[Hacker]

You may remember me introducing Marci last week, a rescue horse that has come from Hungary. We weren't exactly happy about her condition when we saw her in Devon and decided to get her up here as soon as possible, luckily we found a transporter going from Devon to Cambridgeshire today so she was able to go on that.

After a long journey of almost 9 hours she arrived and still looked pretty bad, considering she has been over here for six weeks feeding on rich grass she should look better than she does. This is her getting of the transporter:



Our yard owner on the right visibly shocked at the state of Marci, you can see from this picture just how poor she looks - ribs showing and a skin infection, she's probably got worms as well. I came home after these were taken but Jan and Christine (yard owner) are still there clucking over her like a couple of mother hens



That's probably the last I'll see of Jan for a few weeks!

[P-E]

Hope it all goes well for you H

[Markulous]

Blimey! You got some good shots of her previously, looking her best - that 2nd above, on the other hand, is really quite shocking! Good luck with her!

[Hacker]

Thanks, this is what she will hopefully look like....



I think it will take a little time though.

[nichpr]

I hope that this will ultimately be a very rewarding process for the three of you.

- Paul

[Ali]

Oh bless her... she looks so interested in all that is going on around her, in an inquistive rather than a worried way. Her temperament is shining through her poor run down exterior. With some decent grub, some tlc, some gentle work to get those muscles working, all combined with that good old healer - time - she'll come round and do you both proud. I'd love to hear her full story sometime.

How old is she thought to be?

I look forward to seeing her blossom over the coming months and to keep up with her progress reports.

[fionaB]

i think she will come on in leaps and bounds once she is wormed and the rain rash is dealt with.
i think its also important to remember that she IS only a baby - correct me if im wrong but im sure you said she was just a yearling? - so she has still lots of time to fill out and develop and is still young enough not to carry the emotional scars round once she matures and settles.

fi

[Hacker]

You're right Fiona, she is just over a year old and obviously going through an ugly teenager phase which doesn't help! She actually photographs quite well and looks worse in the flesh, the pics I took last week made her look a lot better than she actually is. Her mane was very matted so we decided to chop it off as it would have been impossible to pull, interestingly we've found three brands on her, two on her neck and one on her rump and as a result of this she doesn't like anyone touching her neck near the brands although this will improve with time. As you say, she is young enough to get through this without hopefully any long term damage be it mental or physical.

I will be posting updates from time to time.

[fionaB]

3 brands.. hells bells has she been passed from piller to post? have u got her papers etc as well?
manes will grow back in and having on more than one occasion had to pull a mane and tail back into some semblance of respectability i think u took the right course of of action, she has been thru enough without trying to get her to stand enough for u to sort it out.
looking forward to watching her come on.
at this rate she will almost be adopted by us lot here!


Fi

[Hacker]

We've got her papers and passport etc but trying to make sense of the Hungarian Warmblood Society methods is taking some time, she is genuine but came from a strange out-of-the-way place in Eastern Hungary near the Ukrainian border. When the transporter arrived to pick her up (apparently that was major feat in it's own right!) the whole village turned out and the owner decided to put on a 'show' for Felix the driver.

He got one of his stallions out and made him lie down and then stood on him whilst cracking a whip:



Then he disappeared into a barn and came out with a tame fox!



When Jan got back last night she said the initial list of Marci's visible ailments are:

Worms
Ticks
Conjunctivitis
Rain scald
Unknown skin infection

And this is just what we can see, the vet will be called today to give her a through once over.

[Ali]

Originally Posted by fionaB

icorrect me if im wrong but im sure you said she was just a yearling?

Sorry , I missed that in the earlier post.

[Summerleft]

Aww shes looks lovely good luck with her

[Rob Barron]

I'm not much of an animal person in terms of pets or whatever BUT PEOPLE LIKE HIM MAKE ME WANT TO SCREAM!!!!

I am delighted that you have managed to rescue poor Marci and I am sure she will fight through the infections and things and will be a beautiful horse once she is fit and well.

Animal cruelty is sadly rife around the world because some cultures do not consider animals to be worthy of care. That is not actually a criticism as I don't believe in applied morality as that would set us up as judge and jury over others. However, it surely doesn't take a lot of common sense to know that a horse is an animal that has given humankind no end of help and support over our history and as such is deserving of care and respect.

I'm gonna shut up as I'll end up saying what I REALLY think of this cretin!

Good on you Hacker for the work you are doing and I look forward to hearing of Marci's progress.

Cheers,
Rob

[Hacker]

Thanks Rob. The vet came out last night and Marci is now on antibiotics for her skin infection and antibiotic eye drops for the conjunctivitis, she is also on Bute (bit like Nurofen for horses) and we've been out today to get her some feed supplements to help build her up. We need to get started now so she is fit and strong enough for the winter, being the colour she is she has very thin skin and not much coat so the more we can do now the better. The vet is back on Monday and depending on what he sees then she may need to have a blood test for any underlying problems that are not immediately apparent.

She went out in the field today for the first time since arriving and had our other youngster (Zeus) for company. The good news is that she is tucking into her hay, eating plenty of grass and seems to be settling in.