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Prince
On
Saturday night, I attended a used tack and horse auction in order
to purchase used halters, feeders, etc. for the rescue horses.
An older, gray, Arabian gelding who was only able to walk on 3
legs was brought in. After much negotiation, I was able to pay
for this horse before they sent him through the auction ring.
We had to have a vet come out to make sure this lovely old gentleman
of a horse could be transported. The vet okayed transport and
"Prince" is now at TIER. (He was named by a 10 yr. old
boy who accompanied one of our volunteers on our quest to pick
up telephone poles to be used for a hay shed.)
We
had our regular vet visit Prince yesterday (November 23, 1999)
and it seems our new addition has a broken shoulder and elbow.
When Prince arrived at the auction, he had fresh saddle marks
on him, so it is assumed that the injury had occurred that day.
Someone had an "accident" on Prince and their solution
to his plight was to get rid of him quickly, send him to an auction
and get the last dollar out of him!
Thanksgiving
Coincidence? I think not. Because of people like you, horses like
Prince have a chance. A chance to be what they were intended to
be. A living, breathing, loving horse!
We
at TIER thank you for your support and for keeping the spirit
of Thanksgiving alive.
Update
12/8/99 - Prince is putting more weight on the leg with
the injured shoulder. He is now nickering when we come out (whether
we have food or not!), there is no more swelling and he is putting
on a little weight. We are not trying to put alot of weight on
him right now (although he could use it!) because of his shoulder.
He is getting plenty of vitamins, garlic, devils claw, glucosamine.
He was on Bute twice a day for the first week, but has been weaned
off that. On the days he appears to be stiffer and in discomfort,
we do give him some Bute. But there aren't alot of those days...thank
goodness. His next door neighbor is Pear, the pony with the broken
down pasterns. We think she is the one who has been teaching him
to nicker to us because she is such a talker!! HA! And,
Prince is the first horse here that she has not screamed at! That
cantankerous old lady Pearl yells at everyone...except Prince.
I think it is because she knows he is hurt and because she thinks
he is quite handsome!
Update
3/22/00 - His broken scapula has healed
well, although it is somewhat unsightly. He is now able to be
turned out
and let me tell you....he's feeling good! He dances in place constantly
while turned
out. He flys around the round pen and yells at Honey to come
play with him.
He does not appear to be favoring the shoulder at all! Yeah!
Prince!
Update
2/24/04
- The elegant Old Soldier is finally putting on weight again.
Prince was Grace's next door neighbor
and biggest fan. They would stand head to head over the fence,
dozing in the sun and gossiping. When they were turned out together,
Prince would dutifully follow behind her and, should another horse
try to come up to Grace, he would go into a possessive frenzy
and run them off!!
On the day
that Grace crossed the Rainbow Bridge, I put my arms around his
refined neck, held my face against his thinning mane and while
I sobbed, I told him the heartbreaking news that she had left
us. After a short moment, his dainty Arabian head jerked up and
while his huge liquid eyes looked off in the distance, blasted
the air with several long, high pitched neighs. He pulled away
from he and began running the fence that had divided his and Grace's
pen. Suddenly he stopped, eyes wide, nostrils flaring and looked
at me as if asking me to confirm what I had just told him. Through
my tears I once more told him Grace was gone. I stepped towards
him to try to console him and myself, but he lowered his head
and walked away as if to say he wanted to be left alone. Truthfully,
I do not know if he understood what I had told him, but he had
never behaved that way before, nor since. In my heart, I think
he knew exactly what I was saying.
I kept a close
eye on him as I knew how attached he was to Grace and feared he
might go into a depression that would cause him to leave us too.
We have witnessed horses that have a deep attachment, love for
each other, go into depression when their partner leaves or passes
away. The remaining partner has been known to just give up or
give in and not want to eat, not want to live without their friend.
I feared this might happen to Prince. Although Prince is older
and we are quite sure he has experienced the loss of companions
previously, he "wears his heart on his sleeve" so to
speak and usually attaches quickly and strongly to mares that
are his neighbors.
As expected,
Prince began to decline in weight. For the first couple of days,
he did not finish his breakfast or dinner portions. We added some
supplements along with his usual ration of vitamins and prayed.
When Dolly arrived, I put her in Grace's
old pen in the hopes that he would find a new friend and perk
up. Oddly, he showed little interest in her other than to charge
the fence when she was near. In the past he was always excited
to be next to a mare and make her his new object of undying admiration.
Slowly, he
began to lose weight and I feared he would become ill. Twice he
exhibited signs of colic and I administered medication. He was
eating all his feed, yet he was still losing weight. He had eventually
accepted that Dolly was his new neighbor and would stand next
to her along the fence line. But, when I would turn Dolly out
he did not do his frantic pacing like he normally does when his
friend is out and he is not. He didn't get excited at all.
Finally, he
began putting weight back on and calling to me when I came out
to feed. He began trying to rub his head on me as he used to do
and is much more lively. Perhaps, after all this mud dries up,
(we sure have had the rain!!) I will be able to turn he and Dolly
out together and he will have found a new friend. For now, we
are just pleasantly relieved that he is putting weight back on,
and making sure that I know it is a RULE for gray horses to lie
in the mud so that they look like a brown and white horse!! HAAAA!
11/5/04
God
Blessed us with Prince to share our life and love.
A gift from Heaven, he came from above.
He taught us of courage and to never give in.
He brightened our days time and time again.
It broke our hearts to lose him, but he did not go alone, |
For
a part of us went with him the day God called him Home.
He is always there playing in our hearts and minds each day,
And the joy and memories he gave us can never be taken away.
If tears could build a stairway
And memories a lane,
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We would
walk right up to Heaven
To be with him again.
Our Wonderful
Prince Crossed the Rainbow Bridge on 10/14/2004.
Be kind to
the animals for they are the True Innocents! |
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