Tributes
To remember the good times spent with some of our companions, we’ve decided to write a short tribute to them.
Layma
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…
Scribbler
Scribbler
Gribouille s’en allé….Gribouille was sequestered in 2013, along with 16 other horses. Born in 1993, Gribouille was directly retired to a Refuge branch. In 2016, Céline was looking for a horse to keep hers company and adopted Gribouille. For the past 4 years, with a few adjustments to keep him in good condition, Gribouille has been enjoying life to the full. But over the last few weeks, his general condition had deteriorated, and when the blood test didn’t show anything concrete, we increased his rations. The situation had stabilized, but by Monday Gribouille was leaking blood from his nostril. The vet was pessimistic, and recommended anti-haemorrhagic drugs, but on Tuesday everything was normal. Yesterday, Wednesday, Gribouille “curiously” went behind the fence, and we think he may have lost his balance and got caught in it. Around 5pm, his nose started to run again, and he was prostrate. After a long period of observation, we took stock of the past few weeks, and having had other similar experiences, we decided to put him to sleep to avoid a more serious accident or finding him dead in a pool of blood. The vet, who was on the spot very quickly, confirmed our decision….Gribouille was first sedated and then put to sleep…he left very calmly and surrounded.Hi Gribouille, you were picked up in very sad living conditions (sequestration B. 71) but at least you will have enjoyed 7 years of happy retirement. Thank you Céline for him… For the past 4 years you’ve offered him a nice retirement and a gentle departure.
Cheyenne
Cheyenne
March 4, 2016: Cheyenne falls asleep… 2:30 pm, Adeline, calls us, in tears, Cheyenne is lying in the meadow…she can’t get up anymore! The vet quickly arrives on the scene…her pulse has slowed, the mare is in a state of shock and very weak. Cheyenne had been losing condition for weeks, and blood tests last week revealed that she had cushing’s disease…a rapid deterioration in just a few days. We decided to let Cheyenne go with dignity and without fuss, even though she wasn’t that old, only 22.
Cheyenne had been sequestered in 2008 with the group of 17 horses. She was in a miserable state… after having been rehabilitated by Jean-Marc, Cheyenne was adopted by Adeline for a quiet retirement. She enjoyed it for 8 years. Thank you Adeline for everything…. And to you, sweet mare, we wish you all the best for the future!
Sangria
Sangria
Sangria, September 9, 2018Sangria, 32, in foster care since September 2017, had to be put to sleep. Her body, especially her tired hindquarters, could hold no more. Sangria had been taken in urgently following the death of her owner, her companion unable to pay the monthly board, she was desperately looking for a solution…which was found in extremis.
Hi Sangria…your ashes will be spread on beautiful Lake Geneva…. Have a nice trip!
Bérénice
Bérénice
So young to leave…and unfortunately, these colliques will remain our dread…May 22, 2020
Bérénice, adopted 7 years ago by Isabelle, has always lived in a stall with access to the meadow. But on this Ascension Thursday, Bérénice is in her corner, and too quiet. The vet arrives, and fears a torsion. Bérénice is taken immediately to the Tierspital in Berne. She’s put on a drip and spends the night as…sez bien. But in the morning, it starts again, the torsion of the intestine is there, the pain is too strong, we decide to put her to sleep to put her out of her misery. Isabelle is overwhelmed, everything went so fast!
Isabelle, thank you for this beautiful life you’ve given her…she’ll only have enjoyed 7 years with you, but she’ll have been pampered!
Thank you for her….and to you, pretty and kind long zoreilles, bonne route dans l’autre monde….
Tribute written by Isabelle
My little Berenice,
You were so kind, sweet and pretty With your beautiful eyes, your big eyelashes and your long ears. So long that often, when I was near your head, you’d poke me in the face with your ear.
I never tired of looking at you. You were restful. You were often lying down, stretched out in the park, sunbathing in the heat. It was your little moment of relaxation.
You were also very playful. You tried to get your buddy Guinness on his knees. Any way you could. And you succeeded! And him, did that make him angry? He’d put his long ears back and counter-attack. It was so funny! It was so sad to see you go so young, after only 7 years with us. You were barely 10… Despite a night spent in the clinic, your colic was unfortunately too severe and you left by my side.
