Bounty coconut, sweet as the candy bar itself.
This friendly little mare came to us with a similar story to many other horses we’ve rescued. She was no longer considered worth feeding and caring for, left in a small space with the same shoes for around 9 months. This is particularly bad for Bounty because she has a problem with her front left leg which was from an injury that was left without treatment. This resulted in a bone growth healing oversized. With her extra long hooves and solid shoes she kicked herself causing a bleeding injury every time she moved. For this reason she is not ridable and ‘not worth any love’ apparently.
Since she has been with us we removed her shoes and have started her feet with their rehab treatment and she is already walking comfortably without hitting herself. Ironically it was a completely easy fix. If the owners had known they only needed to remove her shoes and she would be sound, they would have continued to ride her. So luckily for Bounty their ignorance has saved her. Now she is very happy with her friend Trufa and is enjoying her best life.
Bounty’s entire tail and genital area are also affected by melanoma, alongside multiple sites on her body/face including inside her mouth. She arrived with this issue and as it is too far developed in each site, removal will not add to her quality of life. The tumour in her mouth is bigger than a hand but if removed it would leave a hole, meaning her eating would be negatively affected.
Melanomas are unfortunately more common in grey horses due to skin pigmentation and genetics. Living in a small group of islands with grey being a recessive gene, many grey horses are bred regardless of melanoma family history. Paired with our extreme UV conditions here, this means we’ve had many horses (especially grey horses) effected by melanomas to varying degrees of severity. With Bounty, this is something we monitor overtime.
