Hi! My name is Therese and I am trying to save our horse Gypsy! My Mom and I rescued Gypsy from a life of abuse and neglect on October 10, 2014, after a veterinarians office contacted me asking us to save her. She is approximately 19 years old. Please know that we are NOT an organization. Actually, I am not an organization. My Mom passed Mother’s Day night of 2020. My mother loved working with horses on the ground. She was not a rider. We have always supported the horses from our own finances. We just do this to help the horses.

 

Over the years, my Mom and I took in several horses (both rescues and adoptions) that needed a forever home where they could be at peace and live out their lives in our pasture. Gypsy came to us malnourished and scared to death! She had so many problems both mental and physical. If you got too close she would cow kick you! She had obviously had her head beaten as she is still head shy to this day. Gypsy has never been ridden by us. All we wanted for her was for her to know that she never had to be afraid again and would forever be loved. I am so happy to say that Gypsy now loves to be hugged, kissed, petted, loved and she will even let me lay down next to her when she’s laying down! .

 

Over the past seven years I have been able to handle her medical care financially on my own. That is no longer the case due to an injury she sustained.

 

On July 11, 2021, I found a screw in the bottom of Gypsy’s front right hoof. Although I’ve had horses my entire life, I had never dealt with a screw in a hoof before. Unfortunately, the veterinary treatment that she first received was inadequate. Things went from bad to worse. Gypsy could only walk on her toe.

 

In August we gained a new veterinarian. This veterinarian took x-rays and consulted with a very reputable surgeon. The surgeon felt that the only hope for Gypsy was extremely strong oral antibiotics that are actually dangerous for people to touch. I administered the antibiotics every eight hours for two weeks without fail. Dear Lord, she hated them!! We struggled, but she was a champ. I would play music and sing to Gypsy as we went through our daily routine of soaking, medicating, wrapping etc.

 

On September 10, 2021, after the two weeks of antibiotics were over, the veterinarian came back to assess Gypsy. At that time, we were not seeing an improvement in her walking. She still could not put weight on that foot. The antibiotics should have worked by then. The fear was that the infection had gone into her bone and/or tendons. I did not want her to suffer but we wanted to give her a week or so to possibly improve. We made arrangements to have her put to sleep on September 22, 2021. But - she is still with us!!!!!

 

Thank God that Gypsy is a fighter! I thought that I saw a slight improvement over the weekend but thought it was just wishful thinking. My plan was to continue with the arrangements to have her put to sleep. Thankfully, I had two friends intercept! On Sunday night I met with my friend Dawn and she reviewed several photos of Gypsy and was looking at her structure etc. and was insisting that it was too soon to put her down…that she still had a fighting chance.

 

On Monday, Dawn was contacting surgeons that she knew and spoke to them on my behalf. One of the surgeons works with the new veterinarian and he thought that Gypsy still had a chance. While I was waiting for him to call and discuss it with me, I received a video from my friend Patrice, who keeps her horse with mine and was at our place. The video was of Gypsy walking and not being just on her toe She asked me if she was imagining the improvement. That confirmed to me that the change that I had seen was not just wishful thinking. It was Gypsy fighting!!!!

 

After all of the events of Monday, and a true heart to heart with both the surgeon and the veterinarian, we postponed having her put to sleep.

 

Gypsy may still have a chance if she is able to get the MRI and diagnostic testing that is needed. If she gets this done, it will give us insight as to what is really happening. The surgeon does not think that it is time to say Goodbye to Gypsy yet. He knows that Gypsy is a rescue and that I do not have the finances for this. He said that Gypsy is amazing because she is still alert, feisty, spunky, and still trying to walk. He said most horses would’ve given up after two weeks especially after all of those horrible antibiotics. Also, based upon the original x-rays, he did not feel that the infection had hit the bone at that point but he needs the MRI and the other tests to point him in the right direction.

 

Gypsy is in my heart. ♥️ She is my girl. I started posting about her journey to recover back in July when this happened, not thinking that she wouldn’t bounce back. More and more of my friends and their friends started to follow Gypsy and her story. I have had so many people fall in love with her! So many people have cried for her. A group that I call Gypsy’s Guardian Angels have helped me so very much with her antibiotics and other needs. Everyone has prayed for her.

 

I am asking everyone that reads this to please consider donating anything possible to try to get Gypsy the testing that is needed. The results of the tests will determine her fate. I am praying for positive results so that Gypsy may continue living!

 

Thank you for taking the time to read about Gypsy and to try to help her! I am grateful for all of you! ♥️♥️