Tributes

April 26, 2017: Gysmo dies at 11 months.in a meadow with a herd, Gysmo, a young foal is already away from the herd….he gives us the alarm. With the information we had gathered, we were able to trace the herd’s origin, as well as its intended destination. A week later, we took charge of the 8 horses (October 2016) Gysmo was already very calm…too calm. First aid and food supplements to help him get back on his feet. After a short time, Gysmo will have to fight strangles. But he’ll manage. There was still the problem of persistent diarrhea. In February 2017, Gysmo contracted piroplasmosis, which shook him for weeks. As the treatment is already very powerful, with the disease tiring and his health fragile, Gysmo will fight but we will decide to put him in a clinic to guarantee even more follow-up, where he will stay for a week with his Gyspie (heart sister).
Numerous examinations and blood tests confirm that Gysmo also has stomach ulcers… at his age, 8 months….what a nightmare! His detention must be controlled for the distribution of meals and medication, as well as stress management. He will stay from discharge until April 6, 2017 at the home of Carina, our Darwyn France President where Gysmo will find comfort to help him get back on his feet. After research, it has been confirmed that grass remains the best diet for horses affected by ulcers. As a result, thanks to Jean-Marc’s support, we were able to put the 4 foals together in a straw-bedded stall opening onto a park of several hectares. Gysmo has everything he needs to get better: grass, daily treatment for ulcers, a controlled grain ration, vitamin supplements and his pals to help him grow like a real foal, all under Jean-Marc’s watchful eye.
Gysmo has been enjoying this life for 20 days now, some days going very well, some days a little less so, some days with more molded droppings, some days with more liquid, but his morale seems to be improving.
This morning, Gysmo was very quiet, refusing to eat, so Jean-Marc called to warn me and ask for a blanket. A moment later, he calls me back, Gysmo’s not well, he lies down, gets up, rolls over. I go over to …. and your little voice tells you “that’s not good”. The vet is on his way. Gysmo is getting worse and worse, the painkillers only take effect for a few minutes, his pulse remains very high and doesn’t drop (which confirms that the pain is strong and intense). Given the foal’s size, the vet is unable to search him. A catheter was inserted to put him on a perfusion drip to help him and see how he was progressing. Barely 5 minutes after the 2nd anti-pain treatment, Gysmo showed signs of pain again….. Jean-Marc and the vet unanimously agreed that we had to put him out of his misery.
Gysmo is already leaving with the first injections….
What can I say to you? Saddened, for sure, Empty, too, Disgusted, a lot,
A failure for each and every one of us…but knowing that we tried our utmost to care for you and also to surround you for your last breath.
Bonne route, l’ami…jeune mais avec la force d’un très grand…Salut Ptit Gysmo…une belle vie pour toi commence ce jour…

January 19, 2018: Gamine
Gamine, one of our 24-month-old fillies (rescue of the 8 horses in November 2016) had severe nosebleeds, then they calmed down. We took her to the clinic for a check-up. A shock for us, Gamine’s guttural pouches were certainly affected by a mycosis, as is often the case. A scab forms on the carotid artery, and when it gives way, the horse begins to bleed out more or less rapidly. A brief veterinary explanation: complications of mycosis of the guttural pouches in horses are frequent and severe. The condition often leads to fatal haemorrhages and nervous signs such as dysphagia or laryngeal hemiplegia. The treatment of choice today is arterial embolization, but this technique requires an experienced surgeon, equipped infrastructures and high costs. We had to make the decision to put Gamine to sleep at the clinic. A hard blow for everyone, but also for our 2 volunteers who kindly offered to transport Gamine….they stayed with her to accompany her. No words for you Gamine…a life that started badly…we put everything in place to make it a pleasant one and to end up brutally like this….Dur. Very hard to see such a nice filly go….

November 20, 2017: VictoryA decision that leaves a bitter taste. In October 2016, we collected 8 equines from a trafficker. 4 mares and their foals who were in the wild. All fearful and unsocialized, we took the time to put them back on their feet for 2 months. Then, once the foals had been weaned, we began the work of socialization.
The mares were brought to Antoine Cloux. It took a while for 3 of them, but most of the breaking-in was done. One of his mares, Victoire by name, showed deep-rooted signs of mistreatment. For 2 months, we worked exclusively on the ground, approaching the mare and haltering her. Every day, it was an ordeal for the mare to see a human approaching and, above all, touching her. She can’t stand the touch of a human hand; skin contact drives her crazy. Various manipulations have been tried, but with little improvement or even rebellion. Victoire throws the antecedents at anyone who comes near her.
After several attempts, Antoine Cloux decided not to continue the work, as the mare was really traumatized. We have deduced that when the owners tried to handle her to chip her a year ago, the handling must have gone terribly wrong, and Victoire must have been pinned to the ground by numerous hands…the trauma was very violent….
We’re reluctant to put him to sleep, but we’ll give it another try.
A friend from the Refuge will take her home, to her stable, to take the time for everything. Here we are, 8 months later Victoire timidly accepts to be touched, except for her hind legs. She is still inaccessible in the park, but above all, for no reason, she continues to rear up and throw her forelegs at the people taking care of her. The evolution is minimal, the mare remains traumatized by what she has experienced, contact with humans remains a permanent confrontation and she unfortunately puts the lives of certain people in danger.
It took me a long time to work up the courage to make this terrible decision, but before an accident happens, because it’s only a matter of time, I decided to put Victoire to sleep.
We’ve given her plenty of chances, but unfortunately we won’t be able to save her. We could have put her in a park, and forgotten about her…but is it animal protection not to assume these obligations? The day the mare is injured, how will we look after her? We won’t be able to: entrust her to someone else? A failure for me, for the Refuge, but you have to know how to strike a balance between the lives of humans and horses. It’s a disappointment for us to see a horse pay the price of its life because of incompetent humans who inflicted actions on it that could have traumatized it to such an extent….
Victoire has only just accepted the halter and contact after 1 year, and approaching her with a syringe and intravenous injection is just impossible. We decided to sedate her with a hypodermic gun and then try sedation before the fatal injection. With time, and also thanks to the courage of the vet who managed to inject the sedation intra-muscularly, Victoire was led out onto a grassy strip before lying down for the final injection. The seconds in these moments are long, very long. Victoire has breathed her last… she leaves this world to join a world without bipeds. A bitter taste for us all, and only one consolation remains: she will have been spared the death-row of a slaughterhouse where she was promised with her daughter.
I’d like to thank Valentine and her sister, who have given unstintingly for months, taking many risks to give Victoire a chance. And who have accepted and understood this terrible decision. Thank you to our vet for taking the time to carry out this euthanasia in the best possible way, given the conditions.
For you, Victoire, from now on, you’re free of humans… Happy trails to you, little bay mare….