Success Stories

 

There are still many before/after pictures to add to this page as well as many wonderful stories. I will add more as time permits promise!

Some of our many successful rehabilitations: 

Belle and Sundance’s (the horses rescued from Mount Renshaw) stay at PGER will be added soon….

Jigsaw

This grey gelding was found at the back of the auction lot. He was extremely thin, feet badly overgrown and had a very swollen face. I purchased a few of the meat horses and waited for the little gelding to come up on the block. When  he didn’t come up I went and spoke with the manager to inquire why. He told me he was just to be shipped directly for meat. I convinced him to let me buy him. I knew he had some big issues going on by the swelling in his face but thought I could have it fixed if it was as simple as an abscessed tooth or do him a favor and have him euthanized if it was as bad as a broken jaw. Two days later our worst fears were confirmed. X-Rays showed a shattered mandible. This was a surgery way beyond our financial means. I told our vet that we knew euthanizing him was something we might have to face when we decided to bring him home and to go ahead and do it. Then Dr. Green completely shocked me when she said that she would be willing to donate the surgery time if we could cover the remaining expenses. This pathetic looking little gelding had obviously won her heart as well! It took close to six hours of surgery to put his jaw back together and wire it. (piecing everything back together was what gave the staff at Murdoch’s the idea of naming him Jigsaw, just like a puzzle)

      We could only hope that we could manage his pain properly so he would continue to fight for his life and accept the liquefied ration he would have to be fed several times a day. He was such a good boy! He put up with all the mouth flushes, bitter medicines and liquefied rations. He even learned to put himself into his separate paddock for his feedings, doctorings and blanket adjustments.

      Unfortunately after only a week, he broke some of the wires holding his jaw together. More x-rays showed that things were starting to heal well so his face was reopened and the protruding wires were removed. Jigsaw stood like an angel through all of it without a drop of sedation! In fact, through all of the painful procedures he had to endure, he was amazingly tolerant  As the months passed we had to fight off infection and eventually had to reopen his face yet again and have special antibiotic beads implanted inside. But he endured and his wonderful temperament continued to shine. He overcame the infection.

     Jig finally gained enough weight for me to find out what kind of training he had on him. Someone had obviously spent quite a bit of time training this boy. I was able to climb on and ride him about the field at liberty (no halter, no bridle, no saddle, just controlling his movements with my legs and seat). He was amazing! My then four year old, was also able to ride him easily, he was such a gentleman. At about eight months into his recovery it was time to think about putting him up for adoption. We had grown quite attached to him by this time and really just wanted to add him to our ever growing herd of misfits. But there were many wonderful prospective families interested in taking him on so I knew we would need to consider all his options……Then a few things happened…..we were able to purchase an amazing property only one road away from where PGER first established a few years ago. We found ourselves moving an entire family/farm across town in the middle of winter. Jig made the transition easily, our old pony Patches sticking by him for comfort. My sister Lorraine was now able to come visit frequently. She started to take an interest in horses again (her own gelding she owned for over twenty  years had passed away a few years prior). I invited her out for a ride on the property one day and paired her up with Jigsaw. Half way through the ride she too was in love with him and knew she was ready to have another horse in her life again. What a perfect fit! Although Jigsaw is not here with us at PGER, he is just down the road with someone we know that will love him just as much as we have and he will remain in our family forever on.

A recent update on “Cedar”  from October 2010

Cedar was a meat horse that we purchased in the Spring of 2006. Michelle adopted him as a greenbroke youngster in June 2006. This October she sent us an email to let us know that the two of them are still doing great together and he is cleaning up in the local rodeo circuit! Congrats Michelle! Can’t wait to see some of those competition photos!

Cheri was a “meat horse” rescued as a two year old. A year later she was completely rehabilitated, started under saddle and placed in a loving home in Grassy Plains.  Cheri’s family has since added Charlie, Daisy and Zues(RIP) from PGER to their collection.

Cheri before:

Cheri after:

 

Mavric

 This gelding was one of our first rescues and another of the many “meat horses” we have purchased over the years.

Mavric before:

Mavric after:

Halo

A brief email from Halo’s new owner….

Halo is doing great and he is a pleasure to have.  He is very willing to
learn and was very smooth to train.  Halo and Dusty (my other horse) are
great friends.

Kayla