Her name is Ellie (WARNING - PICS MAY BE DISTURBING)

[skygazer]

That's not the name on her stall door but it's what my daughter and I call her. It seems to fit.

My daughter Robin discovered her. We both have horses and we board at a large ranch. Lots of boarders, at least 100, 150. Lots of barns, at least 16. The ranch has a string of their own horses, does trail rides, etc. It's a big place. Elly got lost in the shuffle apparently. Her owner kept paying the board bill, she's in a single barn with a paddock so no one really saw what was going on there. Until Robin peeked in.

Robin loves horses, all horses. All animals. She was shocked. Because you see, no one has cleaned Ellie's stall in who knows how long. (The ranch is self-clean - all boarders are responsible for their own stall. In the barns with multiple stalls, a horse like Ellie would be noticed immediately. But because she has her own little place, no one did. :( )

Ellie is covered with mud. Again, no one would think too much about that because lots of the horses are. It's a muddy time of year. But the others horses are groomed regularly. Their mud is recent mud. Ellie's is old, caked on, and matted with hair that wants to shed but can't because it's held on by mud.

She's just a pony. Small. Bay. She's old. Not sure how old but she has gray in her muzzle and cloudiness in her eyes. She's thin. Has some issues with her teeth that make it hard for her to chew her hay. So there's a lot of old hay in her stall that has mixed with the manure and makes it like peat. Or sod. Heavy, wet and hard to move.

So we went to the office and told them what we'd found. They were shocked. And they gave us permission to clean her up, muck out her stall and take care of her until they figure out what to do about her owner. They may just take ownership of her - according to the rental agreement they have the right to do that if the horse is not taken care of. Or they may call in a rescue. But in the meantime, Robin and I are taking care of her. The following photos were taken the first day we found her.

The first thing we did was clean her water bucket. We have gotten the stall mostly clean and will probably finish it today. It's a huge job. We have also gotten many of the matts off her and will proceed to really groom her properly once she has a decent stall. We are giving her feed that is soaked to make it easier to eat and hope to get some weight on her.

She is a sweet little thing and now looks forward to seeing us. We finish the day exhausted and smelling like very old, nasty, rotting manure. It is incredibly rewarding.

People who treat animals like this deserve the worst hell imaginable.

This is what her water looked like -






The stall was at least 6 inches deep in hard packed manure -

[Taverner]

1. That's horibble!

The horse might be sick to - that was vomit in the troth

[skygazer]

3. Horses cannot vomit

Which is why a stomach ache in horses is so serious. That was unchewed food in the water. She couldn't chew her food properly because of her bad teeth and it dribbled out of her mouth into the water. We are soaking her food so she can eat it and the barn owner is seeing about getting the equine dentist and a vet out to see to her.

[redqueen]

2. I shouldn't have read this.

:cry:

So glad Robin peeked in there. :(

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. You are both heroes.

What an incredibly great thing you have done, and will continue to do!

Ellie has just turned the corner in what must look like paradise to her...

Blessings on you!

I hope they throw the book at the owner. That was despicable...

:hug:

[Kali]

5. aw poor thing

looks like she hasn't had any attention in a couple of months - who feeds? Maybe the owner got sick or something.

I was going to argue with you on her color as the pix were loading then I saw the inside of her hind leg - :wow:

[skygazer]

7. The barn owner feeds hay twice a day

But it's just tossed into each stall from a moving truck by the farm workers so they can't really see very well what's going on. Individual owners give any grain or supplements they want.


She just got lost in the shuffle. :(

[alphafemale]

23. That is what I think might be the case.

Perhaps someone who became too old or sick or deployed soldier and someone else was supposed to be taking care of the actual care of the animal and just didn't.

Poor girl, though. I'm really glad she has someone that stepped in and cares now.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Poor darling! I am so glad you two found her and helped her out!

[Brickbat]

8. Do you read fuglyblog.com? You should send this to her.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. Oh, and I forgot to ask...

Please post some updated pics so we can see how good things are for her now...

I'm sure she's a lot happier!

You two seriously rock!