I’m going to miss these moments, your little nudge behind my back so I can stroke you. Your pals Guinness and Romeo are looking for you, and they miss you too.
Bonne route à toi ma petite Biche, tu resteras toujours dans notre cœur.
Princess
Princess
Princesse, sequestered in 2008 with 14 other horses, was adopted by Caroline. After many happy years working and riding, Princesse’s health began to fail. Caroline is keeping her in retirement, to her and her mom’s great delight, to pamper her for many years to come. Message from Caroline Bieri: Princess has been sharing my life for 10 years now, and I’m so happy to have her. She’s doing really well and is now 21 and in great shape.
Kiki
Kiki
12 years old, with a tendon injury, Kiki was a skidding mare. We took her in to care for her, and to save her from the knife. After many months of convalescence, Kiki is doing well and can now go for walks. It wasn’t easy to find a place for her that suited her size. Then Olivia fell for this very nice mare who was as wide as she was kind. 800 kg of kindness, that’s the description of Kiki who fell asleep in her park… a beautiful death but a bit brutal for Olivia when there was no sign of it….
Olivia wrote her tribute….Thank you for everything you gave her!!!! Kiki was happy in your home!
To you, our big dondon, you leave one hell of a memory for the whole Refuge team….Good luck pretty dondon!
Tribute from Olivia:
I welcomed Kiki in 2015 to keep my mare company. She came into my life like a second journey, like something that’s always extraordinary, but with less novelty – and yet, novel and extraordinary she was, in the strictest sense of the word! 800 kg of roan hair, tall as a bus, huge hooves, able to gobble 2 apples at once, a mountain of calm and phlegm.Kiki, more than a horse, was an evidence, a fact. She was there, part of the daily routine, part of normality, without all the fuss that spirited horses can sometimes bring. It wasn’t so much that I counted on her, as that she was there, no question asked. Then one Sunday, from the top of her hill, she suddenly left. Without a hitch, without a shout, without waiting or illness. What I saw as a certainty was no more. Without realizing it, she had forged my daily life, in her own way, calmly, slowly, but surely. My choices, my equipment, the paths I took and the decisions I made didn’t seem to be dedicated to her, but with her gone, I have to admit that they were. Many things now seem obsolete and remind me painfully of her departure: my stepladder at the stable, my bus towing 3.5T, my huge slant van, my xxl equipment… She wasn’t just a mare, she was THE mare. All this emptiness breaks me.
Kiki had what we call a beautiful death, without suffering, at home, but also without notice. As much as the fact of not having been able to prepare herself makes the pain more acute, I salute destiny for having offered her this departure.
So today, January 26, 2020, with all the empty space she occupied with her big, soft heart, we’re going to have to re-form normalcy, without her. It seems impossible at the moment, but it will come in Kiki’s way, calmly, quietly, but surely. And she’ll always be my mare, Kiki.
Shakira
Shakira
Shakira, saved from the slaughterhouse.
After her rescue, we offered her a few months’ work to give her the best possible chance of placement. Very sensitive, Elia and Karine fell in love with her and we’d like to thank them for taking the time for this kind and beautiful Franche-Montagne.
Here’s their testimonial:
Shakira came to live with me in 2013, when I was 12 and she was 4. We were both young. Indeed, the early days were quite difficult… she didn’t trust anyone and was always suspicious.
But fortunately, with time, gentleness and hard work, we got there! Now she follows me everywhere and is always up for new adventures! She’s become hyper-curious and has acquired a taste for life! She lives surrounded by friends in her stable and we make balls galore. For two years now, we’ve been working a lot with halters, especially on rides. Her confidence in me is growing all the time. She’s an extraordinary mare and an exact reflection of me, I don’t know who’s rubbing off on who ahaha…
For 7 years now, she’s been sharing my life, through the good times and the bad… she’s always there to cheer me up, but also to put me in my place when I get off track ahaha.
She’s less and less afraid of the van, which means we can go on more and more outings like rallies or trips to the lake! In short, if I had to do it all over again, I’d do the same thing with the same juju!
Thanks for everything the Refuge does, you guys are great!
Kiria
Kiria
January 30, 2017: Kiria falls asleep at 33Already 11 years old, Kiria joined the Refuge to enjoy a wonderful retirement. Her owner in Valais could no longer support her, so we took her in. After his death, we took Kiria back to board her at our Burgundy branch, with Yvette. Yvette looked after her every day. But year after year, her age began to show…and it was at the age of 33 that Kiria fell asleep. A pretty and very gentle haflinger, she enjoyed a long and happy retirement.
