Four Weeks Later ... Part 5

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A Day At A Time

This heroic boy is on his way!

With four feedings a day, lots of grooming and a tremendous amount of love ... changes are happening. Here he is only four weeks since that first photograph.

So far, he doesn't have a new name. I've saved all of your great suggestions. Thank you, so much! I'm not sure which one will fit. I'm thinking in time his personality will emerge and perhaps he will name himself.

At the moment, it is the sound of my voice and the bucket that gets his attention.

During the past few weeks, I've been leaning against the fence watching in amazement as this boy has gradually lost his depressed, starved appearance. I now see a handsome, sweet horse starting to emerge and growing stronger each day.

The first major change I noticed in him was ... trust.

I'm not sure why he would ever trust a human being again, but that seems to be what he is all about. He is forgiving and simply loves people.

Since I'm at his paddock several times a day, I've discovered he now has a fan club. People stop by to admire his progress and give him words of praise.

There is the little 3 year old carrot girl who waits to give him a hug.

Then there is the van of young school kids that stop, roll down the window and give him a cheer. The mother says this is the best part of the day for her girls.

It is a wonderful sight to see my boy putting on weight, filling out between those bones and seeing strength gradually building up in his legs.

Being very clever, he has learned to walk faster from the gate to the feeder. In fact, he seems to have acquired the energy to be a little too eager at times.

I said, well, look at you ... you're in school now.

We've worked on patience, no pushing at feeding time and a quick learner, he is! Now, he politely steps back and waits for me to add the food and all the healthy things that go with it.

He seems to honestly believe there will be more food coming, again, in a few hours. What a wonderful thing that must be for him.

In a few weeks, he will slowly start his exercise program. This means walking a short ways up and down the horse trail in front of his paddock. Dr. Secor wants to build muscles without burning the fat we are working so hard to put on him.

Speaking of my vet, let me say he is a gem. Being one of the best vets in the area, he is much in demand. He works with the top competitive horses, as well as some child's favorite pony. He is an expert, efficient, thorough, and very compassionate.

When he heard about my rescue horse, he came as soon as possible. He spent nearly 2 hours going over this boy, building my hopes that we could save him and establishing an on going plan for the years he had remaining.

I knew the vet bill would be a big one. And when the bill arrived, I braced myself, but knowing it would be worth every penny.

Much to my surprise, at the bottom of the list of procedures performed that day, there was written ... N/C. I was stunned ... no charge!

Yesterday, I printed a card for my vet showing the first photo taken of one starved horse. On the inside I printed the "4 weeks later" photo above, with the following message.

~~~

Dear Mark,
It is difficult to find words to describe how much we appreciate you.
We always know that we can count on you.
You've been a part of the best times and the tragic times with our horses,
but you've always been there as a source of trust and comfort.
~~~
We want to express our gratitude to you for your generosity
in helping us with our most recent addition.

It is our hope to give this poor soul a few more years,
only this time filled with care and love.

With gratitude and countless thanks to you!
~~~

On the way to the vet's office,
I picked up a big bouquet of red roses,

not from me, but from our boy.