A New Arrival at the Finca

Thursday Evening — Another Emergency Call

Thursday evening, the phone rang again from our regular helper. We’ve learned that when he calls, it’s because another horse urgently needs help. We told him that since the sad cases of Aslan and Zingaro last month, we had space for one more emergency rescue.

Within three days of saying that, she arrived. Thursday night was the call, and by Friday morning she was here. We didn’t even ask why she needed urgent help — we trust his judgment. He always understands the situation deeply and calls only when it’s truly critical.

At first glance, we questioned the urgency. She looked fairly healthy; we’ve seen loved pet horses in worse condition. But as she stepped off the trailer and walked down to our lower finca, we saw the reason — her lower legs. At first glance, she appears to suffer from ringbone or another arthritic condition, cause unknown.

Our vet hasn’t yet been able to confirm the diagnosis. Due to the shortage of equine vets on the islands, ours even travels to neighboring islands. Fortunately, now that she’s here, with pain relief, space, and proper food, she’s no longer an emergency and can wait comfortably for her appointment.

Why So Urgent When She Looks So Good?

We don’t yet know the full story, as we piece together information from various sources on the island. What’s refreshing this time is that she reached us early — before the starvation phase. She only needs to battle her medical issues, not malnutrition. We’re grateful she came to us at the right time, before her suffering became severe.

So far, we know she spent most of her life in a stable home, probably as a hobby horse, not a competition one. Then she was sold — maybe due to early medical issues or financial strain after lockdown. It doesn’t matter why. What matters is that she fell into the wrong hands. From what we can tell, she was sold to a riding school as a jumper, but when she couldn’t perform, she ended up neglected. Thankfully, she didn’t suffer long before help reached her.

What You See Isn’t Always What’s Inside

She may look well, but we don’t yet know the extent of her physical and emotional pain. Over time, we hope she’ll feel safe enough to show us. For now, we’ll work gently, rehabilitating her legs, feet, and mind. She may look like she doesn’t need help as urgently as some others, but trust us — she does. She needs love, pain relief, medication, patience, and sponsors just like every other horse here.

Sometimes the thin ones only need food. The “healthy-looking” ones often face more complex and expensive medical challenges. If you’d like to sponsor her monthly, you can do so via Patreon or through her personal page.

“She may look like she doesn’t need the help as much as our other horses, but please trust us that she does.
She needs love, pain relief, medication, patience, and sponsors — just like every other horse on our finca.”