Bonne route à toi….you’re leaving a green pasture for another world… Hi, beautiful!
Caracole
Caracole
CaracoleMarch 13, 2021Caracole, taken off the back of a truck belonging to a well-known “merchant” of the time, was destined to make her life as a school horse in a Geneva riding school. Caracole just wasn’t cut out for it…she tried to do well, but it was never enough. Unfortunately, she just had to learn to resign herself like so many others….It was in 2003 that I went through the Refuge’s drawers to buy her back and give her another life.
Discreet with humans and other horses alike, Caracole was adopted in 2016 by Christine, who offered her a wonderful retirement.
But in the last few days, with the help of the vet, Christine had to take the decision to put her to sleep to free her from colic with displaced colon. Caracole was 28 years old.
I must say that Caracole is a mare from the early days of the Refuge, who touched me with her kindness…
Sad, who wouldn’t be, but at the same time grateful to have been able to offer her another life and to have met Christine, who was able to offer her a beautiful life, with all the care and attention she deserved.
Hello pretty mare, have a good trip…a star will shine as bright as your pretty palomino dress…
Titi
Titi
February 20, 2018: TitiTough blow for the team…Three and a half months, it will have been brave our Titi….suspended in his net to relieve him and see the improvement in his back…Titi even managed to get up once without help…despite the good evolution of the back, it’s his forelegs that didn’t hold up. An old case of laminitis in the 2 front legs started up again….Titi tried to compensate for the pain in his front legs by using his back hand, which was already terribly fragile. But when it comes to the point where Titi can no longer stand upright despite anti-inflammatories, when the trimming adjusted according to the X-rays is no longer enough, and when she can no longer go out for her daily walk to the point of falling over…. it’s our duty to say stop.
It was a decision taken by the entire team, who for months had been on call day and night, taking turns to ensure that Titi was raised or laid down as needed, and that the many treatments were given. It was with great emotion that Titi fell asleep, on the grass in the sun, with his Princess.Titi, you’ve been brave, very brave… and we hope that on the other side you’ll be able to rediscover the joy of rolling and moving around as you please, without forgetting to devour without counting the calories… Hi Titi, we’re all going to miss you…
Rotstar
Rotstar
Rotstar, 1994-August 6, 2021
Life has passed, death has separated them after many long years, but unfortunately this often happens too quickly, and everything becomes complicated for the remaining loved one if no documents had been prepared, especially if there was no official link between them.
In 2017, Mrs C. contacted us in distress, finding herself with their two elderly horses at full financial expense, i.e. CHF 900 per month in boarding costs for both horses.
Her partner had been responsible for boarding them before his sudden death. Mrs C, who only receives DI benefits, has used her meagre reserves to find a solution, but the situation is becoming worrying.
Tragic situation torn between the loss of his companion, a very fragile financial situation, and despair over the future of the two horses….we then set our network in motion, and quickly found a nice place to welcome Sangria and Rotstar into retirement.
Sangria enjoyed her new life for just one year, falling asleep at the age of 22.
Rotstar is back in top form, back in the swing of things, and he’ll even be the great sage of the herd.
But over the past 1 week, her health has taken a turn for the worse: a crack in her hind leg has degenerated, the gloma has detached and Rotstar is compensating with her other hind leg. X-rays show an abscess, even when pierced, with no improvement, a nosebleed has been added to the various pathologies, and her immune system is breaking down… Rotstar is finding it hard to move despite the anti-bio and anti-inflammatory treatments she is taking, and the vet has asked us to take the decision to let her go.
Rotstar will leave in his 27th year, surrounded by his herd and guardians.
To you Rotstar, off for the last gallop to your Sangria…Bonne route grand!
Our thoughts are with his family, who share this lovely testimonial with us:
Rotstar has left to join Sangria. They were our first commies, and Rotstar our darling, the boss of the stables and the fields. We’ll miss his vocals. He was the one who kept everyone in order. I remember you telling me, you never know if they’re going to live long or not. He was with us for almost 4 years! We’ll miss him terribly. Thank you for entrusting him to us and allowing us to get to know this loving horse.
