we are all pro-life, I can see clearly now
The Remarkable Story of Betsy Rose
Written by Theresa Batchelor
It was a sweltering Florida summer day - June 14th, 2013 when the call came to us at Beauty’s Haven. A pony mare was down. The owner said he could do nothing for her – he could not have a vet out to even humanely euthanize the mare. I asked what was wrong and he said she was just down and didn’t
know what was wrong with her. He said it wasn’t until that morning they pulled hair off of her and saw she was thin. But he said she was a good little mare that his daughter still rode but without a saddle. The owner sent me a photo and my heart sank. The pony was on the ground and it looked like death was
only moments away. I immediately called a vet in that area to go see the pony. The vet examined her and called to give me the findings - the mare was really bad and likely wouldn’t make it.
The pony had been down for an undetermined amount of time. She was skin on bones – she rated less than 1 on the Henneke Body Condition Scale. Her heart rate was 120+, her respiration high, she was very weak and her eyes were dull. But that little voice inside told me to give her a chance - I asked the vet to run IV fluids to include vitamins, etc. and to give the mare a little time to see if she could get up. While all of this was going on, we made arrangements to get the mare to the rescue. Once IV fluids were administered the pony still could not stand. With great care and determination seven people surrounded the pony and got her to her feet and into the trailer. Once on the trailer they helped her to lay down but this time she was on a soft bed of hay. Humans stayed with her for the hour long ride to the rescue. If she passed she wouldn’t be alone.
When she arrived at the rescue she was so weak she could not hold her head up. She couldn’t stand. But I felt a connection of determination with her – I had hope. I named her “Betsy Rose”. We put her in a sling but since she couldn’t put any weight on her legs we had to take her out after a bit. She was like a limp doll. We continued to run her IV fluids and medications. We had to turn her every couple of hours – she struggled to get up but couldn’t. The first night it rained and we couldn’t keep her under the shelter – she flailed all over trying to get up. I was so afraid she’d get pneumonia. Her struggles to get up caused open sores on her frail body. It was heartbreaking to watch. But she made it through that first night and we had hope........
Beauty's Haven is Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries verified, a 501(c)(3) all volunteer non-profit organization with no paid staff. We operate totally off of donations from others. We have dedicated volunteers that help us to accomplish our mission – to help horses in need. We are pro-life and have experienced many miracles here. We hope to experience many more.