June 28th, 2012
The blind mare, which I named Spirit, is now likely more comfortable than she has been in a long, long time. Our daughter, Katie, went with me to pick her up today. It was a good 3 hour trip getting there due to road closures because of flooding from Tropical Storm Debby but we were determined to get her here. When we arrived she seemed stoic – her head was down and it was like her mind was in another place and time. I was worried about her injuries and how bad they looked – worse than they did on Saturday. And there were new, open injuries. I whispered to her and rubbed on her a bit. But when I reached up to put a halter on her for the trip home she turned her head into me and stayed there for a few seconds. I told her she was going home to where life would be much better and different for her. She stayed close as we walked to the trailer. She had never been loaded onto a trailer – she was born on the property (2004) where we picked her up from. She walked into the trailer in less than a minute – it didn’t take much coaching. Just patience, a calm hand, and reassurance. But she wasn’t happy once we got to moving – it had to have been a bit stressful for her but she unloaded really well at the rescue.
While we waited for Dr. Ryan Meeks, we hosed her off which she seemed to like. Then we waited together – he arrived about 30 minutes later. I will warn you that the photos after the picture after this one are graphic. Don’t scroll down if you don’t want to see them. How does anyone allow this to happen? How ??
Dr. Ryan examined Spirit and said she wouldn’t have lasted much longer. Her needs have gone neglected for a long time. She is malnourished and has obviously been terribly beat up, repeatedly, over time. She has many old and new wire injuries (that were infected), bites, sunburn, open sores swelling, blisters, etc. Inside of her upper lip she has a wide cut that runs along her gum line which is likely why she isn’t very interested in hay. She is finally drinking but we’re encouraging her more with electrolytes.
She has no vision in her right eye. It’s possible that she sees a very small sliver of light in her left.
The puncture wound at her chest is wide and the open wound goes down deep – all the way to her sternum. Her scars – they are everywhere.
Not surprisingly her feet haven’t been trimmed in a long, long time. There are many open injures, new and old, on her legs too.
The injury on her nose goes to the bone. Dr. Ryan says we need to keep an eye on this – there may be sequestered bone. More cuts and scratches all over her face and lots of swelling all over.
Spirit had been through a lot and will wear scars to prove it for the rest of her life – from nose to tail. Just think about the many times she’s been bitten, kicked, run into things, and how scary it must have been for her. I was so worried about her during Tropical Storm Debby. She was on almost 30 acres with about 20 other horses, including studs. There were also cows, an area with trees, and a lot of debris including barb wire. Tomorrow she will get a good bath and these injuries will get all cleaned up. I didn’t want to do too much more to her today but let her chill – she’s had a tough day. It truly hurts my heart to see her injuries and to think of how horrible her life has been – a living nightmare, 24/7/365.
There are even bites around and under her tail.
Spirit will be stalled for awhile – her injuries will take quite some time to heal and she should not be in the sun – but she will get hand walked often. Injuries will get cold hosed, cleaned, and treated. It is a true blessing that she just stands and allows doctoring. She could be all over the place, pushy, and untrusting but she isn’t. She’s calm and seemingly appreciative – she likes me to hum to her. She is resting now and seems to be enjoying just “being”. There are no others here near her to pick on her or for her to be afraid of. We can’t say for sure that she will make it but we can say she wouldn’t have made it much longer where she was. But she is now on the road to recovery. She is a diamond in the rough and truly does deserve a chance.
Thank you all for caring about her and for helping. For those that have pledged a one time donation or a monthly sponsorship – we now ask that you follow through. Spirit has a chance – thanks to all of you. God bless and I’ll update tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
www.bhfer.org
