Issue 6

January 2022

It was a busy December with 30 animals taken into our care. Our new friends Nicolas and Noel are waiting to meet you in our Arrivals Lounge and this month in our Departures Lounge we say goodbye to Faye, a beautiful horse we rescued in 2019 who passed away last month.

Our Story of the Month features a behind the scenes look at our MLHR Kildare base and an introduction to some of our rescues.

Our Day in the Life series this month looks at Charlie and his treatment for Cellulitis and Lymphangitis while our Did You Know? section looks at Microchipping and Horse Passport requirements in Ireland.

It’s a brand new year and the animals have been busy making resolutions for 2022! If it’s a New Year bargain you’re after, look no further than My Lovely Charity Shop and the Tack Shack, the jewels in Edenderry’s crown! In this issue we are profiling both shops which are staffed by an incredible team of Volunteers with a flair for fashion and an eye for style.   

Before you hastily swear off the sweet treats for the New Year – give our delicious Peanut Butter Brownies Recipe a whirl while you check out our Behind the Scenes section for exclusive photos and videos from the last month. 

As always, we are here for the animals because you are here for us. We are so grateful for your continued support. Thank you for subscribing! 

So Nicolas and Noel are chilling out for a couple of weeks in one of our front stables. Here they can have their own space while also getting used to all the noises and goings on in the yard. They can see the other goats wandering around and touch noses through the railing with them and any of the horses who may wander over for a nosy. It’s kind of like their decompression area where they can get used to all the farmies’ voices, learn who is who, who feeds them and that these are people they can trust. It’s like getting the place to imprint on them so that when they are eventually let out with the herd they will stay with them and not run away. They are both doing good and no doubt soon they will be off with the rest of the herd causing havoc and eating every tree branch in sight!

Departure 

RIP Faye

In January 2019 MLHR Cork took a very special horse out of the horse pound. In her twenties and in bits Faye literally fell out of the horsebox as she arrived on the MLHR Cork farm. Looking at her it was amazing she even made it out of the pound at all.

Faye had Cushings disease, a disorder of the horse’s endocrine system (hormonal system) most often seen in older horses. Cushings is not necessarily a death sentence but it does require proper management which poor Faye had obviously not been receiving and now she was in serious ill-health. Our Faye though was one feisty lady and this independence and strength of will which had seen her this far was not about to desert her now. Weak and all as she was she was well able to give a squeal at the other younger horses as she passed the stables and headed out to the paddocks. You could see the sheer determination in her and that amazing attitude of ‘just keep on going no matter what’  made everyone admire her so much. She mooched along with the other horses as best she could, wobbling around, had her feeds and was groomed daily to prevent her coat from getting hard as it often can from Cushings. She would fall down sometimes (as she suffered muscle wastage from her condition) and then just look up at you as if to say, ‘well here we go again’, before pushing herself back to her feet. Her strength of character and that sparkle in her eye made us know she deserved a chance. 

So Faye went to live in one of the loveliest places we know and she just thrived. The set up there suited her perfectly. The paddocks are small and lead straight down to the dry standing areas for the evening time making it easier for her to get from one to the other. The stables have special grip mats to help her get up easier and it’s such a quiet, peaceful home for any older horse. Here in this beautiful home that Elizabeth and Margaret gave to her, Faye lived for over two and a half years which considering her condition when she arrived to us is extraordinary. Eventually her great strength began to fail her and she would take much longer to get herself up each time she fell. When the vet was eventually called it was decided that it was time to let her go. Faye left this world surrounded by that kind of love that most people search for all their lives, unquestioning, unflinching, unstoppable. She has left a huge hole in everyone’s hearts and we want to pay tribute to Faye’s ferocious zest for life which has inspired us all.

We want to also say a huge thank you from the bottom of our hearts to Elizabeth and Margaret for their unbelievable generosity of spirit and their ability to love and look after our precious golden oldies. 

So many animals come through our doors that we don’t always get to feature all of them. For this month our farm manager Ciara has put together some video footage to show you around our yard and see who is hanging out there at present. On a freezing, cold day, it’s heartwarming to see all these lives who’ve been saved.

Then we have our new arrivals, Nicolas and Noel whose story is featured above in our Arrivals section. The alleyway which is crowded with goats and ponies is a favourite hangout for everyone. It’s sheltered of course and the guys come in to get out of the rain and have a chin wag with each other. Of course the fact that the feed room is nearby at the other end of it could have something to do with its popularity too.

Then you’ll probably recognise some of our recent pound babies in the alleyway, fresh out of quarantine and getting used to the madness of the yard and being around all the other horses, goats, dogs and all the open space. They are doing well and so many of our young ones who make it go on to have amazing lives with our wonderful adopters.  

