Rescuers step in to help and heal.
“Every year, we take in orphaned and/or injured wild baby horses,” said Kimberly Meagher, Wildhorse founder and co-author of Alternatives to Auction and Slaughter. “We have a team of volunteers we call The Foal Club. These babies need care every two hours with milk replacement and often veterinary care to get them healthy and eventually adopted into wonderful homes.”
“They are the real deal,” said equestrian and animal advocate Ann Herrington. “Wildhorse Ranch is a true rescue operation. They paid for the veterinary services for these foals, the medications, the food, the shelter. I don’t know what would have happened to them if they hadn’t stepped in.”
Like the wild foals, Herrington found herself feeling vulnerable recently. With the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, her resources were depleting, along with her energy. Her concern stretched beyond her health to the welfare of her beloved horse of 12 years, Miss Pauleena, a 17-year-old bred for horseracing.
“When I realized I could not take care of Pauleena financially at this time, I was sick over it. I was worried that I would have to give her up.”
Herrington shared her situation with Meagher.
“As a rescuer, she helps others, especially animals,” she said about Herrington to The Tucson Dog. “When she called me about her recent diagnosis and not being able to provide care for Miss P, I immediately wanted to do anything I could to help. Ann’s first thought was that she had to give Pauleena up and she wanted her to go to a safe place. As Ann and I talked, we came up with a practical solution.”
The plan called for Wildhorse to take temporary ownership of Pauleena. But rather than bringing the horse to their ranch in Gilbert, they found a way to keep her with Ann in Northern Arizona.
“She’s always lived in Northern Arizona, and I was afraid she may not do well in the heat,” said Herrington. “She’s a very sensitive being and because we are so bonded, sending her to the Valley would have hurt both of us deeply.”
As with the rescued foals, Wildhorse took care of Pauleena’s needs, which included veterinary care for a torn back ligament. “I am deeply grateful,” said Herrington.
Not comfortable asking for help for herself, Herrington is encouraging others to consider a donation to Wildhorse Ranch Rescue in Pauleena’s name to help recover the costs. In addition, Pauleena needs to be hand-walked for six months to a year while she recovers from her injury. Thus, Herrington is looking for a volunteer who can take on this task once or twice a week.
Meanwhile, the foals have received a clean bill of health and Ann’s condition has stabilized. She is convinced a big part of her recovery is being close to Pauleena. “I see her almost every day here in Chino Valley. And I cannot thank Kim and Wildhorse Ranch Rescue enough.”
For more information or to donate to Wildhorse Ranch Rescue, visit wildhorse.org or call 866-926-8007. Checks may be sent to Wildhorse, P.O. Box 3080, Gilbert, AZ 85299, along with a note about how the donation is to be used, for example, for Miss Pauleena, cats, dogs, baby horses or where it’s needed most.
Wildhorse Ranch Rescue will celebrate 30 years of supporting and saving animals in January. FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Courtesy Photo: Wildhorse Ranch Rescue adopted six wild foals abandoned by the herd this summer.
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