Tributes
To remember the good times spent with some of our companions, we’ve decided to write a short tribute to them.
Sultan
Sultan
News from Sultan who is 36!
A former school pony who was looking for a place to retire, Sultan has been enjoying his beautiful retirement life in the canton of Vaud for the past 11 years.
Thank you Cathy for taking such good care of him!!!!
Cacharel
Cacharel
August 18, 2016: Cacharel …18 years old
His family calls to tell us that they had to put Cacharel to sleep this afternoon. What sad news to hear!
Since Tuesday, Cacharel had been closely monitored by the vet for colic, but after a period of stabilization, things took a turn for the worse and a decision had to be made quickly. Cacharel gave a lot of pleasure and will leave a very nice memory to all those who knew him.
A little horse with a big heart has just left us, bon voyage little white horse.
Good
Good
On September 6, 2020, in the morning, Good ate his ration more slowly than normal, in the afternoon, he fell asleep in the park…in complete serenity with no sign of debate.
At 34 years of age and in top condition in every respect, Good will have enjoyed his last day after 14 years of retirement.
Thank you to his sponsors and to Rachel for all the good care he received!
Gypsy
Gypsy
September 13, 2016: A page of Darwyn turns…. Gypsy16 years ago, I took him in as a boarded owner’s horse…. Within months of his arrival, his owners were faced with the sudden death of one of their family members, forcing them to part with their horse, Tzigane.
Tzigane then joined my little group of survivors….I was working part-time outside the home to take care of all these little people, as the association was still so young that finances were too meagre to cover the costs of the horses I had taken in. At the time, I lived on a farm with my twenty or so horses. In the mornings, I rushed to feed them and put them out to pasture before going to work at the office, and in the afternoons, I cleaned the stables, looked after the horses and maintained the farm… I was 25 at the time, in 2000. By living the daily life with horses, unique bonds with horses are created and remain forever….
With the lease on the farm I was renting coming to an end, I decided to move my horses back to a stable and put my retirees in the canton of Fribourg to offer them a green retirement.
Tzigane spent many years at Tatroz until 2004, when he moved to the Bois Maillot estate, where he spent another ten years grazing. Until, in June 2014, the weight of the years began to take its toll on his general condition, and he returned to the Refuge with his acolytes Atlon and Saratoga. For the past 2 years, Tzigane has been pampered, pampered, pampered, loved and finally cared for with so much attention by the whole team that today, surrounded by everyone, Tzigane breathed his last.
For the past 10 days, a digestive problem (suspected transit paralysis) has prompted us to decide to spare him from a painful end.
A mixture of feelings comes over me…
The sadness of seeing a horse who has become a friend leave us, the pride of having been able to offer him so many years of retirement, but also a feeling of joy when I look at all the people who have met him, who have sponsored him, cared for him and, above all, loved him…
Thank you all for having contributed to his happiness on earth…and from now on, it’s in the other world that our little horse will continue to make his long, distinctive noises…
Hi little hafling…you’re going to leave a big hole….
Conj
Conj
March 31, 2016: Conj Conj has just left us suddenly…we are in shock. Recovered a year from the slaughterhouse, Conj had been adopted and broken in…an extremely kind mare. At the family’s request, we took her in at the end of 2015, then placed her at our branch in the canton of Vaud. A problem of breath depending on the periods or efforts had solicited various examinations but nothing had been found. After 5 months of observation, Conj was doing well and was due to be placed, but unfortunately, fate decided otherwise.
Happy to be back in pretty grassy fields, Conj gallops a few times…then stops, shaking violently, then bleeding from the mouth…The herd gathers around her, then leaves…and Conj collapses…it’s over. Conj is dead.
Rachel is devastated…this morning, she was in great shape…and then, at 8 years old, Conj suddenly died. The vet will do a brief autopsy to try and understand.
Conj was a very pretty Franche-Montagne, friendly, endearing, generous…hard to find a fault with her…and now she’s suddenly gone. On the positive side, she left quickly and around her loved ones… Petit Conj, a little early for this departure ….Salut jolie Fm…We’ll miss you….
