On Sunday Hanaeleh picked up two horses who were in need of rescue- a 14 year-old Thoroughbred/Andalusian dapple-grey gelding (we have renamed him Cristo), and a 26 year-old Quarter Horse chestnut mare (she is named Cricket). The owner contacted Hanaeleh to try to help, as she and her family were in financial distress. Hanaeleh decided to step in as the owner was six months behind on the board, and it was possible that the horses might end up at an auction to cover the back board fees. Given the physical and mental condition of the horses, if they did end up at an auction, there is little doubt that they would go anywhere but the slaughterhouse.
Both horses are in desperate need of a farrier- they haven’t had their feet trimmed in about four months. In addition, they need their vaccines and their teeth floated. The mare has a skin condition that the owner has been trying to treat topically, so we will continue to treat that. The gelding is about 150 lbs. underweight.
Physically, the horses are going to cost Hanaeleh about $500 EACH just to get their basic work done, and that is if we do not find any unknown issues. Until we get their feet done, we cannot assess any lameness issues, and a full lameness exam will increase the cost exponentially. If anyone would like to help sponsor one of these guys, that would be *very* helpful. Even a small monthly donation will help to supplement their costs! Here is a very basic breakdown of the costs:
Farrier: $50
Teeth: $250
Vaccinations: $100
Vet exam (overall, lameness, etc.): $100
The care and upkeep on these guys will run around $350/month. The gelding will need supplemental feed, and the mare will need to have her skin condition assessed and we will need to purchase any topical treatments.
Once we deal with the physical issues, however, we have to deal with the mental issues. The gelding is very attached to the mare, to the point that it is almost impossible to separate them without him going ballistic. We will eventually need to do so, however, but we will wait until we get some of the physical issues dealt with first. Because the gelding was so difficult to deal with, the family did not feel safe in getting him out of his stall, which only compounded his issues- imagine putting your four year-old child in a bathroom for four months, and then you can imagine this guy’s mental state. The mare needs some groundwork as she has no problem walking all over the person walking her, but she is *much* better when separated from the gelding.
Currently we have the two horses in the quarantine paddock at the top. They will stay there for a few weeks to settle in, and we will move them after we have the vet and farrier work done.
Thank you all again for your support! Any donations for these guys are welcome! 🙂
Paypal: donate@hanaeleh.com
Mail: PO Box 291, Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678