Private Tom (PT for short) is named for all of our soldiers who will be coming home from Iraq. Like our warriors overseas, PT has done his duty and he has landed here at the rescue ready for a new beginning. PT came here a little worse for wear.
Private Tom on his first day here
PT doesn’t have a disease. He is not old. He has his scars but he is not lame. He is not wild or mean. PT quite simply has not had enough to eat. He didn’t have enough grass or hay or grain. You can see his backbone and his hip bones. His owners didn’t care enough about him to make sure that he had food. He could have ended up on that truck headed to Canada because no one wants a thin horse.
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What a beautiful fellow!
Even though PT has stood at the gate waiting for food that never came, he still trusts humans to do what is right. PT still meets you at the gate. PT has earned his chance at a new life.
Every horse that comes into the rescue costs CVHR between $250-$500 for their first month. This covers their feed as well as vet bills, worming and any dental work or farrier work they may need.
Every horse that comes into CVHR needs heroes! Won’t you be PT’s hero? Every dollar that is donated goes directly to care for PT and his friends.
Flame is a 15 year old Arab gelding. These pictures were taken the day that he arrived.
Flame needs your help!
Flame doesn't need special food - he just needs food.
Won't you help him?
Flame doesn’t need a special diet. He doesn’t have any health issues. He just needs grain, hay and some green grass. It is going to take him some time to get back to being fat and sassy. Flame is quite the character. Even though he is just as hungry as the girls, he very patiently waits at feeding time until all the girls have come in. Once the girls are in he presents himself at the gate. He is best buddies with Akki and can often be seen lounging in the pasture with his head over her back.
Please, won’t you help Flame and horses like him? The economy is bad for all of us but horses suffer most when the economy is bad. If everyone who reads this would donate enough to buy a friend lunch at McDonald’s, Flame and all his friends would have plenty of hay and grain for the month.
Be Flame’s Hero!! Flame’s first month here will cost him approximately $250. This includes his feed, vet bills, and farrier work. After his first month, his expenses should drop to approximately $100 per month. Won’t you donate a few dollars to help him? We can’t do it without your help.
We are currently working to save these two gorgeous standardbred geldings from the feed lot. They are hip #837 and #825 on the Camelot Auction NJ Feedlot
825 – Stdbrd. Geld, 16.2 hhBay, stout bodied, legs have pin-fire marks. 7 yrs old, Freezebranded. Supposed to ride as well, but they didn’t try him. . . $500.00 Foaled 02/14/2002 – VALENTINES DAY BABY!! Canadian Bred from Ontario, no info can be found on owners or races. Stables may be now defunct, no previous owners found to contact! He deserves a loving home. http://forums.delphiforums.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=50175.108
#837 – Standardbred. Black w/Star, gelding. 16.1 hh, 12/13 yrs., right eye a bit gloopy, led thru, said to ride and drive, quiet, calm. Freeze Brand. . . $325.00 *This NJ-Bred Geld. sold as a 4 yr old for $8500. Has earned over $170,000.00 with 25 wins under his belt. He’s raced up and down the east coast, including Maine, Delaware, N.J. This horse has moved thru several owners during his career and has more than earned a permanent, loving home!!
***IN RE: #837 — TO A 501(c)3 — I HAVE A funding offer for this boy that will cover bail and QT!!!!! Please contact Lisa and I’ll put you in touch!!***http://forums.delphiforums.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=50175.136
We have raised $350 but we still have over $600 before they will be safe! Will you donate a couple of dollars to keep them off the killer truck?
Starving horse with a body score of 2
Horse abuse and neglect takes many forms. It can be as obvious as having no food or water to not having necessary veterinary or hoof care. There is a nationally recognized chart that describes a horse’s body condition based on fat deposits and body structure. It is called the Henneke Body Scoring system. There is a also an excellent power point presentation available here with pictures that clearly illustrate what body scoring is.
A body score of 5 is ideal. A body score of 4 is considered moderately thin and you will often see very fit racehorses that appear at first glance to be a 4. A horse with a score of 3 or below may be in trouble.
If you suspect abuse or neglect you should contact your local animal control office or sheriff’s department. They have the authority and the responsibility to investigate all claims of abuse or neglect. If you are in Central Virginia, please let them know that Central Virginia Horse Rescue is available to transport and shelter horses and notify us by using our contact form.
We need to know the following:
- address where the horse is located
- county or city(so we know which county to contact)
- how many horses
- condition of horses
- whether you have contacted animal control
If you do not know who to call, your county or city sheriff’s office will either transfer your call to the proper people or give you the phone number.
