A 501(c)3 Tax exempt program specializing in rehabilitating and retraining retired racehorses
We don't normally take horses that are not thoroughbreds but we couldn't leave these two behind.
On January 11th a horse trainer friend of mine, Mindy Willis, told me about a Craigs List ad she saw for a buckskin paint gelding for $300. When she went to go see him he wasn't quite what his photo suggested. Upon arrival at the small dirty trash filled pasture were 2 severely malnourished horses, the buckskin paint and a black gelding. After talking to the man who was trying to sell them about their condition she left and called me for advice.
I called Jerry Finch from Habitat for Horses. He recommend I call the Houston Humane Society and report them which I did but when they didn't respond Mindy and I took action into our own hands and arranged to pay for and pick up the horses. A price of $270 was negotiated, (and payed for by Mindy), for both horses. It seemed like the right thing to do to get them the heck out of there. I quickly got on facebook and asked for help with transportation and Misty jumped on the chance to help.
We all met at a gas station around the corner where we filled up Misty's truck and headed to get the horses. I was shocked at the deplorable conditions they were living in. The black gelding was tied to a high tree limb, so high he had to hold his head up in a very awkward position. He looked absolutely miserable, no expression in his eye, no reaction to touch. The buckskin paint was tied on a 15 foot lead rope tied to a tree about 3 foot off the ground. It was intertwined between his legs as he was gobbling up dead leaves from the ground. He would carefully step over the line to move around. My first impression was that he is very smart and figures things out easily without panicking.
I took the black gelding off from his tie and as I stroked his head his eye started to change. It got soft and round and that was the first time he looked at me. As we turned to walk towards the trailer we noticed how sore his feet were. He shuffled to the trailer but was very willing to load. He brighted up and pricked his ears and stepped right up into the trailer. The paint gelding also was very willing to load. I gave Misty another $100 for fuel for her trip and they were on their way.
Keep in mind these horses are very wooly with their winter hair as well as having huge 'worm bellies'. It made them appear a lot heavier than what they really were. The black gelding we named Noble. He weighed in at 817 pounds, we guessed about 200 pounds underweight. The buckskin we named Freedom, who weighed in at 759 pounds, approximately 300 pounds underweight. When you touch them you feel thin skin covering bones. There is no fat layer whatsoever and I can not imagine what torment they went through during the last cold spell.
On January 14 Noble was seen by a veterinarian and was diagonosised with stage 4 laminitis. He had no chance to recover and was in tremendous discomfort. He was humanly euthanized with a full belly and with people that loved him all around. It was a very sad day.
On a much better note Freedom is thriving. In his first 17 days at RMR he weighed in at 876 pounds. That is a 117 pound gain in less than 3 weeks in the RMR program. Although he still has a way to go, he should be ready to start evaluating soon to see what type of home will suit him best.
17 days in the RMR Program
From 759 pounds to 876 in 17 days
February 6th Update:
Freedom weighed in today at 922 pounds. He has gained 163 pounds in less than a month. He is almost ready for his new home. If you are interested in adopting this sweet little horse please fill out an adoption application on the horses available page and email it to Donna at remembermerescue@live.com to be approved. He should be ready for adoption by February 20th.
Freedom stands 14.3 hands tall. He is a mid to late teenager. The best way to discribe his riding ability is 'backyard' broke, meaning he doesn't know a lot but does what ever you ask him. He doesn't neck rein or have any handle but doesn't buck or do anything to scare anyone. He is very sweet and will fit in well with any family.
ADOPTION FEE $500
Remember Me Rescue was honored to be able to help Freedom even though he was not a thoroughbred. He will remain on a diet for malnutritioned horses until he has fully recovered. We expect him to be a very 'easy keeper' soon due to how quickly he gained weight. His rapid weight gain also suggests he has no other serious health problems. Freedom has had his teeth floated, been vaccinated, and thoroughly wormed.
Please help us continue to care for Freedom and others like him that are found in need.
