The stories of the horses cared for by the Heartland Foundation from Lubianka near Toruń are different, but each one is impressive. Caffeine came to the fund in an awkward situation when she was twelve years old. He lived with farmers who did not have tractors and plowed the fields with horses. Although Plama has been completely blind for ten years, he does not lose the joy of life. – Many people told me to put her to sleep, or worse, to kill her. I couldn't imagine it, says Ewa Stefanska from the Heartland Foundation.
The Lubianka Foundation near Toruń deals with the rescue of horses, mainly those that were employed in riding schools or used by individuals for riding. He takes care of several horses.
The foundation helps the elderly and sick konomtvn24.pl
The most interesting story is about Caffeine. Ms. Eva found it in an ad on one of the advertising portals. She was described as a quiet 12-year-old. However, she looked very unhappy in the photos.
Sprakovana Feina
– When I went there, I saw the saddest horse in the world. She was very thin, about twenty-five years old, a tired mare tied to a stall in a stable. He lived with farmers who did not have tractors and plowed the fields with horses. They said that the mare doesn't want to do this, they don't know why, and that's why they had to sell her. It was clear that they were not bad people, but Kofka didn't even have a name. He also hadn't run or had sharp hooves in months. But all her ribs were exposed. From the shape of her belly and her spine, it was clear that she had been giving birth for many years and she had definitely worked hard under the saddle, – says Eva Stefanska.
Caffeine and Mrs. Eva at phototvn24.pl
The whole situation happened almost six years ago and Kaffeina is still alive and well today. – Thanks to the frozen spots on his side, I found out that he is from a famous horse breeding enterprise in Poland and was born in January 1990, that is, he will be 35 years old in three weeks, – adds Mrs. Eva.
Today, Caffeine is everyone's favorite, the heart of the foundation. – Currently, he is missing almost all of his teeth, so he eats pulp and suffers from asthma, but he is doing very well thanks to removing grass from his diet, – emphasizes Eva Stefanska.
Caffeine and Mrs. Eva at phototvn24.pl
History of Plama
The second horse that the story affects is Stein. He is about 24 years old and has been totally blind for about ten years. – This is a horse that was born to me in my childhood. She taught me to ride, but most of all she taught me to respect the nature of horses.
– In the case of Plama, the chronic disease became resistant to treatment and caused atrophy of the eyeball, that is, its disappearance. Very rarely, it affects the right and left eyes. Unfortunately, this happened to us. Many people told me I should put him to sleep or worse, hand him over for slaughter. I couldn't imagine it. Even then, my mother and I decided that we would try to give him a normal life. A few years later I opened a boarding house for horses and foundation, – adds Eva Stefanska.
Spot on phototvn24.pl
– It was very difficult for Stein to get used to the new conditions, and it was even more difficult to place the horses in the herd, which are his guides. Her life became stable thanks to Vampire – a large and grown-up pony who was freed from heavy entertainment. He became her eyes. Spot also lives in a free space and it is encouraging to see how well he knows his garden and how he can find water, shelter or grass flawlessly. He learned to respond to voices. He comes to eat and I even occasionally work with him from the ground to keep his motor skills intact. However, most of the time, Spot moves cautiously and slowly, but thanks to our determination and our belief that he can live, he is now happy, – emphasizes Mrs. Eva.
Plama and Mrs. Eva at phototvn24.pl
True stories of horses
He notes that the story of their horses is usually very simple. As he admits, “the fund doesn't take sad pictures of them to raise money, they show the world as it really is.”
– The stories are also true, we do not exaggerate them. When the owner of the horse loved him very much, but neglected it out of ignorance, and then gave it to us so that he could live a peaceful old age, we speak openly about it and do not pretend that it is otherwise. Maybe that's why we don't have enough donors to always be enough for everything. After all, the stories of horses that are transported for meat are covered more than those that work in nurseries. Unfortunately, their lives are just as bad as those raised for meat, or maybe even worse. I don't know, maybe it's not fair to judge, but every life is precious, including or especially those who have spent their whole lives at someone else's expense and in return only get sold everywhere when they can't do anything else, emphasis does the lady Eva.
The foundation helps the elderly and sick konomtvn24.pl
A day in the life of a foundation
The day-to-day life of the foundation is not easy, although no one here is complaining. – We work in a small team. Me, Adrianna and Kalina, that is, the presidents in muddy Wellington boots, two volunteers and a gentleman who help with the heavier work in the evening, says Mrs. Eva.
Breakfast here starts at 7 am and lasts for two hours. The evening starts from 5 to 7 pm. – These are the two main foods that all horses eat. In the meantime, we have lunch at 11:00 a.m. Horses that are willing to weigh in and those that don't eat grass eat here. The next meal is at 16:00 and the last at 8:00 p.m. Some horses are fed grass soaked in water. Some of them are because they have no teeth and cannot handle hay, and others are suffering from asthma and any dry grass causes them to be allergic, explains Mrs. Eva.
Also read: They rescue horses from Morski Oko. They threatened to kill them
However, this is not the end of daily tasks. In addition to the main rituals, it is necessary to check whether the horses are not cold or not, it is also necessary to look at how they move (most of them have more or less problems with their stable limbs) and their breathing at rest. it is necessary to check them. to asthma.
– In the hot months, when the disease is more severe, we often count the number of breaths per minute to check that they are within the norm. If the deterioration is visible, we will give an inhalation or contact the vet to check if drugs should be prescribed. In addition, there is often something to lubricate, clothes to change, etc.. Another aspect of the job is hauling (without a tractor) or hauling hay in bags. We wear them in large nets with small holes. Thanks to this, its consumption is similar to natural conditions – constant access to roughage, but in small bites – concludes Ewa Stefanska.
Main photo source: tvn24.pl
