Big Barney’s says, It’s Not Over Yet! There’s Still Time to Give Big!!
The following is from All About Equine Animal Rescue:
You are giving big today, and we are so grateful. This is the spirit that changes lives! We are so close to our goal, with about $2000 to go, and if you give more, we’ll add another load of hay to the list!
Barney is another fan favorite. He came to AAE back in January 2019 with a bundle of issues. Barney was underweight by 250 to 300 pounds, he had respiratory issues, he had an intestinal issue, and he had some basic care needs that hadn’t been met.
He rebounded quickly. At one point, he was eating 54 pounds of pellets a day. Now, he’s a pretty easy keeper and takes in 15 to 20 pounds of pellets a day. Barney likes his girls, too. At any given moment, if you see ol’ Sierra in the pasture, Barney is usually right by her side. Poor mare, there are days you can see her thinking….”can I please just have a day to myself???”
For those that don’t know, Barney is a 23 (-ish) year old Belgian Draft Horse! He’s 17.0 hh and weighs in at nearly 1,500 pounds. His kind eye and gentle giant ways have made him a volunteer favorite. When he arrived at 20-ish, we knew he was well into his golden years, and we were lucky to have a sanctuary spot for him. Now at 23-ish, he’s upping the average life span for drafts.
Barney has a current need we are exploring. As many of you know, AAE volunteers are the eyes, ears, and voices for the horses in the program (and beyond). One day not so long ago, a very observative volunteer noticed Barney had streams of water coming out of his nostrils while he was drinking from a trough. With the help of a scope, our docs discovered his epiglottis is displaced. Unfortunately, due to a few challenges with equipment that day, we couldn’t get to the cause. We’ll know more after another scope. There are at least a couple possibilities, one is a bit easier to fix than the other. If it’s on the good side, a reasonably easy surgical procedure can help him. If not, he’s not a good candidate for the other surgery due to his age, size, and breed. So, keep your fingers crossed for a good outcome for this big guy. Your help today helps us provide care needed to give horses like Barney the best we can.
Big Day for Big Barney, right? Well, he thinks every day is a big day. For now, he and Sierra will head off for an evening stroll, leaving us with a great rear view! Love those big butts!!
Barney says thank you for helping him when his life looked so grim. You picked him up and brought him back to a good place, and he wouldn’t have found is girl, Sierra if you hadn’t. He’s cheering you on to Give Big and help him, help others. We’re so close to our goal! Help us cross that line! Donate, share the link, share his story, and share your love of horses.
It’s not to late, you too can raise the bar by pledging matching funds now! Inspire giving and double your donation to make your impact twice as BIG! To learn more about starting your own matching funds campaign for AAE, send us an email.