Then meet Indie, who wandered into a garden in Wicklow, skinny, full of sores, lice, worms and with patches of her hair missing. She’s still anaemic and on a special tonic to help but doing so much better. 

Rosie was found on a canal, wandering, looking very lost and trying to follow passerbys home. She is just lovely and is receiving iodine poultices on her feet at the moment to help make them healthier and more resilient and harden them up.

Then we have beautiful Amanda who lost her foal only a short while ago. Amanda is 18 and is getting over her great loss. We left her foal with her initially so she could grieve fully. It’s always better, just as with humans, to let the grieving process take place, so that just like in the wild they can stand over the body of their loved one and only leave when they know themselves it’s time to. Amanda spent some time recently in UCD veterinary hospital as the fatty acids in her liver were very high which can mean liver failure. Her bloods are now improving and her tests seem okay so we are thrilled for her to be getting better as it’s been such a hard time for her.

Finally our fab Ed Sheeran, from Limerick originally, found locked in a barn with eight other goats during an official seizure. Ed also is not much of a ‘goat’ goat. He tolerates Billy the goat well enough – two kindred spirits in their refusal to be totally goat like – but spends a lot of his day around the top of the yard trying to get into the feed room. The door is now always locked because he is more than capable of opening it and sometimes when you’re inside getting feeds ready you can see his shadow lurking outside ready to pounce. When Ciara is on the yard, perhaps on the phone to a vet or an adopter and so standing still for a moment, he’ll start searching her pockets and pull the zip down to find any treats she may have. Everyone just adores him so much and sure what’s a few broken door handles or zips when you get to hang out with Ed Sheeran everyday.

New Year Resolutions at MLHR farm!

January has begun, and that means it’s time to put our New Year resolutions into action! We all do it every year, we make our resolutions with every belief that we’ll keep them for the whole year. Well, we went around and asked all of our animals what their New Years resolutions are. Here are a few that they told us, and let’s see if they’ll be able to keep them! 🐐🐖🐎🐕🐈

Another change of career with Sheamus and Lorne who want to finally have their dream of being house auctioneers come true. They’ve been practising loads on the farm so keep an eye out for these entrepreneurs!

Peter the tractor has his own resolution. He’s been a long time fan of John’s tractor who comes to collect our muck heap. He’s too shy to talk to him or ask his name but in 2022 Peter wants to grow big and strong just like his favourite tractor! 🚜

In fact lots of animals also wanted to make big changes in 2022. We spoke with both Tony the horse and Susannah the mule who have been watching how easily the goats at MLHR are able to jump up on top of bales in the hay barn to eat from the higher up ones. So both have decided that their New Year resolution is to become a goat! They’ve both been practising hard!

Ed the goat has made his own separate resolution. Ed much prefers to stay up in the yard than go out into the fields with the rest of the goats and his favourite place to hang is the hay bath! He demands only the freshest hay to bathe in and his resolution is to have at least one hay bath every day. According to him it’s the comfiest place to go for a nap and to help his resolution he has put in a request that the bath be constantly kept full of fresh hay and the horses that try to eat the hay as he’s in there must stay away and find somewhere else for their lunch!

Finally we got to talk to our neighbours – these cows live in the field that backs onto our rescue and they can always hear all the neighing, bleating, barking and braying coming from our yard and their resolution is just to figure out what’s going on in this crazy rescue centre!

So there you have it! Now we’ll have to wait and see can they all achieve these goals!

It makes us so happy to see our animals having fun and exploring and making friends. So for the humans at MLHR our resolution is to keep saving as many animals as we can and give them a life worth living. To help us achieve this resolution donate today to MLHR and help us to help them 🧡💙

Severe swelling can cause the skin to crack and fluid to weep out. Initially, fluid began to weep from the front of Charlie’s leg but it worsened and began to weep from around the coronary band, at the back of his fetlock and the back of his hock on the inside. It is imperative to get the weeping of fluid under control and once this stops, and this can take a few weeks, we know we are starting to make progress.  

Charlie’s Cellulitis has unfortunately progressed to Lymphangitis – which is the swelling and inflammation of the lymph nodes. There is a considerable build-up of scar tissue and damage to his lymph nodes and this affects the drainage of fluid from his leg. Our vets at UCD scanned Charlie’s leg and could see a large solid body of fluid but unfortunately no isolated pockets of fluid that could be lanced and drained. For Charlie it is a case of monitoring and managing his symptoms on a daily basis. 

For all that he has been through, Charlie is very easy to treat – he really is the definition of a gentle giant!  Now that he is able to bear weight on his hind leg, he is walked to the top yard daily where his leg is cold-hosed for 10-15 minutes. Walking can help to improve the circulation and the cold-hosing helps to bring down inflammation much like an ice pack would. 

