Darby was rescued by Olesja Lapteva of Poulsbo from the Eugene Sales yard in August of 2022. She was running with a paint/draft stallion and was presumed bred so Olesha saved her and brought her home. She added her to her herd but Darby was low man in the herd and did not thrive as she should have. Olesja reached out to us on March 21st concerned for the well being of Darby and her possible baby. Darby was being bullied by the other horses, including being run off her food, wasn’t putting on weight and had chronic diarrhea. She asked if we were interested in giving her a home and we immediately said yes. On Monday march 27th she arrived at the farm and settled in. This afternoon, Tuesday March 28th we had our vet out to give her a wellness exam where she was given an ultrasound and confirmed that she was in foal. She was wormed and given her first round of prenatal shots. She also had her teeth checked over. This girl is in definite need of some more groceries in her diet so she can put on weigh before foaling. She will also need her teeth floated and it was suggested that she is put on a high dose of psyllium because she has quite a bit of sand in her belly.
Darby had quite a full day today! She met other horses, saw the vet, walked over to Alex’s house to graze on some lush grass, snuggled in the grass, and then came back to the farm just in time for dinner! We can not wait to get her all cleaned up tomorrow during our volunteer day! We know the volunteers are going to fall in love just as fast as we have! Stay tuned for some after bath pictures!
It's hard to tell in the photos but Darby is a BIG girl. She is easily the tallest horse here at the farm. She will probably eat twice if not three times as much as the other horses due to her condition. While she is quite underweight, things look good otherwise. It’s going to be quite the journey getting her ready to have this baby but we are excited to be here for it. As always, we so appreciate that Olesja reached out to us when it was clear she was not going to thrive where she was.
If you would like to help support Darby’s journey here at Toni’s Ponies and the journey of her foal there are several ways to do so. This girl is going to need vet care coming up on top of her wellness exam. Donations can be made to Sound Equine of Poulsbo Washington 360.779.5557 on the Toni’s Ponies/Toni Houck account. Gift cards to Tractor Supply help us buy grain and specialty vitamins and supplements. You can also support Toni’s Ponies and the horses we rescue here by a one time or even monthly donation. Our partnership with Zeffy assures that we get 100% of all electronic funds donated to us and pay 0 transaction fees. Click here to become a sponsor.
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Awesome! Is the volunteer thing still going on every saturday?
What a sweet looking horse! I’m so glad she found her way to you and that she will receive the love and support she needs to thrive! I plan to donate a bit now and more later. Thanks for the info! Darcy