Provide Quality Care for Rescued Horses in Texas

In April of 2016, Easy R Equine Rescue received a call from the local sheriff's department telling us they were removing two horses from an owner on an emergency basis.  The two horses were tied to a pole in a front yard without food or water.  They were both thin, but the older gelding horse was emaciated and in very poor condition. The owner apparently was in jail and, obviously, could not take care of them.  He voluntarily gave custody of the two horses to the sheriff's department. 

Easy R agreed to take the two horses and quickly made arrangements with one of our foster homes that could accommodate taking them. Ace, the older male horse was extremely thin with all of his ribs showing and his hip bones jutting out.  His hair was coarse and dull and had not started to shed despite it being springtime already. Malnourished horses will hang on to their hair as a protective measure. We worked with the foster parents on an appropriate feeding plan for Ace, and quickly had him vaccinated, de-wormed and seen by the farrier and equine dentist.  Because of his age and his poor condition, Ace was placed on grain and pellets specifically formulated for senior horses.  

Under the care and attention of the foster family, Ace quickly started gaining weight.  He finally shed his dull, coarse hair and it was replaced with a black shiny coat.  His eyes became brighter and he was more energetic and playful.  His foster parents even let him into their backyard to "mow the lawn".  Ace has been a very gentle and patient horse. He wants to interact with people and is more than willing to stand for grooming and petting.  He also got along well with his fellow herd mates at the foster home.

Ace caught the eyes, and stole the hearts, of a neighbor family down the street from the foster home.  In fact, they fed the horses when the foster family was out of town.  They watched Ace go from a starving, bony horse to a healthy and happy old boy.  Knowing that because he was an older, arthritic senior horse, it woud be difficult to secure an adoptive home for Ace.  And since they had gradually fallen in love with him, they wanted to adopt him and let him spend the rest of his years being spoiled at their home, just like their other horse Sugar. The Robertson family recently adopted Ace and he and Sugar act as if they have been best friends for years.  He has settled in without one problem.  He will get the rest and retirement that he deserves.

The expenses for older horses like Ace are costly.  Senior feed is approximately $5 more per bag than regular grain.  Since his teeth were ground down, he could not eat regular alfalfa and grass hay, so we had to supplement with alfalfa pellets or cubes.  He also needed medications that manage pain and inflammation from arthritis and lameness.  Because of donors through our Global Giving project, we were able to pay for all the care Ace needed.  It is a very labor and cost intensive to rehabiliate horses like Ace back to health.  But it is so worth it and we could not do it without the generous donations of our supporters.  Thank you so much.

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