With patience and kindness, Gene is finding his footing again
Meet Gene – full name ‘Sir Virginiano’. Gene arrived with us in truly heartbreaking condition. He was severely malnourished, suffering from painful, infected skin, and significant hoof damage. His hooves had been trimmed far too short and fitted with oversized, heavy shoes, something that likely caused ongoing discomfort and strain through his legs, back, and body.
Most concerning of all, Gene had a severe skull and facial defect, clearly consistent with a major historic injury. Alongside this, he presented with pronounced neurological issues. When he first arrived, Gene showed severe ataxia: uncontrolled head and neck swinging, poor coordination, and full-body instability that made everyday movement incredibly difficult. What we quickly learned is that Gene’s neurological episodes were heavily stress-triggered. Anxiety, handling, or unpredictable environments caused his symptoms to worsen dramatically.
Since coming into our care, Gene had shown just how powerful calm, consistency, and kindness can be. By reducing stress, improving handling, creating a predictable routine, and addressing physical discomfort, including removing inappropriate shoeing and transitioning him toward barefoot, his ataxic episodes have reduced significantly.
Eventually, Gene was largely stable in calm conditions, with symptoms appearing only in specific high-stress moments. His rehabilitation was ongoing and focused on comfort, movement, hoof recovery, nervous system regulation, and careful monitoring to keep him safe and improving.
But unfortunately after a period of improvement, Gene started to decline, the vets suggesting that his tendons had snapped, causing his fetlocks to collapse. This meant he struggled more and more to walk and we could see he was in pain. Sadly the time came to say goodbye to Gene in August 2026. He was surrounded by so much love, especially from volunteer Lio who had dedicated her time at the sanctuary to caring for Gene. Thank you Lio for all you gave him.
