JON SNOW

We rescued the Angel that is Jon Snow in October with Freyja and Sir William from the local Kill Pen.  He was just Auction Tag 5899 for $500 and was bound for slaughter if someone didn't take him for his tag price.  The Family who dumped him said they used him for their little girl to learn about horses, but then he foundered and she outgrew him...so they sold him to the Kill Pen.

His video Slaughter auction video kills me to watch to this day.  A sweet but horribly sad, skinny pony dragging his overgrown back feet.  His back hooves looked like elf shoes. The Family had clearly stopped even bare minimum maintaining him.  I knew by his video we were looking at serious potential for existing laminitis or founder at minimum.  He also came to us with a severe respiratory infection and hematoma on his neck.  It was also visible that he had severe grey horse melanomas on his man parts.  I didn't know how long we'd have with him, but it didn't matter. 

It only took a few days on antibiotics, a farrier trim and some yummy mashes to start seeing his fun loving, brave, independent and sweet personality start to beam.  After his farrier trim and a batch, he bucked all over his pen, ran and rolled like a mad man.  One of my favorite memories of him.Here he was free. He was loved. He had what were probably his first blankets, his first mashes (which he loved to slop everywhere and whinny), but more importantly it was probably one of the first times he felt free and safe. 

A few months after his homecoming, a vet found via his X rays that he had previously Foundered on his hind end only, and it was severe.  He was completely rotated.  While we were encouraged to send him on to the next life, we couldn't give up on him.  He wasn't ready. 
We consulted with Sally, our beloved Animal Communicator, our farrier, vet and of course just listened to what Jon Snow was showing us.  He was eating, running, bucking...he wasn't ready. He was a medical miracle and no one could believe this Pony belonged to his X rays.  We are big believers in treating the horse in front of us.  We were pressured for months that due to his X rays we should let him go, but his behavior said otherwise.  He ended up surprising a lot of people for 6+ months.

He and Sir Willy were best friends and could always be found grooming each other, play biting and bucking and running for their evening Alfalfa. Every Morning he would greet me with a giant Whinny and his head through the fence line.  He loved his back to be massaged and would toss his head repeatedly when I hit the right spot, lip curled and all. 

We lost JS in April to an infection.  Vets believed him Cancer may have been far more progressive and that his immune system was crashing and with the infection came a colic that would seal his trip to the next life.  He spent his last day asleep with his head in my lap, being told how loved he is and that so many horses will be rescued in his honor.  He was an Angel on earth who reclaimed his wings and we will forever miss his boisterous but loving personality.