'Miracle and the Sunchild Herd'

It was a cold day in March, 2008, when we got a call from AARCS (Alberta Animal Rescue Crew), that they’d found some dead and starving horses while checking on dogs and dropping off food in a rural west-central  Alberta community.  We drove up to the location and found six extremely thin horses, along with the remains of at least five other horses that had died over the winter.  With the assistance of the local RCMP officer we were able to load the six horses onto our trailer for the drive back to Bear Valley Rescue.

This small herd of rescued horses consisted of a young stallion, 3 pregnant mares, and 2 young fillies probably about 1-2 years old.  It was difficult to determine the age of the youngest horses as they were so undernourished.   Except for the stallion, which was thin but not terribly so, they were all extremely emaciated.  Not long after arriving back at the rescue, the smallest filly lay down in the straw and refused to get up.  A visit from the veterinarian determined that she was suffering from pneumonia and was  too weak to stand.  We christened her ‘Miracle’, as we felt it would be a miracle if she survived the next few days.

With the help of several volunteers we moved Miracle into the barn, where she was started on a regimen of antibiotics and good feed.  The first week was a battle to keep her going.  Too weak to stand on her own, it took four of us to get her to her feet, several times a day.  Everyone from visitors to volunteers to neighbours and family pitched in to help get her up as often as was necessary.  It became a daily routine to go down to the barn in the morning, hoping she’d made it through the night, round up enough people to get her standing (this was before we'd installed a motorized hoist - we now have 2!), clean her up, and administer her drugs and first aid (she started developing bed sores from laying down continuously).  Then it would be time to clean out her stall, feed her and brush her and play with her a bit, as she also was unhandled and not halter trained or that used to being touched by people.

It was clear early on that Miracle was a fighter.  Every time we lifted her she made valiant efforts to get up.  Her eyes were bright and her appetite good.  She hated having her sores cleaned and tried to bite and kick on more than one occasion!  As her strength slowly returned and she overcame the pneumonia, it took less manpower to lift her until finally she was able to stand on her own.  After six weeks the daily care paid off.  The bedsores started to heal and she was now halter trained and comfortable with being handled.  We started to take her for short walks, though she’d tire quickly.  After 2 months she was able to be turned out with some of the older mares.  She looked so small and frail in her little plaid blanket but she was happy to be outside.

Turning her out a month later onto summer pasture with her herd brought a great sense of accomplishment.  When the adoption offer for her came in shortly thereafter it was with a great deal of trepidation that we considered adopting her out to a new home, but we realized she needed to move on to a home all her own.  We delivered her to her adoptive home in Edmonton shortly thereafter where she had two older horses for company and a good future ahead of her.  Even though we have had hundreds of horses pass through the rescue, she will always be special in our hearts – a fighter, a survivor, a true miracle.

In addition to Miracle, the other horses in this group all recovered well. The stallion, Sunchild, was gelded and went to  Timberline Tours in Lake Louise at the end of May the same year.  Maggie, the other young filly, was adopted in August of 2008.  Badger, the oldest mare, foaled on April 28th.  We named her foal Syndey.   Badger was adopted in  2011, and Sydney was adopted in October, 2008.   Deuce, who was only about 2 or 3 years old when she arrived, sadly aborted her foal prematurely, but she also was adopted out in August of 2008.  Trey foaled on May 6th and her foal, Emily, was adopted in 2013.  Trey is still here at Bear Valley, now one of our permanent residents.

Miracle

Badger

Deuce

Maggie

Trey

Sunchild

Emily at her new home

Maggie at her new home

Trey