HELP US HELP FRANCI

A note from our Director:

“I don't ask for help easily, but this time I am.

I certainly wasn't expecting to take on the care of seven additional horses and ponies, let alone the rehabilitation of a critically underweight horse, immediately after relocating Saddle & Soul Equine Centre to Lancefield.

But when I saw Franci, I knew I couldn't simply walk away and hope for the best.

She's here with us at the centre now. I'm going to do everything I can to give her the opportunity for a happy, healthy life.

But this time, I need some help to do it.

Please help us help Franci.”

~ Alana

FRANCI'S STORY

Shortly before relocating Saddle & Soul Equine Centre to Lancefield, we began looking for two suitable ponies to join our children's programs.

That search led us to a group of seven horses and ponies that had been part of an NDIS program.

The owner had a heart of gold and clearly loved the horses and ponies deeply, but also admitted she didn't know much about them. It was clear a number of the herd had health challenges, including lameness, laminitis and headshaking syndrome, and one of the four ponies there was unexpectedly pregnant to an unknown sire.

We went there to buy two ponies. We left having bought the entire herd.

After seeing them all and learning that they all needed new homes, choosing two and leaving the others behind just wasn't something we could do.

But there was one horse we were desperately worried about.

Franci.

We stopped in our tracks when we saw her.

Her condition was so concerning that we requested veterinary clearance specifically for her to make the two-hour journey to Lancefield with the other six horses and ponies. None of us knew whether her body was strong enough to withstand the stress of the trip.

Franci arrived at Saddle & Soul on 12 September 2026 in an extremely emaciated and fragile condition.

Unfortunately, Franci had significant health and nutritional needs that had become increasingly difficult for the previous owner to manage. Vets had been involved in her care, but despite this, she had continued to lose significant amounts of weight over time.

When our specialist equine vet examined her after arrival, Franci was given a body condition score of just 2/9.

The photos don't accurately show the severity of her condition. In person, the extent of her emaciation is confronting.

Our vet declared Franci an extremely unwell horse.

At only 10 years of age, Franci has significant dental issues, and after becoming so severely emaciated, she has also lost an enormous amount of muscle, including the facial musculature she needs to effectively chew normal forage - hay and grass.

She tries. But it simply falls from her mouth.

So, for now, we have had to replace her forage with a carefully managed soft diet that she is able to eat. Because she is such a large horse, this is a significant amount of forage replacement.

Franci is currently being hand-fed five times every day, with meals based around MultiCubes and Speedi-Beet (both high-fibre forage replacements that are soaked in water and soften to a mash), vitamins and minerals, and additional oils and nutritional support to provide the calories and nutrients her body desperately needs.

Because of the severity of her condition, everything has had to be introduced slowly and carefully to reduce the risk of refeeding syndrome.

She has been gradually introduced to the long grass here and loves being out in the paddock, although at this stage she struggles to chew it effectively.

But there is something incredibly important that Franci does have...

There is life in her eyes!

Our vet was pleased to see it too.

Franci is already beginning to understand her new feeding routine. She weakly nickers when her meals are being brought to her, and she's becoming brighter and more interested in what is happening around her.

She has been able to lie down and rest.

She is surrounded by friends.

And despite everything, Franci is trying. This is what gives us hope!

Our hope is that as Franci gains weight, strength and muscle, her ability to eat more hay and grass may improve. But our vet has warned that this may not be possible with the dental issues she has.

We simply don't know yet what her long-term feeding needs will be or whether she'll ever be able to eat grass and hay properly.

Right now, keeping Franci adequately fed is expensive and extremely labour-intensive, and she has a long road ahead of her.

It's been a big undertaking to welcome seven additional horses and ponies into our care, especially so soon after relocating the entire centre to Lancefield. But we knew they were meant to join us, and we knew it was our responsibility to give Franci every possible chance of a happy, healthy life.

So we're asking for some help.

Funds raised for Franci will contribute towards her specialised feed, veterinary care, dental care and the nutritional support she needs throughout her rehabilitation.

Every donation helps us put another meal in front of Franci and gives her body the resources it needs to heal.

And if you're unable to donate, sharing Franci's story helps enormously too.

We'd love to share photos in the months ahead of a strong, healthy Franci looking completely different from the horse who arrived here on 12 September.

She's got the will. Now we need to help her body catch up.

WHERE YOUR DONATION GOES

Franci is a 10-year-old, 17.3hh Clydesdale mare, with a healthy target weight of around 800kg. She is estimated to currently weigh around half of this.

Equine vets and nutritionists generally recommend that horses consume around 1.5–2.5% of their body weight in forage each day, with horses needing to gain weight often requiring intake towards the higher end of that range.

For a horse Franci's size, that represents a substantial amount of forage. But because Franci currently cannot physically chew hay or grass to meet her needs, that intake has to be provided through specialised forage replacements that can be soaked into a soft mash she is able to eat.

Because of her severely emaciated condition, her intake has to be increased gradually and carefully. We are currently working towards around 12kg dry weight of forage replacement every day.

As Franci recovers and her intake increases, this could eventually approach 16kg or more per day if she remains unable to adequately eat hay or grass.

That's potentially over 110kg of forage replacement every week.

Her forage replacement is being provided through specialised feeds including soaked Lucerne & Oaten MultiCubes and Speedi-Beet, both of which can be prepared into a soft consistency she is able to manage.

A 20kg bag of Lucerne & Oaten MultiCubes costs between $35–$40 here, while a 20kg bag of Speedi-Beet costs around $65.

At 12kg of dry forage replacement every day, Franci is already working towards consuming approximately 84kg per week, the equivalent of more than four 20kg bags of feed every week.

And that's just her forage replacement.

Franci also requires additional calories, quality protein, oils, vitamins and minerals to support weight gain and the enormous job her body now has ahead of it.

As we gradually build Franci towards the amount of food her body needs, her specialised feeding program is currently expected to cost around $230 per week.

If Franci remains unable to eat sufficient hay or grass and we need to increase her forage replacement towards 16kg per day, her feed costs could rise to around $300 per week.

That's potentially around $1,300 every month for feed alone, before veterinary and dental care.

There will also be ongoing veterinary and dental expenses as we monitor her recovery and determine whether she will be able to eat more normally, including hay, longer term.

Every contribution helps:

$10 helps towards one of Franci's five daily feeds.

$30 contributes towards a 20kg bag of Lucerne & Oaten MultiCubes.

$50 contributes towards a 20kg bag of Speedi-Beet.

$100 buys nearly half of Franci's essential forage replacement for the week at current feed rates.

$230 helps cover approximately one week of Franci's specialised feeding at current feed rates

$500 makes an enormous contribution towards her specialised feeding, veterinary and dental care as she continues her rehabilitation.

Franci's rehabilitation is expected to take many months. We hope that as she gains weight and rebuilds the severe muscle loss around her face, her ability to eat hay and grass will improve.

For now, our job is simple:

Keep Franci fed.

Keep loving her.

Keep her comfortable.

Give her time.

And give her every opportunity to recover.

Please help us to help Franci.