Animal Welfare United States Project #17121

Provide Quality Care for Rescued Horses in Texas

by Easy R Equine Rescue

Project Report | Jan 30, 2023
Sometimes Goodbye is the Most Merciful Decision

By Angie Alspaugh | Project Leader

Goodbye is never easy. In fact, when it's an active decision a person has to make, goodbye is quite heartbreaking. But merciful at the same time.

Denim came to us in October 2021. He had been found wandering down a remote farm road by a family in Eastern New Mexico. They put him in their pasture, provided food and water, and, along with the local sheriff's department, attempted to locate his owner. No one ever claimed him so after a few months, the family contacted Easy R asking for assistance. We had a foster home that was willing to accept Denim into their family.

Upon arrival Denim was very underweight. He was an elder horse with arthritis in his hocks and stifles and probably several other areas of his body. He had a brand on his hip, which indicated he probably was a ranch horse at some time, and for a long time. His body revealed many years of hard work. How a horse like this ends up starving and out on a rural and remote road will always be a mystery. He had a chronic drippy eye that was most likely a result of an injury on his eyelid where a scar was. Last summer, that eye developed glaucoma and he lost all sight in it.

Even with all his arthritis and joint stiffness, Denim was the best boy. He had a kind spirit and willing attitude. HIs foster family fell in love. They devoted themselves to giving this old man the very best care. They went above and beyond in caring for him in every way. Over the past few months, Denim started having a more difficult time getting up from his nightly sleep and afternoon naps. The arthritis in his stifles and hocks made it extremely hard for him to bend his legs underneath and get himself to a standing position. Many times, the foster family had to halter him and assist him in getting up. But even with that help, it was a significant struggle for him.

After a full weekend of back and forth conversations with the foster family, and many tears, it was decided that it was time to let Denim go. Allowing him to continue to experience the pain and struggle each day just wasn't fair to him. Even when you know that you know that you are making the right decision, it is heart breaking. But, we rest assured in knowing that this kind and good natured horse made his way to Easy R for a reason. And we think that reason is that we could provide him with the best care and devotion for the remainder of his time. It's possible that he had never in his life known the love and care he received from his foster family the past 15 months. Godspeed, sweet Denim.

When we receive horses into the rescue we don't know what their recovery or length of stay will be. What we do know is that during the time we have them they will received the very best care. And we make that happen because of people who support the work we are doing. Thank you so much for being a part of making Denim's last 15 months on this earth a wonderful experience for him.

Links:

Permalink

Sep 12, 2022
From Suffering to Safety

By Angela Alspaugh | Project Leader

Malnourished Mare

When we get calls about horses in need, most often it's about one or two horses. Maybe three. In August we started receiving calls from multiple concerned citizens in a small neighboring county about twelve horses and two mules being neglected by the owner. The callers reported that the majority of the herd were very thin and they rarely saw food available for the equines. As fate would have it, a supporter and friend of our rescue is friends with the neighbor of the owner. We were able to retrieve second hand, and then first hand information about the situation.

After receiving photos of the malnourished horses, and then news that two had recently died on the property, we contacted the local law enforcement and offered any assistance we could. At the same time, neighbors of the owner were relentless in their attempts to get these horses and mules help. The owner was resistant to all offers of help from neighbors. Instead, it seemed he was just going to let them die.

When two additional horses did die from starvation and/or sickness related to malnutrition, law enforcement finally decided to intervene. Fast forward through a week of property visits by law enforcement, legal paperwork, and a judge's order, the remaining 10 equines were removed from the property and placed together in a foster home. Two stud horses, 8 mares, and 2 mules. Their weights range from adequate to very thin and malnourished.
It is likely none have had any recent veterinary care.

Because of our wonderful donors, we were able to say "yes" and take all those equines into our program. Now the real work begins. All will be vaccinated, dewormed, checked for injury and illness and seen by an equine dentist and farrier. Eventually the two stud horses will be castrated. Then will come the adventure of locating adoptive homes for them all.

Simply put, we just cannot do what we do for horses in need without you. Thank you. Stay tuned for progress on "the herd".

Thin and Injured

Paint Stud Horse

Semi-healthy Mules

Links:

Permalink

Mar 17, 2022
Leroy Joins the Herd

By Angie Alspaugh | Project Leader

Leroy

Leroy was advertised for sale on social media for $500. He was bone thin, obviously malnourished and unhealthy, and being kept in a small pen with junk and trash. A caring individual offered to pay the $500 to get him out of that terrible situation if Easy R Equine Rescue could assist her in fostering him. We were happy to agree to that. What the photos on social media didn't show were all the melanomas on his body, He had very large ones on the sides of his mouth and smaller ones on his eye and genitals. He also has developed some under the skin in between his jaw bones.

We immediately took him to the vet to assess the situation, but the first priority was to just feed him and get some weight on. After putting on some pounds, he received vaccinations, de-wormer, topical meds for some of the melanomas, and dental work. And love. A lot of love and care from his foster mom. What we learned about him in those first few months is that Leroy has the most laid-back, easy-going personality. He loads well in a trailer, stands for the farrier, doesn't mind being haltered. Obviously at some point in his life, he was with a human who taught him some good things. How he ended up with someone who almost let him starve is a mystery.

Today, Leroy is in his second foster home and doing very well. He gets along with his equine foster sister, Magi. He still is agreeable and easy to work with. The sad part about Leroy's story is that there isn't much that can be done about his melanomas. As is the case most of the time, we know that the melanomas will spread. Because he already has some under the skin, it is likely they will spread internally and start causing health problems for him. But for NOW, he is thriving. It will be difficult to find an adoptive home for Leroy, most likely. We don't know how many months or years Leroy will live. And most people want to adopt a horse that is healthy and doesn't have a terminal illness. But we will continue to provide sanctuary for this sweet boy for as many years as he has left. And they might just be the best years of his life. Who knows, maybe the perfect adopter will find him.

Without our invaluable donors, we wouldn't be able to say yes to horses like Leroy. Thank you for being a part of his success story.

Sad, terrible condition upon arrival

Condition is much improved

Links:

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 12 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.