Diva is a 15 year old Holsteiner mare with an amazing story.
Devon Belanger, Owner/Trainer of Horses In Harmony and her vet were going back and forth whether to euthanize this beauty when she first arrived. It appears that she has had a catastrophic accident in her past as an international 3-Day Eventer. This resulted in multiple fractures of her knees and ruptured carpal and oblique extensors. The right thing to do would probably have been to have her euthanized at the time of the accident. However, for unknown reasons, she was kept alive. Her fractures had somewhat fused but have resulted in limited mobility and terribly disfigured and painful knees. She was at the stage where the bone was resting on bone (no synovial fluid). The ruptured ligaments meant that she could not dorsal flex her feet. Despite the pain she was suffering, she was shipped off to be a riding school horse for kids, where she surely endured much pain. Finally a rescue group in Georgia stepped in and removed her from the riding establishment. She was very underweight and covered in scars and wounds. They consequently shipped her to another rescue group in Brooksville. That rescue group contacted Horses In Harmony and asked them to step in as they could not afford to keep her. knowing the challenge, they accepted. Devon had the vet come out for a full evaluation as, despite the joint supplements (MSM, Glucosamine, Chondroitin etc) and harsh painkillers (Bute) .. which would have eventually destroyed her liver .. she was still in pain. She could not even lower her head to eat, and she would shake constantly. The vet did not even vaccinate her as she felt it may be kinder to euthanize this poor girl. However, they decided to give her a week to settle in and see if they could stabilize her. In order to justify the costs of keeping her - Devon had hoped to eventually rehabilitate and breed her. This horse was obviously incredibly talented and well bred (even despite her limited movement, when she is turned loose - she trotted and cantered as if she felt no pain (although she did!), and her movement was breath-taking. Her offspring would be excellent. But then, the reality struck her. "How could I possibly breed this gorgeous girl .. I would have to take her off painkillers to protect the baby, imagine her agony as she had to constantly carry the weight of a foal (putting on anywhere from 150 - 200lbs of additional weight). Then, how on earth could she get down (or up) for the birthing process. I already love this horse far too much to expect her to go through anymore pain. She is very happy with us at Horses in Harmony." said Devon. Within the period of 3 weeks, she is now grazing comfortably, she enjoys up to 23 hours of turnout with her pasture buddies and she appears to be happy and comfortable. "If my vet and myself HONESTLY believed the kindest thing would be to euthanize this mare, we would have done it already. This horse is not giving any signs of having given up on life nor is she in crippling pain AT THIS TIME. While she is comparatively happy and enjoying her life, then I don't feel we should make that decision to end her life. I feel like this talented horse (who would easily have been worth $50,000 when she was sound) has been discarded and pushed from pillar to post, with little care for her feelings. A horse like this typically ends up in the slaughter house as she has no viable use - and this is the cruelty I have to deal with. Somebody else got their money's worth with her, earning high points and winnings due to the fact that Diva gave her heart and soul to them. They consequently washed their hands of the problem of a broken down mare ... and now, it is the caring staff and volunteers at Horses and Harmony who have to live with the burden of making a decision of her final fate. As you can see, if there is a way to find her a comfortable way of living .. and while there is a spark of happiness in her eyes, we are reluctant to extinguish a beautiful and innocent life." They have working tirelessly with this horse to make her as comfortable as possible in an attempt to rehabilitate this beautiful mare.
UPDATE:
After a long, tough road full of hard work and lots of love, Diva has made an amazing recovery at Horses In Harmony. The vet was amazed at her progress. The same vet that considered euthanization now says she is healthy and comfortable enough to breed to a smaller, lighter-weight stallion. Thanks to the hard work and dedication to save this beautiful girl she will be able to live out her life well cared for and very loved. Thank you to Devon Belanger of Horses In Harmony for caring.
article by Alicia Johns North Florida Horse Lovers 2008