Cubitus
Cubitus
March 13, 2018: Cubitus a quiet departure…We strongly suspected it. We decided to leave him on aspirin for a few more days to see if we could offer him a quality of life …In the stall, Cubitus, would run in circles, try to grab 2, 3 twigs of hay, then stop to cradle his head in an angle. In the meadow, he’d run in circles, not even trying to graze. If he wanted to eat an apple or a carrot, mission impossible. He would take grain in his mouth, but couldn’t chew… the grain would fall back… was this a life for an equine who could no longer eat or enjoy the grass in the parks? So we decided to accompany Cubitus, who died quickly….His pal Gysmo came to smell him, he understood, his pal had left this world. Cubitus, 9 years ago, we took you in limping, we tried the operation at the Tierspital in Zurich, placing an iron plate following your fracture of the ulna. What a success! You enjoyed 9 years of retirement with a good family….in January 2018, a severe colic almost took you, but you overcame it…a few weeks later, loss of sight and partial facial paralysis led us to believe that you had suffered a stroke, which prevented you from continuing your life with dignity….Hi Little white mule… The Refuge is going through a period of major horse deaths (in a normal year, about a dozen deaths)….9 horses have left since the beginning of the year, many of them foster horses, with different causes of death. 2018 is a year of vibration, a year of chaos…In all these moments, you have to know how to take the good out of them. All these horses have enjoyed a good life and will leave with dignity. Thank you to everyone at the Refuge for giving these horses this chance.
Tribute from Eveline and Jean-Louis:
You came into our lives over 7 years ago, accompanied by your protégée, our Ponette, who has already gone to horse heaven.
You were the herd’s sentinel.
With your special bray every time you heard the house door open or the sound of the car as if to say: hey friends, we’re here and we’re hungry.
We were lucky enough to share a stretch of road together, far too short, but so intense.
Your kindness, your intelligence and your golden character made you an equine that left no one indifferent. Everyone adored you, whether they were caring for you with the farrier or the vet.
You’ll be in our hearts forever.
You’ve gone to join your little darling Ponette and I hope you’ve already told her how much we love you.
Eveline and Jean-Louis
Blackmoon
Blackmoon
Blackmoon goes, February 5, 2019
On December 27, Florence calls us, Blackmoon can’t get up anymore…she has all the symptoms of atypical myopathy.
The SACAR ambulance is quickly on the scene, on its way to the Tierspital. A series of examinations, and during this festive period, the results arrive, but not as quickly as we’d like. The results rule out myopathy, but reveal PSSM (muscle disease). After a few days, Blackmoon is able to stand again for a few hours, supported by the net. As the days passed, the situation improved, but there was still visible discomfort in her right hindquarters. She was returned to her stable and closely monitored. Further tests failed to explain the hind leg lameness and muscle wasting. Blackmoon lies down more often, and the thigh muscle continues to shrink. Florence decides to take her back to Tierpietal for further tests, and the verdict is in: this time, the leg muscle is no longer irrigated, her leg is lost, and it’s irreversible. Why? the big question….Many vets have followed this case, and no one can explain it. A rapid degeneration of PSSM? curious in 11 years, no sign, no crisis….
After 5 weeks of research and in-depth examinations, there was nothing we could do….only accompany him for his last moment on earth.
Florence and one of her faithful horsewomen accompanied him for a last goodbye.
It is with great emotion that I write this text. Blackmoon arrived in the first years of the Refuge, she was in her wild state and unusually sensitive. After months of socialization,
Florence took her into her troop of school horses… it wasn’t easy. Fearful, sensitive, agile, fast and light, Blackmoon didn’t really fit the profile of a school horse, and yet… she gave 11 years of her life to riders of all levels and in all disciplines… Blackmoon is the very example that time, understanding and respect allow these different horses to make their mark.
I’m thinking of Blackmoon, but also of all those riders who loved and appreciated her for who she was…and then I thank Florence so much, because once again, she did EVERYTHING:
For having taken her in, for having given her the time to live the life she had, and for having done everything to look after her…You did everything you could to give her another chance to live, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough….Thank you Flo!
To you, Blackmoon, little school mare with pony build but the heart of a big girl, it’s a new road for you, between the stars of Blackyretraite and Darwyn’s missing…
Hi Little Black!
