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SaveHorses is a "no kill" horse rescue facility. Our opinion is that no horse should ever be euthanized unless determined absolutely necessary by a veterinarian. Our objective is to rescue all unwanted, distressed, abused and neglected horses, and provide horse retirement or horse adoption options for our beloved friends. Our equine rescue facility exists and is maintained strictly on donations and any help is greatly appreciated. Sprite
(Click image for more pictures) This is "Sprite," a Shetland pony somewhere in her 20's which we rescued in January of 2003. When we arrived to pick her up, she was standing alone in a stall which had a bit of straw on the floor but no visible hay or grain for her to eat. She was very tiny and looked malnourished. She had not had her hooves trimmed in years because they curled up like Elf's shoes. When we clipped on the lead rope and began to lead her out of the barn to our trailer she could barely walk. We were not able to pull our horse trailer into the driveway, so we were forced to make her walk from the barn to our trailer parked on the road. We truly did not think she was going to make it to the trailer. We had to stop and let her rest several times along the way but we finally made it. Sprite was a real trooper and stepped right up and into our big stock trailer even though she hadn't been transported in at least 10 years. We called our farrier the next day and pleaded with him to come out for an emergency trimming. When he arrived the next day, he looked at her hooves and sadly shook his head. He then asked us if we had a hack saw he could borrow because he actually had to saw off the tips of her hooves off because they had grown so long and thick that the nippers would not cut through them. Sprite was very cooperative even though it took three times longer than a normal trimming. Our farrier said she would need to undergo several more corrective trimmings before her hooves will be normal again. Sprite was now able to walk more normally and we expected her depressed behavior to greatly improve. She initially seemed to perk up a bit, happy to have plenty of good food to eat and the ability to walk normally. She also made friends with one of our dogs, Tyson, who began napping with her in her pen. Several days passed and Sprite did not have much increase in her appetite and still seemed depressed. We decided to make an appointment with our veterinarian to have her examined. Our vet was in the area that day and he was able to come out right away. He took one look at Sprite and said he thought she had liver failure. He finished with his examination and asked to take some blood to do some testing. He called back later in the day to inform us that Sprite did indeed have liver failure, mainly due to years of neglect and inadequate diet. It was at such an advanced stage that he hesitated to recommend treatment. Sprite passed away a few days later with Tyson lying next to her. If only we had known about Sprite sooner, perhaps she would still be with us today. Deb C. very graciously donated some corral panels to build a pen in Sprite's memory. Sprite touched our hearts in the short time she was with us and we will always remember her. We are only able to rescue horses and ponies like Sprite with your help of donations and supplies. Coffee
"Coffee" was one of our rescues that came to us with many problems. He had hair loss due to malnutrition, a severe untreated chest wound and an abscessed tooth. The tooth was so infected that it drained through the bottom of his jaw. Coffee was approximately 400 pounds underweight when he came to us. Thanks to Dr. Covaro of Livermore, CA and the hard work of our staff, he progressed and his prognosis was good. His chest wound healed and all of his hair grew back. In addition, Coffee received love and attention and had a strong will to survive. After four happy years with us at SaveHorses, Coffee's permanent health problems caused him to lose most of his teeth and he had to be put down. The image of Coffee will be with us forever in our ongoing fight to stop this kind of abuse before it starts. We want people to realize that horses (and all animals) have feelings too and just because they don't speak our language doesn't mean they don't feel pain. Any donations of goods or services are greatly appreciated and tax deductible! Please contact us if you would like to donate anything to SaveHorses!
Donations of used tack are also greatly appreciated! |
