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Equinfinity's
Horse of the Year! - Thor
The Story...... Gentlemen
and Ladies,
I am writing to you concerning a single, extraordinary horse who has been
abused and neglected. Not much in
the greater scheme of things -- I know there are thousands of animals
desperately in need of help, but this individual personifies all that is noble
in the horse, and all that can be good in humans.
I first saw this horse when I was taking care
of a friend’s horses in June, 1997 and instantaneously my blood ran cold in
disbelief. I have seen a lot of
starving horses and a lot of injured horses, but this combination was beyond
anything imaginable.
He was standing in the front lot of a
notoriously inhumane horse breeders premises -- an emaciated gray horse standing
with his head down and his grotesquely distorted right hind leg waving a loose,
floppy bandage in the air.
As luck would have it he ended up in my barn instead.
In October two ladies who are members of the Central Virginia Horse
Protection Association, a local equine rescue organization, said they needed a
place nearby to that barn to put a very lame gray gelding because he probably
couldn’t ship far. From the
description it had to be the same horse. I
couldn’t believe he was still alive! “Well,
at least I can do something for him and give him a peaceful end.” Even though I had planned to insist that he be put down right away, in just the first week he was there I saw a glimmer of something incredible. With everything that was done for this horse, every flake of hay, every fresh bucket of water, and with every kind word he seemed to blossom more and more -- despite the raging infection in his mangled leg. After the first day or two he was curious, he put his head on your chest, he nuzzled the kids and seemed to purr when they brushed him (soft brushes because of the extensive rain rot). After two weeks it was clear that he was not an ordinary horse: “Well,
maybe we’ll just run with it and see what happens”...
Thor,
November, 1997 three weeks after arriving.
Our first attempt at supporting the right hind was
That was over two years ago. The horse’s name is Thor -- I don’t know if that is his real name. According to the Va. State Veterinarian he had been in and out of several big name barns and had competed at Gladstone as a jumper.
Radiographs were done by the attending
veterinarian had demonstrated a complete dysfunction of the foot and extensive
osteomyelitis (bone infection). She
believed that all the tendons had been severed including the suspensories,
probably from a wire accident. At
least one of the splint bones was also broken.
In addition, the PIII was also broken and consequently shed
out through the bottom of the hoof after the first attempt to get his foot
correctly back underneath him.
This horse
could have easily given up and died several times so far:
·
Discarded
to a starvation lot. ·
Caught
in the wire and left to fend for himself with inadequate medical care for
months. ·
Shedding
the hoof capsule in May, 1998. But he hasn’t died, because he
doesn’t choose to. Instead, this horse has shown more courage than any living
creature I’ve ever known. He
has put on 400 pounds, trifles with my old mare, and bucks and plays in his
stall. We are not looking to cover his medical bills thus far; they are being worked on by the efforts of many dedicated people. But, what this horse needs, and deserves, is a chance for the future -- he needs to have the mangled mess of a leg removed and a prosthesis fitted for him.
Old Dominion Prosthetics and Orthotics has donated time and energy and
fabricated a unique prosthesis for Thor.
This has given Thor a much brighter future, and at this point in time
we believe that most of the leg can be saved with this customized prosthesis. Clearly, no one individual can help this horse; it will require a unique combination of people and talents and it has to be a group effort. I realize that there are many horses that could be helped with the amount of energy and financial aid we need, but I can assure you, NONE have deserved it more, or been more patient in their acceptance of their fate in human hands. I am extending a personal invitation for your company representative to come and meet him and talk with us. This horse deserves a chance. He has fought so much and come so far and still quietly keeps on eating breakfast, flirting with the girls, and
waiting...
Most Sincerely,
Deborah JB Galt, LVT Post
Script Summer, 2000 / 2001
The only difficulty
now lies in keeping his prosthetic in good repair and current with his physical
capabilities. Our goal is to keep
Thor happy and healthy so that he can continue to travel to these events and
stimulate the imagination of children and adults who see in this beautiful horse
- -
the possibility to do anything... Post
Script November, 2001 Thor
at Foxfield in September, 2001 ... Deb's trying to hold him back!
(click to enlarge) From
Deb November, 2001: From the Webmaven....Thor & Deb's story sent us into tears of both
sorrow and joy. Thor's joy of life and bravery indeed displays the most
noble and dignified qualities of our equine friends. Obviously, it has
been a heart rendering journey for Deb, who's tenaciousness, understanding and
very hard work gave Thor his second chance at a good life. Hurrahs also
for the other folks and organizations who have helped in his recovery. What a
wonderful spokes-horse for both humans and animals who have disabilities!
God Bless them both. We will be updating Thor's progress and
activities - check back for updates! |
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