Nalou
Nalou
Nalou, March 13, 2019
33 years old… a pony who enjoyed a lovely, pampered end of life…
Nalou lived for years roaming around a farm, the owner getting old and letting her live that way. Nalou didn’t have much contact, and ran away as soon as she was approached. Until one day, in April 2016, we received a denunciation for rambling, but also lack of care… the feet were not maintained. Arrived at the Refuge, farrier and clipper, Nalou had gained 10 years, her pretty face made Françoise fall in love with her and she decided to adopt her. For the past 3 years, Nalou has enjoyed a pampered life with cushing’s disease and summer dermatitis, but all care is taken with the utmost precaution.
For the past few weeks, Françoise has been worried… Everything’s slowed down, she doesn’t want to eat anymore, sometimes Nalou doesn’t want to go out, she lies down, crottines very little, it’s like she’s turned off. The vet will do blood tests, but everything’s normal. Discussions between everyone, the conclusion is the same, Nalou is dying out a little more every day… Françoise is devastated, but she decides to let her go, there in the meadow, surrounded…
One more departure, but at a good age and above all respected and pampered… A HUGE THANK YOU to Françoise and Valérie who have given her so much.
Little Nalou, happy galloping in your new world… back to freedom, but this time with permission…
Tribute from her foster family:
Ma nalou,
3 years ago to the day, you came into my life. My only goal was to offer a dignified end to life to a pony taken in by the shelter.
When you first came to us, you had a little trouble understanding that when we came to you, it was for your own good. But you soon realized that our hands were your friends.
With patience, you were completely at ease. Even 3 years later, you could still tell the difference between us and the foreigners. Thank you for your trust.
You were an adorable pony, very, very stubborn at times…..but so, so endearing. Those who took care of you and fed you already miss your little speeches in the morning.
I often wonder how you managed to live in the conditions you were in before you were taken in, as long as care was necessary. Valérie and I did our utmost to make you as comfortable as possible.
You’re the 3rd juju I own with dermatitis, but you broke records with injuries.
Little by little we could see that your quality of life was seriously declining. You were in your own world, and you, who were so addicted to Leika, weren’t even interested in her anymore.
We had to make this terrible decision.
Nalou, you’ll always be in my heart and tears will flow for a long time to come when I think of you, that’s for sure.
Bonne route ma puce and thank you for everything you’ve given me.
Thanks to Darwyn for his confidence.
Vernec
Vernec
Vernec, June 10, 2019
It’s raining everywhere…and even more so in our hearts.
Whit Monday will have been marked by the sudden disappearance of our sweet Vernec.
Friday, a wound on the elbow following a kick, wound disinfected, slightly swollen, Vernec does not limp.
Saturday, swelling reduced, wound cleaned, disinfected again, Vernec still not limping.
Sunday, short walk, Vernec happy and normal.
Monday morning, off to pasture, all normal. Back from the meadow at 1.30pm, Vernec can’t put his leg down, fever 39.
The vets were unreachable on this bank holiday, so we injected him with a strong IV painkiller and loaded him up for the clinic. 45 minutes later, Vernec is on site, again relieved by injection while X-rays are taken.
The vet managed to get some good shots of this hard-to-reach spot, and the verdict was in: fracture of the lateral condyle of the humerus, no operation possible. We were stunned by the verdict and the fatal outcome. The painkiller no longer worked, Vernec was at his worst… we had to react very quickly… Shocked, we watched this gentle horse with an extraordinary heart fall asleep.
3 vets reassured us that we hadn’t missed anything, but unfortunately it was bad luck…that it happened, a crack that wouldn’t have been visible on the X-ray, then the bone became brittle and broke…
A particularly painful story for the whole team and his foster family.
After being used as a breeding stallion and endurance horse, Vernec was sold to find himself abandoned alone in a meadow, under food Sequestered in 2015, Vernec joined the Refuge and was then adopted. Vernec has rediscovered the joys of being a human and a leisure horse, with a life among fellow humans. Extremely kind, Vernec is appreciated by everyone, horses and humans alike.
But unfortunately, life in a herd also means the risk of getting into mischief, and this gentle horse has paid a high price….
Vernec, a.k.a. Vouls, went too quickly, and in conditions that have left a terrible mark. It will take time for us to accept this inevitability…Hi Petit Vernec…a big void ….a big miss is felt…we already saw you among our herd of retirees….but life decided otherwise…Bonne route l’Ami….you will be sorely missed…
Robin
Robin
March 11, 2017: Robin Recovered a little over a year ago, in April 2016, Robin was abandoned in a garbage dump. Aged between 25 and 30, we were able to offer him a pampered retirement and a surrounded end.
