Happiness found: Moon's journey

“Moon was standing outside an auction. He was shivering, scared and wouldn’t let anyone touch him. Every time a hand went near him, he would flinch from fear. He was dragged into the auction ring, not able to walk in. They whipped him to walk and his legs splayed and he stumbled and skidded across the ring. The bids started and he wasn’t selling. Fearful that he would end up in a worse place, if the lowest bid was too low, I made a bid for him. The hammer went down and I just knew I had to act fast to help this poor little horse. An hour later, I had signed on the dotted line and we started our adventure home. We struggled to get him into the trailer but we eventually got him home. He was kept in isolation until the vet could do some blood tests and checks.

Over the next few days various professionals came to see him: Vet, Osteo, Farrier, Dentist, Saracen Horse feeds - Nutritionist.

Everyone agreed that despite his passport age of 2018, this horse was developed as a yearling with significant growth delay, neglect and malnourished. His shoulders and chest are yet to open, his skeleton is visible and most of his conformation is irregular.

I don’t think he had ever had a shower. His mane and tail were matted into dreadlocks.

Moon wasn’t specially aware, he barely knew how to put one foot in front of the other. He’s currently having lots of hand-walking and several small meals throughout the day. His main hard feed is Saracen Horse feeds - Essential Balancer with a small scoop of Recovery Mash and a handful of chaff.

He’s becoming very loving and trusting. He loves a cuddle and a good scratch and rub. He’s also starting to socialize and will touch noses with other horses.

Our other horses are very patient with him and let him invade their personal space! I think the most heartbreaking moment was when he looked for nipples on a gelding.

Moon is in our family for life. He might never be able to ride with a saddle, time will tell. One thing is for sure, he will know he is loved and he is cared for."

About Ashleigh:

Ashleigh is a Primary School Principal and an animal lover, passionate about educating the youth for a more sustainable animal care future. She has been horse-riding since she was a child and shortly after moving to Dubai rescued her first horse. She has a growing family of animal rescues, including cat colonies across Dubai. Her latest rescue, Moon, is the fourth horse she has helped. Moon has considerable needs and Ashleigh has a team of friends around her who are helping to make him stronger day by day.

Note from Lizzy Drury (Saracen Horse feed Nutritionist) whom assisted Moon:

“When I first saw Moon he was clearly undernourished and as a young horse had not had the best start. We had to take things very gradually with the feeding to ensure that we did not give him a serious digestive upset such as colic and also to ensure that he did not have a rapid growth spurt that would further compromise his development.” We utilized forage as the mainstay of his diet and then balanced this with a quality source of vitamins, minerals and quality protein together with a digestive enhancer.

We used the Essential Balancer, which we fed at 500 grams per day. This was fed for the first 6 weeks, while we closely monitored his health and his adaption to a balanced feeding programme.

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