September 27th, 2010

Samson and Delilah

Two new horses arrived at the rescue last week - both had been abandoned.

The first was a tiny miniature, our smallest rescue horse so far. Abandoned in Callosa, he was taken to local cat and dog rescue centre, APADAC, which called us for help.

It was immediately clear that this little horse, not much bigger than a German Shepherd, had huge problems. Deciding this meant he would need a big, strong name, Sue called him Samson. His mane of beautiful long, dark hair fitted the name well, too.

Samson has a genetic deformity, having been born with an extra bone and joint in his back legs. This has left his back end wasted and his back legs splayed out.

Although rare, such genetic deformities are known to occur in miniature horses. An operation should be performed in the first four months of life to correct it. Sadly, Samson, who is thought to be around one year old, has been left untreated. We are now talking with top horse vet and specialist in leg and hoof problems, Gaspar Castelijns, about Samson's case. We are hoping Samson will be able to travel to Gaspar's Barcelona clinic for treatment.

Of course, when the next horse arrived just three days later, she had to be called Delilah.

Delilah was found wandering the streets of Almoradi. She was taken in by the local police, who called us to collect her from the police station.

Delilah has clearly suffered serious neglect. She is very malnourished and has bad infections in her eyes and mouth. Her eyes were so inflamed when she arrived that she looked like a boxer after a fight. She is likely to have been in considerable pain. She seems to be allergic to fly bites and may be suffering other allergies or problems from being fed inappropriate food.

Delilah is now getting intensive care at the centre, and is already doing much better.