Thank you to everyone who contributed! Your support for Canyon and I was/is greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, Canyon’s health was not improving, so I made the difficult decision to say goodbye.

I was told about Canyon through my close friend, Ellie Hill. She was working at a barn on Long Island and a family was looking to rehome their young gelding. Without any hesitation & while in my biology master’s program at Villanova University, I agreed to take him before even meeting him. I met him on April 22nd and brought him home (Sweet Haven Farms) on April 28, 2023. It took time for me to gain his trust and love, but once I did we had a special connection that I’ve never shared with any horse. We went through a lot together and learned from each other. He taught me so much and was always so willing, forgiving, and loving; he was like a big dog. He was perfectly healthy for the two years that I had him for, always running around like a nut in his pasture and coming to greet myself and others at his pasture gate. Since April, I noticed some gradual weight loss but nothing immensely concerning until very recently. I increased his grain and figured he needed to work more (to build muscle back up) because he had been put on the back burner a bit while I was finishing up my thesis in May. On Wednesday, May 11th I noticed that Canyon tripped quite a bit during a walk trail. However, I didn’t fly spray him prior and since the bugs were bad, I figured he was bothered and distracted. He’s also sometimes very clumsy. He ate his dinner unusually slowly after our ride that evening. On Friday, I went to the farm with my mom and her friend for a trail ride, but noticed Canyon was unusually quiet. He also let me mess with his ears a bunch, which isn’t like him at all. It was Friday that I first noticed he was spending time in his run-in shed, which he never uses. He’s always out in the rain, snow, and other crummy weather. On Saturday, I wanted to check on him so I did and when I lunged him, he was reluctant to move forward and refused to canter. I knew something wasn’t right but I had a vet appointment already scheduled for Monday at 5pm and figured he’d be okay. Sunday morning it was obvious to me that he was not okay. He was in his shed, insanely lethargic, and almost lifeless. I immediately called the vet out for an emergency. He was diagnosed with lymes disease but Dr. Beier suspected more was going on so he suggested I take Canyon to New Bolton Center asap. Thankfully, my friend Sam was able to trailer him and we went. Shortly after we brought Canyon to the vet, I was told he’s severely anemic but the doctors didn’t know why and confidently claimed it was separate from the lymes disease. His gums were yellow and an inside part of his eye was yellow, indicating that his liver wasn’t functioning properly. His heart rate was 70 instead of the normal 30 and he had an abnormally high fever. Time went on and coggins, Potomac fever, and strangles were all negative. He hasn’t eaten anything toxic and every other horse around him (and even pastured with him) are fine. The next step is to investigate his stomach for cancer because the doctors noticed his stomach was distended with gas. I was told that he’s walking the line of needing a blood transfusion. Apparently, the doctors only see one or two cases of severe anemia (with an unknown cause) per year. I’ve shut down mentally, anticipating that he isn’t going to make it, but I’m now trying to be hopeful that he will. He’s very strong and has been munching away on his food and seems a bit more lively according to the doctors. I am hoping I don’t lose my best friend, as our time together would be cut too short. I love Canyon with all of my heart. I’m sharing this so that other horse owners can learn from it and be sure to listen to their horse. Horses hide things so well; they’re so stoic. Sometimes it’s nearly impossible to see that they’re suffering until it’s too late. The field of equine science and diseases etc. also has a lot more to investigate and as a scientist myself, I know that research never ends! Thank you for reading mine and Canyon’s story, and thank you everyone for your support. It means a lot during this time.