My name is Danielle and I have spent my whole life surrounded by animals. Over the years we have taken in and cared for many horses who needed help, not because we are a charity, but simply because we love animals and always want to give them the chance they deserve.

This is the story of Mena, our beautiful 20-year-old Irish Draught mare. Fittingly, the name on her passport is “Second Chance” because that is exactly what we gave her when she came to us, and now we are desperately hoping we can give her one more.

Anyone who knows Mena knows just how special she is.

She has been part of our family and our herd for many years, and it is impossible to imagine life without her. She is gentle, loving and still has so much life left in her. At only 20 years old, we truly believed we would have many more years with her.

Over the years we have rescued and taken in many horses who needed help. We are not a charity, just people who love animals and always try to do our best for them.

Mena was also one of our rescues. Before she came to us, she had already had several owners and had struggled to settle. She had even been labelled as the “unlikeable horse” because she did not get on with the other horses she had lived with before.

But with time, patience and love, she found her place here. She found her herd, her family and people who truly understood her. She is deeply loved and we cannot bear the thought of giving up on her now.

Around eight months ago, Mena developed what was believed to be a large haematoma on her side. She underwent surgery to remove it, and we hoped that would be the end of it. Sadly, ever since then, the wound has refused to heal.

Every couple of weeks the wound has to be drained, cleaned and treated because it continues to weep, fill with pus and become infected again. Each time, the vet has to come out, sedate her and reopen the wound to try and relieve the infection. It is heartbreaking to keep putting her through this, especially when there is clearly something more serious going on underneath that has still not been found.

Because Mena is such a large animal, we cannot simply take her backwards and forwards to the vets. The vets have to come out to her each time, which makes every visit, procedure and treatment incredibly expensive.

We have already spent thousands trying to help her. We have done everything we can and exhausted every option available to us locally, but at this point we are running out of answers.

The only option we have left is for Mena to be referred to the Royal Veterinary College so they can investigate further, find out what is really going on and hopefully save her. We have been told this could cost in excess of £10,000, which we simply do not have after everything we have already spent.

What makes this even harder is that Mena is not alone. She is part of a herd that has been together for years. We have recently lost several of our older rescue horses in quick succession through old age, and the thought of losing Mena too, when she should still have so much life ahead of her, is devastating.

Summer is approaching, which brings even more worry. The open wound leaves her at risk from flies, worsening infection and further complications. It feels unfair to keep putting her through endless sedation, draining procedures and temporary fixes without finally getting to the root of what is wrong.

We never imagined having to ask for help like this, but Mena means the world to us and we are not ready to give up on her.

If you are able to donate, no matter how small, or even just share Mena’s story, it would mean more than we can say.

Thank you for helping us try to give Mena the chance she deserves ❤️