In September, Robin is found in the meadow, lying down and has a seizure with convulsions that lasts 2-3 minutes… after 30 minutes he gets up, things go back to normal. On February 27, 2017, in the middle of the night at 4:48 a.m., another seizure…and a second on March 11….these seizures are very violent, Robin falls backwards, and convulses for a few minutes. This Saturday, in the meadow, the seizure is very strong and a second one comes right behind…Robin regains his senses but he can’t get up…the vet is on his way. He confirms a heart problem, Robin has major arrhythmias…the pulse is weak.
We could have helped him up by giving him a glucose drip and a cocktail to give him a boost… but what’s the point… why…? We don’t want Robin to collapse again in the middle of the night, for example, and crash into the fences. We decide to let him go, surrounded by the team and his faithful friends, Alizée, Atlon and Starfact. The sun was shining, the weather was fine, Robin breathed his last, and left very quickly….his heart was very tired.
Robin, you’ve had a short stint, but your kindness has left its mark on all of us… you have all the makings of a wise man. Bonne route à toi sur ce nouveau chemin…
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.
Nano
Nano
Nano, a tribute….but more than that…a piece of life ….
Nano…but his nickname is Narvalo, as some of you know him…
Before Darwyn’s Refuge, which I founded in 2000, I ran a small boarding stable for owner’s horses, where I also had my horse Darwyn, in Sezenove, the Chevauchée stable, which became the famous Blackyland Ranch. 7 horses boarded, including Narvalo. An owner’s horse who took part in the climbing parade, among other things, Narvalo had that Iberian touch that made him energetic but pleasant under saddle.
In 1996, Narvalo was kicked in the hindquarters, broke his leg and underwent surgery at the tierspital in Berne. The owner barely answers the phone.
In 1998, following Darwyn’s sudden death, I decided to stop managing the stable and gave notice to all the owners. Narvalo’s owner didn’t follow up, and I found myself with this horse in early retirement at the age of 11. I boarded him with Yvette, who nicknamed him Nano.
In 2000, I created Darwyn’s Refuge and Nano was one of the first to join the circle.
A bearded horse with the scars of his past, Nano has always had a wild side, and in the park, very few people could approach him without trickery. For him, freedom was a matter of course, and the less humans cared for him, the better off he was.
For the past 4 years, Nano has enjoyed a retirement that suited him: from April to November, he enjoyed 20 hectares, alongside his mare Tenessy and cows. Then, in winter, the comfort of a dry, mulched and individually fed area.
When I visited on November 15, Nano had aged a bit, lost weight but remained lively.
Then yesterday morning (28.12….) at 6.30 am, Florianne called to tell me that Nano was lying down and couldn’t get up. I hit the road, at which point Nano got up….he’s lost weight again in the last few weeks, and his general condition is worrying: he has a large number of tumours, he can hardly crotch, his penis no longer goes up, it’s purplish red, urinating is painful given his behaviour, and his eyes are empty…. 2 hours of watching him and seeing that Nano could live for perhaps a few more days or weeks, but at what price? What real suffering is he enduring? Should we wait this time, or will we have to call the vet in a hurry to put him out of his misery? Will we find him in agony, sweating?
Out of respect, I’ve decided to spare him all the endings we hate to see, to postpone the deadline until the evening, the next day, simply for lack of courage, or to say, “we’ve tried everything”…no, Nano will leave calmly, and surrounded, simply because he has the right to leave with dignity….
A big page is turning, Nano has marked many of my years, a horse, memories of life, a piece of us that is unhooking at the same time….
Sad is a given, and who wouldn’t be but after 24 hours, I imagine him in his new meadows, turning around with his “I’m coming or I’m running away from you” look, but this time, his look means …just thank you …so even if the tears are rolling, it’s with a smile, that I watch you leave us….
To you Nano, the first of this life I dedicate, I ask you a favor…you who knew him, if you meet this pretty bay, with the spot under the belly, tell him, simply that his name resounds in many minds and that despite time, I still miss him so much….
Hi Nano, hi friend!
