I’m so glad you got these guys out of harms way, and I hope they turn into solid citizens for you.
Please hook up with a good mentor who can guide you as you amass the insane amount of knowledge needed to have horses without having migraine headaches or (human) doctor bills. 
Hello everyone. I am pleased to inform everyone that the initial check-up with the Vet went terrific. Both of our girls are in excellent health. They can use a little work on their teeth, but nothing major. The vet took blood and stool samples and is creating a nutrition plan for us. The vet complimented us on our barn setup and cleanliness, and she was impressed with what we had done so far, being new to horses (but not new to farm animals.)
The soaked alfalfa cubes were a great option to get us through until we are on to a more solid nutrition plan, and once we see the bloodwork results, that can be accurately devised. A generous angel from this forum sent us a goodie box of giant proportions. Here are a few photos of our girls and their new outfits.
We take them for daily walks and give them alone time in our round pen. We are starting to clear land for their main turnout area this weekend. We see them at least twice daily, and I wish it was more; we have fallen head over heels in love with these gentle giants.
Since my daughter has been riding two times per week for almost two years, we luckily have access to several knowledgeable folks at the stable where she rides. If we didn’t have that, I would not have agreed to take on this type of commitment.
These babies are soooo lovable already. They love hugs and kisses from us. They are not too sure of each other yet, but we are hopeful they will come around to tolerate each other.
I find myself waking up excited to get to the barn (about 4 minutes away by truck) to see them and serve breakfast. We are “hooked!” I might have to sell some of my “man toys” to keep them fat and sassy, but it will be so very worth it!
Oh yeah, finding a farrier was harder than I expected. About 5 people have turned me down. They were too busy already, or we were outside their normal area. Finally, I found one that the Vet recommended, and we have a tentative appointment this coming Wednesday if all goes well on his end. 
Great news!
It looks like you have one happy kiddo there.
Just found this thread. I’m so happy these girls landed in a loving home. That’s a beautiful girl with a couple of horses smile right there!
They are lucky lucky horses to have found such a fabulous home! Your barn is beautiful!
I wish you and your daughter much happiness with them.
Oh my goodness. Looking at the eyes on those horses in the pictures with your girl. They are breathing a sigh of relief, for sure.
All horses deserve their own kids to love them (or kids at heart).
A wonderful ending (or beginning!) for those two.
I wonder who bought the mare’s filly. Hopefully she found a soft landing too. Well I wish all the horses did.
I’m not crying! You’re crying!
This whole thread is so heartwarming. It’s always nice to see a horse go from a scary situation to a good situation. And it sounds like you are really making an effort to do things the right way for the horses, which is wonderful.
That being said, I have to point out that helmets are always a good idea for any rider on any horse, but particularly a young rider on a new horse with an unknown background. Please don’t take this the wrong way. It is motivated strictly by concern for your daughter’s safety.
Thank you so much for giving these two horses a wonderful new home and letting the rest of us follow along on their journey with you.
I think they are both smiling!
No offense taken at all. Her lesson helmet was at the lesson stable. Looks like we have to get a home helmet too. Safety first, absolutely! I appreciate all of you. You have all been so kind and helpful in this process.
And to think I found such a great group by just google searching Bonnie’s race name. Seems like it was all meant to be! Have a good weekend everyone!
Lovely thread!
Please also be aware that as they return to proper weight their demeanor may change.
It’s worth understanding that they’ve been through a lot (the auction, shipping, a new home so far away, new people, new food, etc) and in time, as they settle and begin to feel better and more secure, they may not be as docile.
Great save and lucky kid to get two horses to love!
It was cold last night but these 2 ladies were nice and warm with their blankets & comfy wind free barn 
They look great in their blankets!
This is the best story out there. Thank you for giving these girls a great home. Did you receive the results of the fecals and bloodwork? Do you know the name of the second girl or did I miss that. Thank you again.
The farrier came out and did a trim on our two girls. He said he saw no significant issues, and after discussion, we chose to keep them barefoot.
The following email was sent from our Vet, along with some other docs & recommendations:
Good afternoon!
Overall, Bonnie and Honey’s bloodwork looks good. They both have some indication of systemic inflammation, but their overall organ function is great. No concerns with infection either as their white blood cell counts are normal. They are both very slightly anemic (decreased red blood cells), but given we don’t know their history and they’ve both been under a lot of stress, I wouldn’t read too much into that right now.
They both have a moderate amount of strongyles on their fecals, which are the most common worms that horses can get. And their Coggins tests are negative, which is great.
*Let’s plan on deworming them with a good broad-spectrum dewormer like Zimectrin Gold or Quest Plus, and we’ll give them a good recheck when we do their boosters. As long as they’re acting healthy and gaining weight, I don’t think we necessarily have to recheck bloodwork, but it’s never a bad idea. *
If you have any other questions, please let me know!
Dr. Katie
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