One Year Later - Francie, Horse Rescue

Can you believe that today marks a year since I went and rescued Francie?  The scrawny horse that was so weak yet untamed and unhandled, infested with the worst case of strongyles my vet had ever seen, has come such a long way.

Here are a couple of pictures of her from the first week with us.  She was covered in muck, which I couldn't brush off because her skin was overly sensitive to touch and she wasn't used to being handled.  She had never had her feet trimmed.  She was underweight to the point that her spine protruded, and had three different types of parasites.

In this picture, you can see the muck that was on her legs, that I was unable to curry off being of her skin sensitivities.  She had been standing and sleeping in this muck. 

Note how skinny her neck is in this picture.  You can really see a difference in her neck in more recent photos.

Alright, now here are some pictures of Francie from this past week.  You can see the muck is gone and she has totally filled out.  Her coat is so much healthier, and she is parasite-free.

She has had regular trimmings by the farrier and even sometimes lifts her feet for him when he comes.  Today she loves to be brushed, especially around her neck area.  Look how much thicker her neck is now!

Look at the difference of the shot from behind taken now versus the first picture.  She looks full and healthy - no more angles and bones. 

I wasn't really sure what I was getting in to when I brought her home that day, but I'm happy we were able to offer her a safe home.  She has come a long way in a year!  She will always have stunted growth (she will not grow anymore at this point) but at least she is living a better life. 

Also, for those of you who offered support for the two horses left behind, you'll be happy to hear that they look much better too, since they were dewormed and vaccinated and the one was gelded, and the owners have done a much better job over the past year of keeping hay on the premises.  While they may not look 100%, they are in such better shape than a year ago!  Thank you.