Teddy's First Days Home

I brought Teddy home on December 28, 2013. When I arrived at his first rescuer's house it was dark. I could see that his neck was extremely thin. I raised up his blanket and could count every rib. I didn't take his blanket off because it was so cold. It was a long ride home. He was so weak I was afraid if I accidentally took a turn too fast or jerky he would fall. I pulled over a lot to check on him. When I unloaded him he was definitely tired. I lead him to his corral, worrying that he may fall in route because he could not pick his feet up to walk. I feed him a small flake of hay and proceeded to have a restless night of sleep pondering what I was in for as well as the possibilities of what this horse could become again.

I awoke the next day to a horse that really did not acknowledge that I was there. I fed him again and whispered sweet nothings in his ear. His head hung down and the life spark in his eyes non-existent. When the sun was high enough that he could warm himself I took the blanket off to brush him. I was not prepared for what I saw. I have seen horses in this condition but only in pictures. To be there in front of a horse that somebody let go this bad was heart breaking. How could someone let it get this bad? I cried while I brushed him. I tried to buck up because I know they feel what we feel, but for the first 10 minutes I couldn't. I brushed him, getting on my knees to brush his face because he could not lift his head. We went for a walk that only lasted about 5 minutes because that's all he could handle. I took him back to his corral, fed him another small flake of hay, worrying that if I fed him to much I could kill him but my heart wanting to fill the corral up with hay.

For the next few days I read articles and talked with people who have rescued horses like this to find out how and what to feed him. I walk him multiple times a day to help the food he eats turn into muscle. I wonder if he is mentally okay or if this type of neglect has robbed him of being able to become a whole horse again. There are no outward signs that I exist when I'm interacting with him, even when I am kneeling in front of him to brush his face or pet him.

Theses are pictures of Teddy on his first day at our house.