Page 5 - HT_2016WinterNewsletter

Week Three:
Our little girl is slowly starting to show some positive progress, gaining a small amount of healthy weight that she so dreadfully needed, and with the advice of our Vet Tony, Duchess is now ready to have a companion. Duchess was in such a terrible state on arrival that she could not have any company, as there was the serious risk of her passing on disease and/or parasites. Additionally she was simply not strong enough to cope with another larger horse. Due to her calm demeanour and the way she has helped settle other new arrivals, former Household Cavalry Black, Carmen was appointed the very important task of providing our little Duchess with some gentle company. Carmen’s nickname during her working years was the very appropriate ‘Care Bear’, and we are sure she will do just that for our lovely little Duchess, who seems to be really happy to have a horsey friend at last.
Just when we thought our Duchess was out of the dark, we uncovered something else. It started with an upset stomach, which is something that can easily happen with formerly starved horses and ponies, but far more worryingly, Duchess has developed an unusually abnormal heart rhythm that will require further investigation. It will be vital to her
potential future that we understand if this is a temporary issue or not, as it may decrease her re-homing options in the future. As well as this, unfortunately Duchess is still not standing squarely at the back, implying there’s something going on with her pelvis or right hind
leg. Thankfully she does not seem to be showing any signs of pain, because at this specific moment we are unable to carry out an accurate lameness evaluation as she is just too weak to trot yet. We hope in time once she has built up some basic muscle tone that we can investigate this more.
Assuming we can get her healthy, we can then understand what is going on with her posture before we even consider what type of training she might be suitable for. For now, as she is in no pain, we will focus on understanding her heart issue and then when she is stronger, we will look more closely at her pelvis and leg. It is never a straight road to recovery for horses and ponies as poorly treated as Duchess. Our little girl is trusting and young and so could potentially have a bright future with the help of our dedicated team here at The Horse Trust and of course, the continued support from all of you.
Find out how Duchess is getting on by following us on Facebook. We will continue to post updates on her recovery.
Please help support Duchess’s recovery, and other ponies like her, by making a donation.
£10 £25 £50
Helps towards hay and feed Helps towards an x-ray Helps towards a visit from the vet
DONATE button via our website www.horsetrust.org.uk