My name is Dawn. I am a wife, mother, nurse, and animal lover. I've always loved horses but until recently, have never owned the beautiful animals. My dear husband, Scott, who is also a nurse, decided to gift me with 2 mares from a local horse rescue. As we are both in our late 50s and settled, my husband never thought he would own a horse, and frankly, I had given up on the dream. Then, the dream happened. Today, both my husband and I are in love with the majestic creatures and cannot think of life without the horses. We would do anything to keep them safe, retired, and happy. Being novices to horse ownership, we didn't know all of the questions to ask when we rescued. We did our research, but horse ownership is one of those subjects that you never know all the answers. It's a field in which you learn something new every day. We've actually done so well with our rescues, other horse owners have noticed and have requested our care for their horses.

We live in the state of Mississippi where it gets very hot and humid. We rent stalls in our subdivision's barn. It's an old, dusty, muddy barn and not climate or environmentally controlled. A few months into the rescue, which happened to be Spring, both Lennie (retired Thoroughbred mare) and Rose (Tennessee Walker mare) developed coughing, wheezing, flaring, and episodes of respiratory distress. The vet gave us the daunting news this ailment is called "heaves," and it is not curable. It is seasonal and environmental but at some point, the horses may have to be moved north or worse. It's comparable to COPD or asthma in humans. It hadn't even occurred to us that horses could develop this sickness. All we can do is treat the symptoms and do our best in controlling the environment. That first spring, there were some long days and nights when we didn't know if they would survive. To our dismay, the heaves continued during the summer and the beginning of fall. The vet helped tremendously and guided our treatments. Other horse owners gave their advice with old-school tricks. We tried market products. We had allergy testing and gave immune-building injections. We did everything and tried everything we possibly could to help our babies.

The benefit of being nurses for 3 decades is the amount of knowledge amassed. In treating Lennie's and Rose's respiratory problems, we absorbed all the advice we received, tried all the products we could, and followed the vet's care plans. We didn't notice a significant improvement. As we are their advocates, we decided not to settle for mediocre improvement as we know they will worsen over time. The current way of giving a horse a breathing treatment was aversive to Lennie and Rose. So, we utilized our nursing knowledge of humans to the 10th degree. We had nothing to lose and knew our babies would benefit from our skills. Aside from individualizing their plans of care to their needs, we developed a product which has helped tremendously. There is nothing like it on the market. Of course, "heaves" is not curable, but our product has provided comfort and effective respiratory improvement. They are in much better condition than they were 2 years ago. Although their COPD is not curable, their exacerbations are reduced in number and severity. Our wish is to share our knowledge and reduce the suffering of afflicted horses and their owners who feel helpless in their care. We know our product can effectively serve others as we have seen the proof. We want to market our knowledge and our product which is an affordable answer for all owners with beloved horses who suffer from this disease.

Suddenly and sadly, our dear Lennie crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Thursday, October 9, 2025. Her death was instant and peaceful without suffering from shortness of breath or heave-like symptoms. The vet told us horses like Lennie either die from an exacerbation of the "heaves" or a heart attack from long-term effects of the disease. We fully believe our product and care of Lennie helped control the symptoms of her disease, so her end was natural and without distress. She died in comfort and in her favorite place under the trees on the pasture she grazed.

The purpose of this GoFundMe is to apply for a patent, hire a patent lawyer, and begin the initial marketing and distribution. Once marketed to the public, I plan to go further with my product's revenue as all of it will be dedicated to horses. This will develop the path into buying land, opening a horse sanctuary, providing low-allergen pastures, and building a clean, environmentally controlled barn. The goal is to provide comfort, health, peace, and safety for horses with heaves until they cross the Rainbow Bridge. To learn more about "heaves," the Merck Veterinary Manual, pet owner version, can help provide data. Thank you for reading and an additional load of gratitude for any donation amount! Happy Trails, Dawn, Scott, Rose, and Lennie in spirit.