Once dry, a compression bandage is applied to his left hind leg to encourage the redirection of fluid. His leg is first wrapped with absorbant padding and a bandage is then applied. A support bandage is also applied to his right hind leg in case Charlie is over-compensating on the right side for the difficulties with his left. Charlie will have to have his legs bandaged on an ongoing basis.   

Microchips and Passports

We know that Microchipping and keeping up-to-date contact information on a recognised registration database are key to reuniting humans with their canine and feline companions should they stray, or become lost or stolen. Did you know that since July 2009, all equines (horses, ponies, donkeys) must have a valid passport which holds unique identification details about them, including their microchip number? 

In Ireland, a keeper of an equine must apply for a passport no later than 6 months from the animal’s birth to ensure the process is finalised before the animal is 12 months old. Once a passport is issued, it is valid for the lifetime of the equine. If an equine is moved, they must be accompanied by their passport. Microchipping and passport requirements also help to identify who is responsible for the welfare of an animal should they be found to have suffered neglect and cruelty. In reality, so few of the animals that come into our care have either microchips or passports. 

At MLHR we ensure that each animal is medically assessed on entry and scanned for a microchip. Where no chip is found, our vets microchip the animal and a passport is applied for. MLHR uses new and innovative chips designed by Equitrace which allow us to access and upload their medical history, take their temperature and track them when they are en route to their new homes, all simply and efficiently by means of a medical scanner. €5,000 would enable MLHR to microchip and obtain passports for 48 equines in our care.

So many unchipped and unregistered equines are dumped on public and private land all over Ireland every year, left to starve and die. We will continue to be the voice for animals and speak out about the requirements around Microchips and Passports because, as long as equine identification and horse licensing laws are not adhered to and are not strictly and consistently enforced, the abuse of equines will continue without any consequences for the abusers.   

We were amazed by the national response to our request for donations to re-stock the shops. Our volunteers co-ordinated nationwide collections of clothes and household items and we gratefully received donations of new and pre-owned tack, saddles, rugs, masks, boots, hats and horsey foodstuffs. We re-opened in July 2020 and My Lovely Charity Shop and the Tack Shack have gone from strength to strength ever since and with all proceeds going to My Lovely Horse Rescue. 

On entry to the shop you are met with a vibrant and colourful display and a very warm welcome from our wonderful Volunteers. The lower and middle floors carry an eclectic selection of vintage clothes and footwear, exquisite pieces of jewellery, art, ornaments and homewares and we are often gifted original pieces of art and crafts for sale or auction. 

On the upper floor, the Tack Shack stocks everything you could possibly want for the horse or horse-lover in your life! We have a fantastic selection of tack, saddles, riding hats, rugs, jackets and jods, boots for humans and horses – bargains just waiting to fall into your hands! 

Stayed tuned throughout the year as we check in with our Edenderry crew for their bargains of the month. In the meantime, please follow My Lovely Charity Shop and My Lovely Tack Shack on Facebook or, if you fancy a leisurely browse, drop in to 81 JKL Street, Edenderry, Co. Offaly. Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 10.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. We hope to see you there! 

As part of our mission here in My Lovely Horse Rescue we are trying to promote greater awareness of all animals’ needs, not just horses but especially the farm animals of the world who have such short and miserable lives before they go on their final journey to slaughter.

Many of us in MLHR have begun our vegetarian and vegan journeys over the last few years, inspired by the animals we’ve met on our farm bases. Something we’ve all learned is that every little counts and every time you opt for an animal-product free meal you are making a difference – even if you can’t do it everyday. We want to inspire as many people as possible to go on this journey with us, so every month we’re including a different vegan recipe for you to try out and enjoy.

This month we have Peanut Butter Brownies!

We are now in the depths of winter and that chill has taken hold of us all. Animals all over Ireland are facing unthinkable hardship, neglect and starvation. We have taken in so many horses and donkeys in the last few months who have been abandoned in freezing conditions, with no access to food, water, shelter or medical care. We are here for animals 365 days a year but we need your support more than ever to give these animals a life worth living.

We are aiming to raise €150,000 with our Winter Appeal to see us through this particularly difficult period. Our running costs last year nearly reached a staggering €400,000 with basic necessities of hay, feed, medical and farrier care accounting for over half of that figure. With over 500 animals already in our care across our three farms, this number is rapidly increasing as we take in sick and injured animals in desperate need of our help. 

Your love of animals and your support means the world to us. Please help us provide a home, food and medical assistance to the animals in our care by donating what you can to our Winter Appeal.  

Our farmies work from morning until night to keep the farms running and all the animals cared for. Between cleaning, medical treatments and call outs, they capture so many moments on camera, from the interesting, to the funny and  beautiful. Here are some ‘behind the scenes’ videos and photos from the farm this month.