:hug:

[skygazer]

10. She is still a work in progress Peggy

We plan on finishing the stall today - it seriously has taken several days and is exhausting! And we haven't even really begun to groom her - we've been picking clumps of hair off her but haven't taken any kind of a brush to her. But we're definitely documenting our progress and I will certainly post some "after" pics.

She's a lot happier already. Just getting some clean water was huge but I think the biggest thing is having someone come see her every day. All around her are horses who have "people." Now she has "people" too. :)

[redqueen]

12. Exactly...

I can't imagine how lonely and sad she was, seeing people everywhere but no one coming to visit with her.

[hedgehog]

11. +1

[Gormy Cuss]

13. That poor horse.

Will you be able to take her out and about after she's been groomed and checked out by the vets? She'd probably love a walk in the sunshine.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

14. Animal welfare authorities need to be notified about this.

This animal should never be returned to its "owner" -- there was far too much serious neglect going on. There is a possibility for the "owner" to come in, remove that horse and take it to another location where it can be abused again. That must not happen.

[flvegan]

15. Ellie can't say "thank you" so I will.

Thank you.

[Arugula Latte]

16. Thank you for helping her!

I'd bet she needs worming, probably some hoof work, too.

Poor thing. Fucking people who neglect animals ... There are no words ... :grr:

[Crystal Clarity]

17. Thanks for the pic warning

I wish I had heeded it.

That said, thank you SO much for caring enough to help that poor horse!

The cruelty of animal neglect and it's frequency never ceases to amaze me.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

19. Welcome to DU, Crystal Clarity!

:hi:

[Crystal Clarity]

20. Thanks

And :hi: back at you!

BTW-I'm having way too much fun with these emoticons...But I'll control myself this time in respect for the subject matter on this thread

(I'll find another place for the bouncy guy) ;-)

[Bertha Venation]

18. Thank you. That's all I can say.

[kimi]

21. Aw, bless her heart, she's just a little old lady

alone, sad and lonely till you and Robin came along. And bless your hearts too - you really are heroes! Thank you so much for being such kind-hearted people to take the time and work so hard for a pony who isn't yours and who needs love and attention so badly. From what you write, she knows very well that you have become her friends. I'll look forward to some "after" pics too, and if you need donations for vet or other bills (I don't know how that works on DU) I'm happy to chip in.

[skygazer]

29. Thanks Kimi

That's really kind of you and I'll remember it if need be. :hug:

[hamsterjill]

22. Thank you for taking action!

You would be surprised how many people would simply not want to get involved. Many believe "it's just an animal". So, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking positive action to alleviate her suffering.

You are Ellie's hero's and MINE, too!!!

[Call Me Wesley]

24. Thank you for caring.

:hug:

[datasuspect]

25. people can find all the time in the world to finger fuck blackberries and shit all day long

and stuff like this still happens.

most humans need to just fucking die.

[mix]

26. That is criminal.

She probably has bad thrush in her feet too, which can make her lame.

The management of that boarding stable should be held accountable.

Thank goodness you found her!

[skygazer]

27. Her feet are actually in surprisingly good condition

Big relief there. The stable is actually working with us to improve her situation and is taking steps to either take ownership themselves or call in a rescue organization. The owner was responsible for cleaning and maintaining her.

I am just glad to have some help on her side.

[OhioChick]

28. This is so sad...

Fortunately, you and your daughter found her. Poor thing. :(

[SeattleGirl]

30. That poor horse! Major kudos to you and your daughter for

taking care of her. NO animal should be treated in the way this horse was treated by her owner!

[Roon]

31. Lots of kisses for Ellie

I am glad you rescued her.

[applegrove]

32. You've done a wonderful thing.

[Debi]

33. So wonderful of you to care

:hug:

[CrawlingChaos]

34. Needed several Kleenex after that

Hats off to you and your daughter for the wonderful thing you are doing. PLEASE post again with progress reports!

Weird coincidence for me as we just yesterday adopted a neglected older dog and her name is Ellie! We had to get a rescue group to sponsor us because the shelter wouldn't allow a regular adoption due to her neglect-related health issues. Nothing as horrific as this poor pony suffered however. Good Lord, how can people be so uncaring? Anyone else need a drink?

[mike_c]

35. damn, I KNEW I shouldn't have looked....

Damn! That's terrible!