Barley’s Story

We are a family of experienced and devoted horse owners who, sadly, have already had a very difficult year. Earlier this year we lost a rescue horse to synovial sepsis, and a further horse came to us. After full veterinary lameness work ups it was found to have pedal bone osteitis and bilateral Laminitis that had previously not been treated. This was heartbreaking and something we never expected to face so soon. In the 8 months we had these two horses, we spent over £12,000 on unexpected veterinary care. Any owner will understand it’s unlucky to experience just one of these conditions let alone both in such a short amount of time, it’s truly unheard of.

In July, we welcomed Barley into our lives from the amazing team at Cheshire Racehorse Retraining. Barley is an amazing 5 year old ex racer, that prefers life in the slow lane, despite what he was bred for. From day one, he has been an absolute angel. He settled beautifully, has the kindest temperament, and passed a full five-stage vetting with no concerns. We truly felt we had found a special horse… our heart horse.

At the end of October, everything changed. Barley was found collapsed in his stable, drenched in sweat and in severe pain. He was rushed to the vets and diagnosed with a nephrosplenic entrapment, a serious form of colic that required emergency abdominal surgery. Thankfully, we had insurance in place, and Barley underwent life-saving colic surgery.

He recovered remarkably well and showed everyone just how tough he is. Because his breed is predisposed to this type of colic, it was advised that he undergo a second procedure — a nephrosplenic ablation — to reduce the risk of this happening again. Our remaining insurance allowed us to go ahead with this preventative surgery, giving him the best possible chance for a safe future.

Sadly, during this second procedure, Barley developed complications that required further veterinary intervention. After several days of IV antibiotics and pain relief, Barley will now have to undergo a third major abdominal surgery. The additional costs are starting to mount up. Currently his vet bills are sitting at £7600, without any post operative care, medications or rehab. We have already paid £7437.50 in vet bills from his first surgery.

We know this is an incredibly difficult time of year for everyone, and we have never asked for help, but we believe Barley is worth fighting for. And he has shown us time and time again that he is not ready to give up. He is a tough cookie with a huge will to recover.

Any contribution, no matter how small, would mean the world to us and will go directly towards Barley’s ongoing veterinary care. If you’re unable to donate, sharing his story is just as appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read Barley’s story and for supporting him as he continues to fight. ❤️