One year ago, March 2nd, 2012, Elizabeth Steed, founder of LEARN Horse Rescue, received two horses into the rescue that were removed from a farm in Berkeley County following a tip from a concerned citizen. Berkeley County Animal Control had received a call about a horse that was very thin and possibly injured. Animal Control went to the residence and found four horses in substandard conditions, at best. One of the horses was in a small round pen in the middle of a corn field with no shelter and was standing in manure and hay up to his pasterns. LEARN took in two of the horses.
The worst of the four horses was a three year old paint stallion, soon to be named Whisper. He had severe rain rot and the owner had tried to treat it with kerosene and spent motor oil. He was a .5 on the Henneke Scale and had 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree chemical burns to over 60% of his back and side. His wounds were left untreated and were infested with thousands of maggots. Elizabeth Steed stated that in her 30+ years of rescuing animals, this is the worst case she has encountered.
The initial thought was to euthanize the horse to end his suffering. The vet felt as though he could be saved so LEARN agreed to take him. His blood work was almost normal, which is very unusual for such a severe starvation case. Elizabeth felt there was more to this horse than skin and bones and so began his road to recovery. His pasture mate, Traveler, was also severely neglected and starved.
Elizabeth spent the first five days with Whisper around the clock. He was immediately hooked up to IV fluids and treatment began on his wounds. Water therapy and debridement sessions of his back and sides were a daily task for Elizabeth and the volunteers at LEARN. In addition to treatment with SSD Ointment, his wounds were covered with pads and he was fitted with a turn out sheet. Whisper required constant care due to his condition. A horse in such critical condition can go downhill very fast and without warning. Under Elizabeth's care Whisper began to improve at an unbelievable rate.
At this time, Whisper has made a miraculous recovery. He is weighing in at a healthy 1100 lbs. which is amazing since he arrived weighing only 640 lbs. His back and side have almost completely healed and he will not have to undergo any kind of skin graft procedures, which was the initial thought. He has some very minor lung damage from the chemical vapors, which gave him a slight whinny during his recovery - hence the name Whisper. This is almost gone too - you can hear it a little as he is snoring during his daily naps after breakfast and then another after lunch. He loves treats and isn't too shy about sticking his head out of his stall and reminding you of this fact. Whisper's background will be researched so more can be found out about this amazing horse. Looking at him, you can tell there is more to his story.
Traveler is also doing very well. Upon her arrival to LEARN in March, she was a 2 on the Henneke Scale. She has gained her weight back and has taken her place with the other mares at LEARN. Traveler is happy, bright eyed and is pretty high in the hierarchy in her pasture. She's a beautiful mare, as you can see in her picture. LEARN ran the tattoo on Traveler and found out she is 12 years old. She has won over $100,000.00 and has Bold Ruler in her pedigree. She is 16.1 big boned and very sweet.
As long as LEARN is around, equine and livestock like Whisper and Traveler will not suffer unnecessarily. They will have a chance to live the life of which they so deserve. We look at these starving, abused and neglected souls and can see the beauty beyond the bones.
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| Watch Whisper's amazing recovery! |
Whisper will live out his days with LEARN as he still has a good deal of recovery to go. Traveler is available for adoption and would be a great horse for someone. She still has a lot of years and life left in her. Come see her at LEARN. Bring treats!
