Merlin’s Miraculous Metamorphosis July 17, 2019 July 17, 2019 Kerrie Garvey

Back in the beginning of May my friend Sabrina sent a message to a small group of our horsie friends with a listing for a kill pen horse out of the infamous New Holland auction in Pennsylvania. The photos were heartbreaking.

He was known only as “Hip 448” and didn’t have a name that anyone shared with the auction house. He was presumed to be a Percheron and Tennessee Walker cross that was about 18 years old.

Something about his soulful eyes and very sad state stuck with Sabrina and she began to entertain the idea of rescuing this poor horse before he was sent to slaughter. The kill pen buyers give only a short window of time for non-slaughterhouse buyers to buy the horses that they pick up at these auctions. In this horse’s current condition, there weren’t any other takers.

Sabrina pulled together the necessary funds to post his “bail” from the kill pen and transferred the money. To purchase him, she had to pull together $550 for his purchase price and another $85 in taxes, fees, and a Coggins test. In total, she paid $635 for him. Finally, he was safe from the slaughterhouse! However, in his very poor health and condition it was questionable if he would survive the grueling trailer ride back to Vermont let alone survive being reintroduced to food.

It just so happens that I have an empty 3 stall barn on my property as well as a field that used to be horse pasture. I don’t have any other horses at my house, so it would be the perfect setup for the necessary quarantine. Of course, when she asked if she could bring him to my house I said yes (after checking with the boyfriend of course!). So Sabrina and her daughter set about cleaning up my barn so that it would be ready for his arrival in a couple of days.

Ivy helping to get his stall all set up.

On May 5th Sabrina drove the 8+ hours to Pennsylvania and stayed at a hotel with her horse trailer and trusty co-pilot.

Co-pilot Cappy.

The next day she arrived at the auction house to pick up her new horse, now officially dubbed Merlin. He was in even worse shape than his listing photos had shown.

Those eyes… </3

He walked right onto the trailer the best he could, but Sabrina was terrified that he would collapse on the ride. Although the impulse is to throw as much food and water at a starved horse as possible, this can actually cause organ failure and lead to death. So, she stopped very frequently and offered a small handful of hay and a small amount of water each time to slowly wake up his starved system and give him the energy to remain standing for the rest of the ride.

Skin and bones, but trying so hard to stay standing.
Having a small drink of water during one of Sabrina’s stops.

These frequent and necessary stops to give him time to rest also turned a long drive into a test of endurance.

She finally arrived with Merlin at nearly 10pm after an exhausting day of travel for both of them. He unloaded and walked to his new stall, barely able to lift his feet over the door frame and into the barn.

We were all relived that he survived the trip, but now weeks of slowly re-feeding had to begin. This is a critical time for a starved horse, and many do not survive this process. He was given about 1/6 of a flake of hay to begin, and he needed to be fed every few hours. I volunteered for the 2am feeding so that Sabrina could get a little rest after her travels. Days of slowly adding more hay to his diet and re-hydrating followed. The vet was out many times, helping him to battle his multiple infections and determine the best course of action for him. Side note: I have never seen so much snot come out of a horse’s nose before!

His matted hair was slowly removed.
His wounds were treated.
The fungus on his legs was scrubbed.

During his quarantine, anyone who visited him had to take proper precautions to prevent spreading his infections to other barns. We had a foot bath by the door to make sure our shoes wouldn’t transport any bacteria, used hand sanitizer liberally, and everyone made sure to change their clothes before visiting another barn.

Slowly, he was able to eat a little more at a time.
He was finally allowed limited turnout!
And learned about alfalfa cubes, his new favorite thing!
And eventually allowed a little more turnout!

After many weeks, he overcame his multiple infections, his nose stopped snotting everywhere, and he began to have a little more energy. He was mostly out of the woods! His personality started coming out, but he seemed pretty lonely being the only horse on the property.

Roughly 6 weeks after arriving, he was looking and feeling so much better!

nom nom nom

After just over 7 weeks of quarantine, he was given the “all clear” by the vet to move to Sabrina’s barn and meet his new friends.

Trailering to his new home.
Sabrina was happy to have him home!

He still had to have a couple of weeks of quarantine at her barn to make sure he wouldn’t contract anything from the horses already there. He passed that milestone with flying colors!

Meeting his new pasture mates was pretty uneventful.
His hooves were trimmed once he could balance to get them done properly.
Sabrina spent a lot of time slowly building up his muscles and endurance with lots of hand walking.
Merlin learned through lots and lots of groundwork too. Note that he doesn’t even have a halter on here!
His first time on the crossties was no big deal.
I went to see him a couple of days ago, and I hadn’t seen him in a few weeks. I was so impressed with his progress!
At the advice of his vet, I was lucky enough to pilot him around his first ride under saddle! 15 minutes of walking, and he tried so hard.
He still needs to gain about 300 pounds, but he is well on his way to a healthy and happy life! Photo: 7/15/19

Merlin has really transformed, both physically and emotionally since Sabrina picked him up on May 5th. He’s now a happy and healthy horse who is enjoying life and new experiences while coming more and more out of his shell.

Sabrina did such a wonderful thing – after seeing those heartbreaking photos of Merlin at the auction, instead of just scrolling on, she rescued him and saved his life. He now has a soft place, lots of friends, and plenty of alfalfa cubes! If anyone is interested in donating towards Sabrina’s vet bills for Merlin’s care, you can do so by contributing to her PayPal at Sabrina@SabrinasPetsitting.com.

Happy trails!

Kerrie

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