Hope and Grace
Hope and Grace came to Hanaeleh in 2018. They are both Arabian mares- Grace was a little over 30 and Hope was in her mid-20s. They had not been cared for well in some time, and were thin and neglected. We were able to provide them with regular food, farrier care and veterinary attention, until they were healthy enough to be adopted out. We had found them a lovely home with a couple who was using them for equine therapy in Malibu. They were doing very well until the Malibu fire in February of 2019, which burned down the facility where they were located. Thankfully their new owners were able to evacuate them, and we kept in touch regularly with the owners, and everything seemed to be going fine. We received word a few months later, however, that the owners had essentially abandoned the horses at the new facility. We quickly maneuvered to get Hope and Grace back to Hanaeleh, where they would be safe.
It’s been almost a year since they’ve been back at Hanaeleh, and they are doing very well. Grace scared us at the beginning of the year when she cast herself (casting is when the horses get their legs caught through the bars of the stall and are unable to get themselves up. This is especially dangerous as if a horse is on the ground for too long they can colic). She was upset because she was stuck, and began thrashing around, eventually getting a bolt from the stall embedded into her leg. We took the stall apart to get her up, and we were able to keep her from coliccing, but the wound in her leg was very serious and it was potentially life-threatening. We worked diligently to make sure that Grace’s injury was changed regularly, and that she was safe and dry at all times. Thankfully she is a tough little girl, and she pulled through beautifully. When we put her back into the paddock with Hope, we blocked off the area where she had hurt herself so she would not be able to get her leg stuck in there again! Grace is about 32-33 years old now, so she does have some arthritis, but we have her on medication to help her, and she gets out regularly. She is also in a paddock with Hope so she can move around all day.
When we had adopted Hope out, she had a mild case of Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis, or DSLD, which essentially is when a horse’s suspensory tendons are broken down and can no longer support the horse. DSLD is a genetic condition that is inherently degenerative. Besides farrier care and wraps, there is little that we are able to do for horses with DSLD except to minimize the pain that can be associated with the condition. When DSLD is first diagnosed, it is often not painful unless horse is not expected to work much. When Hope came back to Hanaeleh, her DSLD was more pronounced, and she was obviously more uncomfortable than when she had left, so we put her on pain medication to help her feel more comfortable. With proper farrier care and being able to walk around the paddock and the arena at her own pace, she improved, and we were able to take her off the pain medication.
Hope and Grace are very attached to each other, and although they can be worked separately, they are happiest when they are close to one another. Hope is fine in the paddock when Grace is taken out, but when we bring Grace back, she gets incredibly excited and starts to freak out, as if to say, “Oh my goodness! I thought you were never going to come back! I was so worried!” even though Grace was literally no more than 15 feet away and never out of sight and only out for like 20 minutes. Grace is always very nonchalant, like, “Yes, yes, I’m very important. Now move so I can eat your hay.”
We are very happy to have our sweet girls back at Hanaeleh, where we can make sure that they are safe and happy together!
Hope and Grace would LOVE a sponsor. Did you know that you can sponsor them together for as little as $10/month? Click here to learn more and sign up!
