What began as a quiet weekend quickly turned into an urgent mission—one that brought four draft horses into our care, each needing help in a different, heartbreaking way. These are their stories, and the first steps on their road to healing.
The names shared below are temporary names as we learn more about each horse.
Heather: Saved in the Nick of Time
Heather’s rescue came down to minutes.
This sweet senior girl was just moments away from shipping to slaughter when our hauler left at midnight to get her the moment the barn doors opened. From there, she went straight to the hospital.
Dr. Stancoff and the team at Weems were waiting. Heather arrived underweight and sore. X-rays of her feet revealed an air pocket in her front right hoof. Using a hoof tester, Dr. Stancoff pinpointed the problem—an abscess. It was immediately drained, wrapped, and treated.
The good news? Her chest and lungs looked normal on ultrasound, and her bloodwork came back relatively stable.
Because we don’t know her history, Heather is under strict quarantine and has begun a very careful refeeding program. Right now, slow and steady is everything. Her body is vulnerable, and we’re protecting her every step of the way.
Reilly: The X-Ray We’ll Never Forget
Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw on Reilly’s X-rays. There was an eerie silence as we all looked at the images and tried to process what they showed.
Reilly was shot.
Every small dot on the X-ray is a metal pellet lodged in her eye and face. There is no way to know how long she endured this pain, or the fear she must have felt—only to be discarded afterward.
What we keep reminding ourselves of now is this: She is safe.
Reilly is on pain medication and antibiotics. She’s surrounded by warmth, fresh hay, and gentle care. She has a stall with a heater and wears a soft blue blanket. She is only feeling love now.
A follow-up appointment is scheduled for next week. At this time, we do not believe the pellets can be removed.
As if that weren’t enough, test results also confirmed that Reilly has strangles. We already follow strict quarantine protocols, which remain fully in place. She will not be housed with the other mare rescued that weekend, and our team is taking every precaution.
We’ve been through so much in rescue—but this one cuts especially deep.
Jim: Curious, Brave & Holding On
Jim stood tall and alert, curious about everything happening around him. Despite everything he’s endured, his spirit was unmistakable.
Jim’s eye is severely inflamed and draining, causing him significant pain. He was immediately started on pain medication and taken to the hospital, where he will remain for surgery to remove the affected eye. In addition, Jim has a skin infection and was given an IV sodium iodide treatment to help address it.
His hooves are severely overgrown and misshapen, pancaking outward from long-term neglect. He also needs to gain several hundred pounds before his body can begin to feel strong again.
Even in pain, Jim has shown remarkable resilience. With consistent medical care, proper nutrition, hoof and dental work, and time, this brave senior boy finally has a future where comfort comes first.
Mary: Quiet Strength, Serious Wounds
Mary’s story is one we will never forget.
By the time she was safely settled into her stall, we could fully see the extent of her injuries. She had a massive open wound across her belly. Beyond horrific. The smell, the layers of tissue visible, the sheer scale of it… there were so many maggots we couldn’t even count them.
Most likely, Mary caught herself on a gate latch or something similar. Horses get into accidents (it’s easy to imagine how this happened). What’s impossible to imagine is an owner seeing a wound like this and choosing not to get help. They didn’t send photos to a vet. They didn’t ask if she could wait one more day. Instead, she was discarded.
They had no idea someone was going to help her.
At the hospital, Dr. Chisholm carefully cut away all of the necrotic (dead) skin so that healthy tissue could begin to grow. SSD ointment was applied to soft cotton and placed directly over the wound, then secured with layers and layers of Elastikon. It took a lot of Elastikon—and at least two people—to wrap a bandage around her big belly.
Through it all, Mary was unbelievably patient and gentle.
She was started on antibiotics and pain medication and is staying at the hospital so her healing can be closely monitored. The veterinary team will continue to evaluate whether additional tissue needs to be removed before she’s ready for discharge.
Mary is also severely underweight and needs to gain several hundred pounds. Her recovery will be long. But for the first time, she’s in a place where healing is truly possible.
Why We Do This
Four horses. Four different emergencies. One life-changing weekend.
Our hope is that each of these drafts can heal, gain weight, have their feet and teeth cared for, and (with the help of our friends at Healing Hearts) find loving forever homes. And if any of them need permanent sanctuary, they will always have a home with us.
We just want the very best outcome for each of them, whatever that may be.
Thank you for being part of this mission. Every purchase, every share, every ounce of support helps make moments like these possible. We’ll continue to update you as Heather, Reilly, Jim, and Mary take their next steps forward.