Groovy Heart
Groovy Heart is a 14 yr old Thoroughbred mare. She arrived here with Stop That Akki and they are best of friends. She is a gorgeous red bay although she is also a little thin. She retired from the racetrack in 1999.
Groovy Heart
Groovy is about 15.2 hands tall. She is sound with clean legs and feet. She has excellent ground manners and lunges well. She is easy to work with and around.
UPDATE: Groovy is riding!! We have ridden her western and english. She rides very well. We have done walk/trot with her so far and she does great!! Nice little jog or sitting trot and will move up into a regular trot with no trouble.
Groovy is available to an approved home. Her adoption fee is $500
We call her lovebug or lover and she is!
4-h members and Pony Clubbers are encouraged to inquire.
Please fill out the Application-contract. Our goal is to see all of our horses in good homes. We love to talk to potential adopters about the horses and will work with you to make sure that you get the right horse for you.
Stop That Akki
‘Stop That Akki’ arrived here in mid July with Groovy Heart. She might have the honor of being the first in a long list of horses that were at risk due to the record heat and drought in this area. Her owners simply had too many horses and not enough pasture. As you can see from her pictures, she is in need of a little more weight and is enjoying having shelter from the blazing sun. Once her new coat grows in, she will be almost black.
Stop That Akki lunging
Akki is seven years old and looking for a second career. She appears to be sound with clean legs and good feet. I did ride her for a few minutes and she is quiet and calm to ride. She is picking up weight nicely and is available for adoption.
Akki is not the least bit hot or wild. In my opinion, she would make an excellent hunter prospect or youth project horse. She is sound as far as I can tell and has clean legs and good feet.
Her adoption fee is $600. 4-H members and Pony Clubbers are encouraged to inquire. She would make an excellent project horse.
More pictures of Akki:
Akki trys so hard to please.
Akki and I just playing around
If you are interested in Akki please fill out the Application-adoption contract. Our goal is to see all of our horses in good homes. We love to talk to potential adopters about the horses and will work with you to make sure that you get the right horse for you.
We have a short survey set up to determine the current needs for hay in VA. Please take a moment or two to take the Virginia Hay survey!
With the drought and the severe heat, many are concerned about the amount of hay available for horses this fall and winter. CVHR is looking into the possibility of setting up some type of ‘hay bank’ but we need to assess whether there is a need and if so, where the need really lies.
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment on this article. Thanks!
Magic continues to struggle to breathe when he is eating. I suspect that he is still inhaling parts of his feed. We are still trying to find a solution that will work for him. I have done some research into tracheal collapse.
The Horse has an article on a new treatment involving a stent. The article was written back in 2006 but I don’t see much mention of it as a treatment option anywhere else. I am going to look into it but it seems like it might be cost prohibitive. The stent itself is $1600-1800 and that does not include vet costs, anesthesia, etc.
If you are still wondering exactly what it means to have a collapsed trachea, this is an excellent article with pictures that illustrate it all. I believe the article is about dogs but it is very similar.
VibraVM has offered to send a machine to see if it will help. I am willing to try anything at this point and I have heard excellent things about it. I did not hear back from them today but hope that we can get it on it’s way tomorrow.
I am going to continue to look for a solution as long as Magic is hanging in there.
Magic went to see Dr Dunnavant for his second opinion today. When we got there, Magic was breathing a bit easier. I had brought a pan of grain because it seems to make his breathing worse when he eats. Sure enough, within 3 minutes of having grain, he began to have severe distress trying to get a breath. You could hear him roaring and whistling all over the clinic.
Doc took a look inside his throat and windpipe with a scope. It was not good news. Magic has a collapsed trachea or windpipe. This means that instead of being round, it has flattened out and is restricting the air getting into his lungs.
When he eats grain, he is sucking it into his windpipe and it is causing his breathing to get even worse. None of this is good news as there is virtually nothing that can be done that will make it better. The medications have really not been helping, the aero mask will not help nor will the VibraVM.
Magic’s only chance is to be fed a diet of only grass or possibly soft steamed grass hay. If he continues to lose weight or if his breathing gets any worse, he will have to be put down. This is going to be tricky until and unless he improves enough to be gelded.
I am devastated. I had so hoped that we could find a solution, a magic shot or treatment that would make him better. I guess it is just not going to happen this time and hopefully, he will improve enough to have some quality of life. Please say a prayer for him. It might be the only hope he has.
