10804 McConnell Rd, Woodstock, IL 60098
(815) 337-5563
info@hahs.org
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10804 McConnell Rd, Woodstock, IL 60098
(815) 337-5563
info@hahs.org
A Quartet's Road to Recovery
Bo, Spirit, Monte, and Gabriel arrived at HAHS as a varied-looking little herd, despite coming from one household. Their story is not one of intentional abuse or neglect, but they needed help nonetheless. Their caretaker decided the best thing for them was to move to HAHS, where our knowledgeable team could provide the care and recovery they needed.
It was clear that all the horses had positive experiences with human contact and care. They were very sweet with the HAHS staff, traveled well, and showed some curiosity about the humans introducing them to their new home. Upon arrival, they needed farrier care, dental care, and veterinary care.
They had not had a good grooming in some time. Our staff took the time to bathe, brush, and de-mat their manes and tails. To our surprise, we found bits of metal stuck in Spirit's heavily matted, thick tail. She certainly appreciated having those removed! Bo's mane was also fairly matted, but our staff did not find any surprises there—whew!
Bo, a beautiful flaxen chestnut Quarter-type gelding, featured in the bottom photo above, arrived with a decent body weight. We were informed that he has heaves and may require treatment during certain environmental changes. After some investigation, we found that he would not be suitable for riding due to some age-related changes. However, it was determined that he will make a fine kids' pony, able to carry a child around while an adult leads them.
Spirit, featured in the top photo above, in stark contrast to her gelding herd-mates, arrived overweight and a little off. Since her arrival at HAHS, she continues to improve, and her weight is slowly normalizing. Spirit shows a sweet, curious personality and is interested in any humans walking around her paddock. She seems to be the leader of the geldings, as they follow her when she moves from place to place. We have determined that she is ridable and has a good mind. We are still in the process of determining what level of riding she is capable of performing comfortably.
Monte, featured in the photo above, is an absolutely adorable palomino gelding, has a kind eye and a happy, curious energy about him, despite being calm overall. He arrived a little thinner than Bo, but not as thin as Gabriel. Monte was very well-behaved when our staff bathed him and continues to show a pleasant personality. He is suitable for light riding and would also make a wonderful horse to lead around with the kids on him.
Gabriel, featured in the photo to the right, arrived with an extremely low body condition score. After a thorough veterinary exam, it was determined that, despite being 35 and extremely thin, he is alert, responsive, and has a good shot at recovery. Our primary focus with Gabriel is to help him regain his body weight and address any issues we may find. Thus far, he has started to fill out a little bit—the progress may be small right now, but it is progress nonetheless, and it gives us hope.
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