Layma

January 31, 2017: LaymaLayma, 19, taken in from abuse in 2013, had been having these problems with calcified tendonitis for years. For several weeks, Layma had been finding it increasingly difficult to walk and was lying down too often, for too long. The anti-inflammatories were no longer as effective as they could have been, so we had to make the decision to put her to sleep. Layma was a fighter, a warrior…
We sincerely thank Rachel and Thierry who looked after him, pampered him and accompanied him to the end! Thank you for everything!
Adopted in 2013, Layma was the main cause for concern when a complaint was lodged in April. Our grandma was very thin, and suffered from pronounced tendonitis in both forelimbs. She lived in a park on a slippery slope in a herd, which greatly aggravated her tendonitis. A week after the first complaint phone call, we learned that she had given birth to a tiny foal… In her current state, she had no resources whatsoever to support herself, let alone her baby. The owner agreed to let us have everyone, and with a team of volunteers we went to collect the whole herd! When we arrived at their new home, Layma’s foal had to be covered as he was really lacking in strength to fight the bad weather, and we bottle-fed him to relieve his mom, so she could enjoy what she was eating! (Thanks Jean-Marc) After weaning her baby, Layma left the Refuge to enjoy her retirement in a herd in France. We then decided to repatriate all the horses from this pension to Switzerland, and our beautiful grandma was able to enjoy a few years of 5-star retirement! We knew that her leg problems would not heal, but could be stabilized. Episodes of lameness followed one another throughout her retirement, but with the right care and our grandma’s fighting spirit, we couldn’t bring ourselves to put her to sleep…! Every time the appointment with the vet was made, Layma would get up and go as if nothing had happened… as if she could sense what was coming! We put it off as long as Layma could maintain a decent quality of life, but we reached the point of no return, and out of respect for her, we let her go before she suffered too much… Layma has shown us unfailing courage for her survival, and she leaves knowing that her foal, 4 years old this spring, is doing well, growing up with all the attention a horse needs, and that his future is assured. One more star shines in Darwyn’s sky and watches over the coconuts…