen. If he hadn’t been neglected so terribly, he could have had some good riding years left in him, and once he could no longer be ridden, he could have had a few comfortable last years.
It makes me sad all that was taken away from him.
Good bye Beau. You’ve galloped across the Rainbow Bridge now. I am glad that you knew kindness before your passing. Karen is truly one of those rare good souls.
I was looking for a companion horse for my riding mare. I ended up getting a Standardbred mare that had terrible feet and was on her way to the abattoir. She had been run into the ground, literally road founder and on top of that given very poor foot care. She has been a wonderful perfect horse companion. I could not ask for better. Two years off, outside with gentle continuous exercise, good diet & hoof care and she probably will be fit for light riding! I am thrilled but I did not expect it. Every horse counts! I’m with FUGS–breed carefully or don’t breed at all and care for your animals…..
Speaking of horses that deserve a peaceful way out, has anybody heard anything more on that filly with the amputated leg, Penny I believe her name was?
I like the last four words in your statement Adjani. “Care for your animals” The world would be a much better place if everyone would do this. Heck..maybe if everyone would care for their children and others it would be better even!
I myself…am going to go out to the barn and hug my horses tonight.
And remember, on Christmas at midnight..the animals can all talk. Each Christmas, I go down the aisle and talk to every one…I used to talk to one old mare, Fanny and tell her to say hello to her sister Mollie that had passed away several years before. I lost Fanny a couple of years ago. But, I still have Mollies’ son..so now I tell him to say hello to them both. At one point in his life, I sold him. checked out the home as carefully as I could. I even went and continued to ride with his new owner for several years…always to see Splash cared for an happy. I moved to the other side of the state and several years later received a call from a rescue person. She had Splash, and one other horse owned by the same lady. She had not paid board in several years and the horses were finally turned over to the rescue. She asked if I wanted him back..and said he was a mess. His hooves were split to the coronary band (looked like cow hooves), he had heaves, he was scared of everying and extremely headshy. He had been turned out in a wet field on the coast for the entire time that board was not paid and was ignored. We left the next day to get him…and have had him back for 5 years now. He will not leave me again, even though he is mostly unrideable from an apparent back injury. Although, he can be ridden lightly. He is now my little snuggle bunny again and my connection to Fanny and Mollie always. I had those two for all of their 22 and 26 years.
Holy cow, I never expected to scroll down and see Manhasset Bay Cat! He was a patient of mine in vet school in early January 2006. I followed his racing career after he got back on the track, but unfortunately, fixing his larynx didn’t seem to have made him any faster and he dropped out of sight quite a while back. I’ve been hoping he ended up somewhere good. When I knew him, he was a pushy rising three-year-old stallion who nevertheless made no attempt to kill this decidedly non-horsey vet. Gorgeous horse, and I bet he’s a sweet boy without his hormones whispering in his ear — he seemed to have a decent mind otherwise. I once did the better part of his morning PE while he lay flat out on his side in his stall because the big lug decided I wasn’t interesting enough to get up for.
Thank you, Fugly for saying this: “This is the kind of thing that only another animal lover understands – that sometimes all you can do for them is make sure the last part of their life is as ideal as you can possibly make it.” I very recently had to put down my big beautiful Tennessee Walker. I got him from some very well meaning people who just didn’t realize how much pain he was in. I knew he would never be usable as a riding horse, so we used him to plant kisses on and absolutely pamper until the inevitable happened. I had very mixed emotions because this horse was neither skinny, or sick. He was beautiful, shiny, fat, slick, and gentle. He was just in pain from someone starting him too early, I assume. I felt guilty for taking this horse from the owners only to put it down a short time later, but honestly, they would have tried to keep him going forever not realizing what pain he was in every day.
That horse had the best days of his life here being utterly loved by me and my 12 year old son while we did just what you said…made his last days as ideal as we could possibly make them. Thank you for putting it that way for me. I think I can let my heart stop hurting over it now.
Each time I take on a rescue in poor condition, especially oldies, I consider that it’s possible they may only be with me for a short time to enjoy what they can of their final days. So far out of 16 horses rescued in 2 1/2 years, three have gone on to the big paddock in the sky, and I knew for two of those when I agreed to take them that I was their last stop on this earth. I’m okay with that though – I’d rather they were only with me for a day than spend any more time in a bad situation.
Cherry: 29yo Appie, grossly overweight (c.s. 8 plus HUGE crest and fat pads all over), foundered, blind in one eye (eye poked out by a stick and never properly treated), and had lived by herself for more than 10 years. When I first went to look at her, I knew she was coming home even if all she did was get off the float, eat a feed and be put down on the spot. When I turned up with the float a week later, she practically dragged her old owner across the field to get on and leave. Despite being a grumpy old so-and-so, she had her occasional sweet moments when she remembered what it was like to be a happy young thing again. She had a good five months of companionship, good diet, proper hoof and eye care and TLC before it was her time to go.
Ace: emaciated (c.s. 2) 24 or 34yo TB gelding. Ace had already been rescued from a terrible situation but his new owner, despite all the love in the world, just didn’t have the resources to feed him what he needed so I offered to take him on. I brought him home knowing that if I couldn’t get a significant improvement within a month, he’d be off to the big paddock in the sky. Lucky for him, all he really needed was more groceries and some arthritis meds and he was a happy camper for six months before his hind end gave out and he was unable to get up after rolling (I later found out he had been doing this several years previously, and had had some sort of seizure at that time – NOT GOOD). After finding him down several times in something of a state (he’d sit on one haunch and swivel around in circles, rubbing his tail into a muddy matted mess and damaging the cancer bumps along the dock), he had a week of all-you-can-eat carrots and went very peacefully.
Johnny: 29yo Stb gelding, came to me for final retirement when his 70 year old owner had to give up his farm. Johnny had had some sort of really bad injury many many moons ago, leaving him with very limited use of one of his hind legs – this was managed as best as possible with plenty of liniment massages and anti-inflammatories, and he was Cherry’s best mate while she was here. He was at Kahurangi for over a year, but when Cherry’s time came I decided it was the right time for him too, before he really started to go downhill (he was getting progressively more sore in the hind end, and he didn’t ‘fit’ with any of the other horses any more – they’d already decided he was a liability and wouldn’t accept him any more). They went together and seemed happy with that.
I miss the old farts, but I’m happy that their final months were spent with lots of grass, hay and feed, companionship and TLC. Of those that are here now, a few are what I class as ‘special needs’ (i.e. they need a ‘special’ home to care for them properly, due to physical or mental issues), and if we don’t ever find that right home they’ll stay here to the end of their days, no matter how long that takes.
Claire Vale
Kahuranig Equine Rescue
New Zealand