Chance sighting saves Ernie’s life
From a hill half a kilometre away, Linda Menzies knew straight away something was wrong with the horse who had appeared overnight.
Linda, and her husband Lindsay, headed out to assess Ernie on behalf of Victorian horse welfare charity, Project Hope. On arrival, they contacted a local vet, who recommended the horse should be euthanised.
It was clear Ernie was severely neglected and had eaten toxic weeds. He had developed acute stringhalt, a neurological condition that causes unnatural and uncontrollable movements of a horse’s hindlegs.
Because of this, Ernie had swollen fetlocks, and joints which had “locked”. He was experiencing sporadic muscle tremors all over his body, which was skinny and covered in lice. He also had several crippling hoof abscesses, one of which had burst through his coronet band (where the leg meets the hoof).
“It was awful to see. He couldn’t walk. He was in pain, and he couldn’t stand for long,” says Linda. “He had already suffered and was suffering immensely when we found him.”
Despite this, Linda wanted to give Ernie another chance at life on their Drouin West property. She agreed with the vet to euthanise him if his condition deteriorated.
“I’ve had him ever since, I’ve been to all his vet visits and did all his physio. Even when he was that sick, you could tell he was a gentle, kind and loving horse. We had to do things to him that did hurt, like treating the abscess and de-licing him. It was horrid,” she says.
It was a long road to recovery, beginning with pain management medications, topical lice treatments, antibiotics and daily wound washing. A mass parasite infestation also was found and treated over the next few months.
Ernie needed five small feeds a day. After being starved for a significant period of time, his ability to digest food was diminished.
Ernie gradually put on weight and was weaned off the pain medication. Regular massage and physiotherapy helped to strengthen his weak hind legs and improve their coordination.
“When he first was able to canter, he would have his hind legs going together. But you could see how happy he was to be able to do it. He’s a scream like that. He is a beautiful horse; I am very lucky to have found him,” Linda says.
Ernie is lucky to have found Linda too. “He’s got a forever home with us, he has endeared himself to the whole family. Even Lindsay, who is not a horse person, is really fond of Ernie.”
Linda will never know exactly what happened to Ernie before they met each other, but it was clear he was not cared for. Clydesdales are an exceptionally good doing breed, so it takes a lot to starve them, and Ernie was extremely emaciated.
“He had just been dumped there. To be that skinny, he had been starved for a very long time,” she says. “It hasn’t soured him, which is amazing, because most of the time these horses are damaged in some way psychologically. But not Ernie; he is a very sociable boy, he loves people and is always first at the gate.”
There are 210 horses currently in care at Project Hope, a notfor-profit organisation which funded Ernie’s rehabilitation.
Linda believes the number in care is evidence of a significant problem. “Some people just don’t care, so we get cases after cases like this.”
Although Ernie’s personality reflects he had been neglected, many other horses that are found have been abused. These horses can take a long, long time to rehabilitate.
“A lot of people are not aware of what happens to some horses when they have served their purpose for someone, or if their owner can no longer afford to continue caring for that horse. In some situations, it’s actually kinder to put a horse down than keep it alive when they’re not being looked after.”
Linda would like to see changes in the thoroughbred industry, and in general laws enforced when people abuse or neglect animals.
“Sadly, some people are just in it for money, and have no regard for the welfare of an animal. We see that time and time again.”
Linda became one of the 360 members of Project Hope after seeing a foal in a neglected state 16 years ago. “He was folded up like a dead spider on the ground. He was taken in by Project Hope, and he is still doing really well today.”
Linda volunteers full time for the cause she believes in.
The organisation has been active for over 40 years. Although Project Hope has no power to remove a horse without the owner’s consent, they take reports seriously. The organisation educates and assists owners, and there is the option to surrender a horse to Project Hope.
Horses who have been surrendered to Project Hope, or have been rescued after mistreatment or abandonment, will be rehabilitated. Those that can be re-homed are leased out to homes which are evaluated beforehand by the organisation to ensure the horses do not end up in an unsafe environment for a second time.
The long term hope for Linda is the need for Project Hope’s presence will no longer exist.
“Don’t have a horse if you can’t, or won’t, look after it. We want to let people know that groups like Project Hope are here to help if need be. Be on the lookout, and don’t just drive past something. If you see something, say something.”
For more information on Project Hope, or to report a case of horse neglect or abuse, please visit www.phhwv.org.au