Hi folks! I’m starting this GoFundMe to help my daughter, Rae, get necessary surgery for her best friend, Bug.

Bug, her horse, was her high school graduation present in 2017. We found Bug from a Facebook Marketplace ad. We were working with her trainer to find her a good partner. From the time Rae first laid eyes on Bug, she knew he was the one. I’ll never forget the look on her face when she met him for the first time. She rode him after her trainer, and her decision was made. Bug had the best personality, and they just clicked.

The day Bug arrived at the barn was a day that would change our lives forever. We heard him pull in as he announced his arrival. He hopped right off that trailer and went right to Rae. Little did we know that a small horse named Bug would have such an impact on our hearts.

For anyone that hasn’t been around horses, it’s a feeling unlike any other. It’s hard to explain. It’s something that’s felt. It’s a connection of two hearts who become one when it’s your heart horse. Bug didn’t know all the broken pieces he would help to fix in Rae.

Bug hasn’t had the best of luck with his health. Six months of learning together, and he was diagnosed with an injury that required a long healing process in his stall. That was so hard on him to be confined to his stall when all the other horses would go in and out of the barn every day. It was an opportunity for Bug to learn that no matter what, Rae would have his back. He was only able to come out in the aisle for a short time. He got lots of grooming and love showered on him.

He recovered from his issue after he was moved where he could just be turned out and be a horse as quietly as possible. Rae was told he would only be a pasture pet and was devastated. That’s when she saved up and got Bug’s best friend, Jazz, the horse that taught him how to be a horse again.

End of 2023, Rae noticed a lump on Bug’s knee. He was diagnosed with cancer. He went to Cornell for surgery in Jan of 2024. The cancer came back in April 2024, and chemo was done in June 2024. He was considered in remission as of September 2025. Oh, happy day!

Fifteen days after Bug’s surgery, Rae was hit by another driver on her way to work. No injuries to her, but her beloved Subaru was totaled. They both had a dark cloud that follows them around.

This past fall, when Rae and Bug were having a lesson with her trainer, it was noticed that Bug had a very snotty, stinky nose. Stink means infection, so Bug was taken to the vet to be checked out. It was found that he has a bad tooth and a sinus infection that required 3 weeks of antibiotics. After completing the required medication, the infection came back within days. The vet did a recheck, and it was decided that he needs surgery to remove the problem tooth and clean out his sinus cavity. Bug needs to go to Ohio State for this surgery as Cornell does not have a working CT machine.

As you can imagine, this news is heartbreaking, and without this surgery, he will continue to get more infections, and he is currently fighting another one. Five weeks of oral syringe antibiotics twice a day until his surgery, which is scheduled for January 13. He can’t stay on antibiotics forever. This boy's demise can’t be a bad tooth.

Needless to say, this trip and surgery are not going to be cheap, but it was promised that he would always be taken care of no matter what. Rae even told her Dad to use the money for her wedding dress for Bug.

If you’ve read this whole story, thank you! Rae needs help but won’t ask, so Mom will. If you can help Bug and Rae continue their journey together, it would be very much appreciated. I know she’d sure love to have him at her wedding next year!

Sending all positive and good out into the universe in hopes that it can come back and help this little horse named Bug hang around to go on more adventures and make many more memories with his mom, Rae!